Lifestyles of Marine Organisms

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Lifestyles of Marine Organisms

• Essay Jot Notes

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Task

• Make jot notes to use as a guide for an essay
  question about the lifestyles of marine organisms.

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Task

• In your jot notes include what each of the
  different lifestyles are for marine organisms.
• Each group needs to be discussed so it is clear
  you know what they are and examples need to be
  given.
• Special adaptations need to be included about the
  organisms that place it in that group.
• Also include interesting facts about the
  organisms in that group.

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Introduction

• In the ocean just as on land all organisms rely
  directly or indirectly on the sun for energy

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Introduction

• Producers turn the suns energy into useable
  energy for consumers.

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Introduction

• Consumers will feed on producers or other
  consumers for energy

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Introduction

• Decomposers will feed on producers or consumers
  when they die and return nutrients to the system
  for producers to use.

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Introduction

• Form all of these organisms the ocean can be
  divided into three categories
• Plankton Usually very small floating organism,
  either plants or animals, which are at the mercy
  of the tides winds and currents.
• Nekton Strong swimming animals that live in the
  open ocean, not affected by tides or currents.
• Benthos Organisms that live on or in the ocean
  floor, could be plants or animal

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Plankton

• These feeble swimming plants or animals are
  separated into phytoplankton (plants), which are
  producers, or zooplankton (animals) which are
  first order consumers

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Plankton/phytoplankton

• Phytoplankton are mainly diatoms which are the
  most important food source in the ocean, usually
  single celled plants (algae). They are called
  this because of their silica shells symmetry
  which is designed to help them float.

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Plankton/phytoplankton

• Dinoflagellates represent both plants and
  animals they are the second most important food
  source in the ocean. They are often responsible
  for shellfish becoming toxic or the red tide if
  they have an outbreak.

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Plankton/Zooplankton

• This is the animal form of plankton. If their
  entire life is in this form they are called
  holoplankton and if they are only in this form
  for part of their life cycle they are called
  meroplankton

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Plankton/Zooplankton

• These animals come in different sizes and are
  grouped into four categories
• nanoplankton microscopic/unicellular
• microplankton usually eggs and larval stage
• macroplankton usually about 1mm, copepods
• megaplankton- mostly jellyfish.

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Nekton

• Nekton consists of all animals that are capable
  of swimming powerfully, mammals, reptiles,
  sharks, and fish. Squid are the only
  non-vertebrate that is a strong enough swimmer to
  be in this category.

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Nekton

• Although many of these animals adapted to
  swimming great distances they usually remain
  close to one area because they have not adapted
  to environmental changes through the ocean. This
  area of the ocean is the pelagic zone, which
  consists of most of the ocean water.

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Benthos

• The benthic zone consists of plants (epiflora)
  and animals (epifauna) on or in the bottom. Some
  of these organisms are the sea fan, sponges,
  coral, crabs muscles, and sea weed.

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Benthos

• Animals that are buried in the ocean floor like
  clams and worms are called (infauna)

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Benthos

• The larval stage of many benthic animals is an
  extremely important part of the meroplankton,
  thus a very valuable food source for the ocean.

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Conclusion

• The ocean which is a marine biome is divided into
  three main parts
• 1) Planktonic Zone The top few feet of the
  ocean where plankton live.
• 2) Nektonic Zone The open ocean where the
  inhabitants can swim to the surface or the bottom
  and are called nekton.

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Conclusion

• 3) Benthic Zone This is the floor of the ocean
  where the inhabitants called benthos are usually
  fixed to the bottom or sessile like coral. Some
  like lobster or crabs are mobile.
• Another zone is the Intertidal Zone Organisms
  here are covered by water at high tide and are
  exposed to air during low tide. Many organisms
  here are adapted to living on land and under
  water.