Tigriopus Californicus
Tigriopus californicus is an amazing little marine crustacean that is classified as a Harpactacoid copepod. Harpactacoid meaning it’s class, and copepod meaning its order.
Because of its size and abundance, T. californicus is commonly regarded as the insect of the sea. This creature is generally very small, from 1-3 mm in size as adults. They are cylindrically shaped, and have a segmented body (head, thorax, abdomen) though no noticeable division between body regions (Powlik 1966). Each segment of the body has a pair of legs. They use their 'legs' to propel themselves through the water in short rapid jerks. They have 2 pairs of long feathered antennae, a chitin us exoskeleton and a single eye in the middle of their
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californicus is found from Alaska to Baja in small, shallow tidepools and tidal flats in the upper spray zone where they cannot avoid the full effect of visible and ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Individuals assemble in areas of lower radiation at midday, yet have no preference to the intensity of light at dawn and dusk (Hartline and Macmillan 1995). These tiny arthropods inhabit all types of marine sediments from sand to fine mud and ooze. Along with plankton, T. californicus eats microscopic algae, protists, bacteria, diatoms, algae and microbes (McGroarty 1958). When the concentrations of the species in their habitats are high, T. californicus will turn to cannibalism for a food source. The nautilus eye present in the species is rich with fatty acids and provides a good food source for the …show more content…
californicus is the concentration of salinity of the seawater. It can range from 35ppt too much higher salinity concentrations. The concentration of UV radiation also affects t. californicus. They tend to stay in places of low concentration of UV rays when the sun is the strongest. Too much UV radiation may cause growing defects in the animal.
Lab conditions necessary for the maintenance of T. californium are a salinity of about 35 ppt (salinity of regular seawater), a constant room temperature, and low light source. Also a good high definition microscope is necessary to monitor the creatures to make sure they are in a good state.
T. californium’ are a component of zooplankton and are eaten by many organisms, including mussels, fish and fish larvae, squid, sea birds, and mammals (like baleen whales and some seals) (Powlik 1966). They usually stay to themselves in the seawater and do not interact with other organisms except for when they are using microorganisms as a food source. The only time that they interact with their own species is for mating. First a male will insert a spermatophore into a female, then the male will guard his female for the time necessary for the spermatophore to release its contents into the female. This guarding shows that the males want to secure paternity. Other interactions with it’s own species happen when there are high concentrations of the species in a small area. T. californicus will turn on it’s
In the lab the isopods were observed in a way to where behavior and structures could be properly recorded. The isopods were revealed to two dissimilar scenarios, normal temperature water vs. warm temperature water, to calculate which environment was most preferred. In each distinct scenario ten isopods were placed ten a choice chamber, one side being normal temperature (26.7celsius) and the other being warm temperature (43.3 celsius) , and observed for a total of ten minutes with thirty second intervals which was when we recorded our observations. After observations, it was seen that normal conditions was the most preferred environment by the isopods. In the scenario the Isopods exhibited taxis behavior, which is behavior caused by factors such as light, temperature, water and such. Nothing physical, but rather environmental.
The sessile consumers are those that are stationary and all feed off small plankton creating competition for their food source which allows some sessile consumers to be more dominant than others. Mussels are the most dominant between the sessile consumer with the Starfish as its predator, followed by Goose Neck Barnacles whose predators are Whelk and Starfish, and Acorn Barnacles whose predators is Whelk. The mobile consumers consist of Whelk(Nucella), Chiton(Katharina), and Starfish(pisaster). The mobile consumers, which are the the species that have a possibility to be the Keystone species are predators and compete for food. The Starfish preys on Mussels and Goose Neck Particles, the Whelk generally prey on Acorn Barnacles and Goose Neck Barnacles, and the Chiton prey on Nori Seaweed, Black Pine, and occasionally Coral Weed. Between the Mobile Consumers the only competition for food is between the Whelk and Starfish who both prey on Goose Neck Barnacles. Lastly, there is the invasive species known as the Green Crab (Carcinus) which has invaded the environment. The Green crab invades the area and is a predator to all
Artemia franciscana, known commonly as Brine shrimp, are aquatic arthropods within the animal kingdom who can readily adapt to extreme conditions. While they mainly live in saltwater lakes, such as the Great Salt Lake and the Caspian Sea, Artemia are able to survive in most inland saltwater excluding ocean (Gonzalo and Beardmore, 2012). Their main source of nutrition comes from Phytoplankton and microalgae: organisms that require sunlight to prosper. In addition, Artemia reproduces both sexually and through parthenogenesis, processes that require specific abiotic conditions for temperature and salinity*. In fact, Wear et al. (1986) states that higher temperatures are more effective in reproduction and maturation of Artemia. Primarily, this experiment is important for acknowledging the ecology of Artemia as well as their biodiversity in a time of climate change. Understanding habitat requirements is essential in aiding preservation, survival and reproduction.
The life cycle starts as larva or caterpillar. First, the monarch lays the eggs on the milkweed plants. Next, the egg hatch into a caterpillar. The caterpillar then eats the milkweed plants until they are large enough to pupate (Emmel, 1999). Then, the caterpillar attaches a pad of silk to a stem of a milkweed plant so it can hang while it transform into a butterfly. Next, the caterpillar sheds it larval skin to reveal the chrysalis inside (Emmel, 1999). After it shed its skin, the pupa hardens and the chrysalis earns it name by glowing in the sun. As the pupa stage comes to an end, the butterfly can be seen through its pupa shell. The monarch emerges by splitting the pupa along the length of it proboscis (Emmel, 1999). First the legs emerge. Then the fluid fill body pumps its fluid into the veins of the wings while the body shrinks to normal size. Finally, the butterfly hangs from the pupa about two hours while the wings dry (Emmel, 1999).
The crown-of-thorns starfish, its scientific name being Acanthaster planci, is a multiple-armed sea star that is most know for preying upon hard, or stony, coral polyps, which is more often referred by marine biologists as Scleractinia. The crown-of-thorns starfish receives its moniker from thorn-like spines that are full of venom which cover its upper surface, hence it’s name. It is also well known as a supreme coral predator. The main reason the crown of thorns starfish is such a massive hunter of coral is because of its skill removing the polyps and leaving the corals bleached and dead for consumption. When there is a large amount of coral in one certain area, the crown of thorns can have itself a feeding frenzy. However, since it feeds on so much of our ocean’s coral, it is a main contributor to
In this assignment, seven organisms are presented which are to be classified into phylum or class based on a dichotomous key. The first organism presented in this assignment is a starfish. Starfish fall into the class Asteroidea. Starfish have a regular body shape with radial symmetry.
Colonized around the premises of Australia and eastern Japan, the Knifetooth Sawfish are considered to be an endangered Indo-West Pacific specie (iucnredlist.org, 2013). The Knifetooth Sawfish is an extravagant marine specie in that it has qualities that resemble an unusual type of a Ray for a variety of reasons. First, the Knifetooth Sawfish appears to have a saw like beak, which typically fosters sixteen to twenty nine eloquently sharp teeth (arkive.org, 2012). The Sawfish appears to have an overall fading grey body with remotely small pointed fins (Cielocha, 2014). Another thing about this specie is that it dwells usually in offshore depths that go up to one hundred meters (iucnredlist.org, 2013), and feeds off of small invertebrates such as crabs, shrimps, and squids (arkive.org 2012). Based upon extensive research, not much else is known about the diet of the Knifetooth Sawfish. Therefore, it can be reassuringly regarded as a picky eater if
The Artemia franciscana can survive in extreme conditions of salinity, water depth, and temperature (Biology 108 laboratory manual, 2010), but do A. franciscana prefer these conditions or do they simply cope with their surroundings? This experiment explored the extent of the A. franciscanas preference towards three major stimuli: light, temperature, and acidity. A. franciscana are able to endure extreme temperature ranges from 6 ̊ C to 40 ̊ C, however since their optimal temperature for breeding is about room temperature it can be inferred that the A. franciscana will prefer this over other temperatures (Al Dhaheri and Drew, 2003). This is much the same in regards to acidity as Artemia franciscana, in general thrive in saline lakes, can survive pH ranges between 7 and 10 with 8 being ideal for cysts(eggs) to hatch (Al Dhaheri and Drew, 2003). Based on this fact alone the tested A. franciscana should show preference to higher pH levels. In nature A. franciscana feed by scraping food, such as algae, of rocks and can be classified as a bottom feeder; with this said, A. franciscana are usually located in shallow waters. In respect to the preference of light intensity, A. franciscana can be hypothesized to respond to light erratically (Fox, 2001; Al Dhaheri and Drew, 2003). Using these predictions, and the results of the experimentation on the A. franciscana and stimuli, we will be able to determine their preference towards light, temperature, and pH.
The feeding structure of an echinoderm, for example a sea star, has both a mouth and an anus making it a complete digestive system. The mouth is on the oral side of the sea star and the anus is located on the abor...
Ray Bradbury’s “A Sound of Summer” takes place in a future society, where one company offers a program to take clients into the past and let them shoot an animal of their choice. One such client, Eckels, requests to shoot a Tyrannosaurus Rex, but upon gazing at the monstrous animal, he becomes wary and runs back to the Time Machine on the Path, a path that floats six inches above the ground to prevent clients from meddling with the past. However, on the way back, he runs off the path and kicks up some dirt, killing a butterfly. Eckels tells his guide Travis that it was no big deal, and another member of the company Lesperance agrees, so the group heads back to the future. Upon returning, Eckels discovers that killing the butterfly had resulted in a significant
complection of the reef waters they live in makes them even easier to be spotted
They can be distinguished from the insects by several key features; presence of pedipalps, poison glands and chelicerae, a maximum of eight eyes, body divided into two regions (prosoma and cephalothorax) and covered with a protective shield called exoskeleton. In the cephalothorax are located the chelicerae, pedipalps and four pairs of legs. The genital pore and respiratory cavities are located in the abdomen and they lack wings and antennae.
The ocean is an exciting yet mysterious body of element that is still being discovered today. One of the smallest creatures to occupy the ocean habitat, the Snapping Shrimp is security to protect itself and live. The shrimp has very alarming defense mechanisms for its size. The extraordinary shrimp also has somewhat of an abnormal relationship with another sea creature. We as human beings can learn so much from this small animal.
...ermanently changed by the butterfly’s death, by the butterfly effect. This problem contributes to the use of use of science fiction in this short story.