Marine organisms live and thrive in communities much like we do; these communities or populations of organisms which interact together in a specific location, are essential for the species’ survival and for the overall functioning of the ecosystem. These specific communities vary depending upon the organisms which inhabit it as well as the physical conditions of that area. Pelagic communities are well known since these communities encompass the entirety of the open water, but Benthic communities, though less discussed, are equally as important (Garrison 310).
Benthic communities are composed of benthic organisms that live on the bottom of a body of water. To be more specific, benthic organisms are known as benthos (Benthic). Benthos can consist of crabs, lobsters, sea
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Benthic communities exist within all of our oceans and they play a huge role in the ecosystem. It’s important to first understand the types of Benthos that are out there and what functions the different benthic organisms have in our oceans.
Benthos can be classified as either phytobenthos, or zoobenthos (Benthic, What is Benthos). Phytobenthos are primary producers such as algae (seaweed) and aquatic plants like seagrass. Zoobenthos, on the other hand, are consumers like benthic animals and protozoa. Sugars are able to leak out of phytobenthos tissues as they rapidly produce carbohydrate molecules, then it attracts zoobenthos that consume the sugars or the seaweed itself (Garrison 342). Benthos are also be grouped by their size. They can be either be macrobenthos, meiobenthos, or microbenthos (Benthos). Macrobenthos are the largest, measuring larger than one millimeter. These include starfish, lobsters, sea urchin, and crabs. The middle group, meiobenthos, are between one tenth and one millimeter in size. This group consists of diatoms and sea worms. Microbenthos are the smallest and they contain micro organisms like diatoms, ciliates
Copepods are a group of small crustaceans found in the sea and nearly every freshwater habitat. Some species are like plankton (drifting in seawater), some are living on the ocean floor and some particular species may live in still-water habitats and other wet terrestrial places, such as swamps, under leaf fall in wet forests, bogs, springs, ponds, and puddles, damp moss, or phytotelmata of plants.
As a mariner its important to know about the marine life, that was one reason I have chosen this topic for my today’s short presentation.
There are two kinds of Coral reefs, warm, shallow water reefs that require lots of sunlight and cold, deep ocean water reefs. All natural reefs are a combination of sedimentary rock and calcium carbonate. When we think of coral reefs we imagine the bright, sunny, white sand beaches of the Caribbean but the deep water reefs are inhabited by cold water coral. These coral reefs are created by carbonate secreting animals like black coral, hard coral and octocoral which are the type of coral you will find in the gulf (Georgian). Invertebrates such as algae, sponges and bryozoans, bivalves are some different types of organisms that build these reefs as well. Each of these reef builders are an important part of the reef ecosystem (Science).
Our increased appetite for coastal area living, a preference that will likely develop as global temperatures increase, coupled with a rise in seaborne trade and transport, will all contribute to the shaping of future tropical marine ecosystems. Between the years of 1980 and 2000 seaborne trade was shown to increase by 37%, and has continued steadily ever since (Peters 2001). The global mean of ocean transportation is widely acknowledged as a dominant vector regarding invasive species introduction (Carlton 1985), by means of the translocation of larvae and marine microorganisms. One investigation conservatively reported ballast water containing 8 different animal phyla and 5 protist phyla consisting of a total of 81 species (Chu et al., 1997). It is also suggested that at any one moment in time, 10,000 species are transported through ballast water globally (Carlton 1999). An example of a successful invasive transfer via ballast water is the invasion of the comb jelly, Mnemiopsis leidyi, which invaded the Caspian Sea in 1982 (Ivanov et al., 2000). Another ballast water mediated species in recent times is the Pacific brittle star species Ophiactis savignyi, which has now successfully integrated into the tropical West Atlantic (Roy and Sponer 2002). Various management strategies have been manufactured to prevent these ballast tank related problems,
The outer layer of a reef consists of living animals, or polyps, of coral. Single-celled algae called zooxanthellae live within the coral polyps, and a skeleton containing filamentous green algae surrounds them. The photosynthetic zooxanthellae and green algae transfer food energy directly to the coral polyps, while acquiring scarce nutrients from the coral. The numerous micro habitats of coral reefs and the high biological productivity support a great diversity of other life.
At the Aquarium of the Pacific, many different oceanic habitats are presented. These exhibits give the public an idea of the different environments our own oceans hold, providing a hands-on learning experience in the comfort of their own city. The two habitats that interested me are the coral reef and deep ocean. Both the coral reef and deep ocean are very different from each other, having varied ways of survival for the plethora of plants and animals that call those places home.
This research focuses on Gambierdiscus toxicus which is an armored, marine, benthic species in the phylum Dinoflagellata. It has an epitheca and a hypotheca, that is very similar in size, compressed anterio-posteriorly. The theca is covered with numerous deep and dense pores which are very thick. This species is autotrophic creating energy via several golden-brown chloroplasts (Hackett et al 2004), but is also heterotrophic and hence is referred to as mixotrophic. It has a ventrally – oriented crescent shaped nucleus. (Adachi & Fukuyo 1979). It usually inhabits warmer waters such as bay, mediterranian, tropical/sub – tropical in North/Central America (Shiumuzu et al 1982; Loeblich & Indelicato 1986), Asia/Pacific (Holmes & Tao 2002; Lu & Hodgkiss 2004) and has recently been identified in the Mediterranean (Aligizaki & Nikolaidis 2008). These authors identified the organisms to genus level, at best of their effort, so may have been one of the less common members of its genus although it is unlikely.
The discoverer of the titanic, Dr Robert Ballard famously referred to the deep sea as ‘far more alien than going to mars or the moon.’ The deep sea is one of the largest virtually unexplored ecosystems on the planet; it is found at a depth of 1000 fathoms [1] and is subject to adverse changes in temperature, pressure and light penetration amongst other factors. Therefore as expected fish decrease in abundance, and species diversity. This trend is prominent as in order to survive the harsh conditions of the deep sea, fish need a number of specific adaptations. Allowing them to ultimately survive, feed, and reproduce.
Soft corals are grouped in the phylum Cnidaria, class Anthozoa, and order Alcyonacea. Their distinguishing characteristic is that their polyps always bear eight tentacles which are on both edges fringed by rows of pinnules (Fabricius and De’ath, 2002). The common name “soft coral” comes from the fact that they have no massive external skeleton as compared to the more commonly studied hard corals.
Below is a table of the different trophic states, or levels of organic matter in relation to available oxygen, that a body of water traverses on its way to becoming a "dead zone".
This article discusses how important the organisms symbiotic with coral reefs are, as well as how important coral reefs are to our environment. Also explained is how natural and non natural things things like hurricanes and overfishing affects them. A study is quoted about how water acidity also plays a role in the bleaching of corals. Lastly, restoration and conservation efforts are discussed and how we could possibly help our oceans.
These results agree with the hypothesis that our “untouched and super-productive world” is affecting marine life ecosystems (Vannela, 2012). All of these results combined confirm the overall hypothesis that pollution is getting worse in the ocean and more marine life ecosystems are being affected, but there
Seagrass is not just a food source for micro species, but also macro species such as manatees, turtles, dolphins and dugongs (Yamada and Kumagai 2012). These marine organisms are all supported directly and indirectly by seagrasses, with some entirely dependent on it. Seagrass is often underestimated in its significance as the vast role that it plays in the oceans ecosystem is not fully understood. ...
Biodiversity refers to wide diversity found in the living components of the earth which refers to the numerous varieties of flora and fauna including those of microorganisms too. The interaction of biotic and abiotic components of the ecosystem is very important aspect of life on earth. Biodiversity helps us to understand the variations among species and also how life originated on earth. Its study helps us to understand the inter-relationship between various forms of life and their adaptation to different conditions.