Pigeon Key: Invertebrate Biodiversity

Ctenophora-comb jelly
















Porifera-sponges



















Cnidarian-jellyfish



















Nematoda-round worms



















Annelida-segmented worms



















Platyhelminthes-flat worms

flatworms

Arthropoda-jointed feet--> chelicerata--> crustaceans-->insecta

Molluska-shell-->gastropods-->bivalve-->cephlapoda

Echinoderm-spiny skin-->starfish-->sea biscuits-->sea cucumbers

Sea Cucumber

Sea Urchin

Pigeon Key: Snorkeling

We saw a variety of aquatic sea life while snorkeling around the island.  It was so much fun to learn about the different fish and their environments. Below is a list of different organisms that we encountered while either snorkeling or doing classwork.

-Yellowtail Snapper

Blue Tang

-Sgt. Major

-Parrotfish(rainbow and stoplight)

-Bermuda Chub

-Spotted Stingray

-Barracuda

-Grunt(French and Bluestripped)

-Four-eyed Butterflyfish

-Goliath Grouper

-Blue Tang

Yellowtail Snapper

-Nurse Shark

-Angel Fish

-Hog Fish

-Mangrove Snapper

-Porcupine fish

-Needle fish

Goliath Grouper

Pigeon Key: Plankton

-A single celled or multi-cellular organism deriving from the work "plankto" meaning drifter; moves with the current

Two types of plankton
Zooplankton: animal-like plankton that eats heterotrophs and autotrophs(copepods, krill, larvae, and ctenophores)
Phytoplankton: plant-like plankton that uses photosynthesis to create energy(diatoms, dinoflagellates, and green algae)

-Lion's mane jellyfish is the largest type of plankton because it has to swim with the current and cannot swim against it

-Meroplankton lives only part of its life as plankton(crab larvae, shrimp larvae, snails, etc.)

-Plankton is mostly found in the poles because they need sunlight and nutrients and they can get both from the upwellings in the poles

-Phytoplankton prefer turbid water because the darker it is the more likely it is to nutrient rich.  It is called the neuston zone which is the first three feet of water.

-Zooplankton is more commonly found in the Diel Migration which is daily because other fish and nutrients also follow that pattern

Three ways plankton stay afloat
1. Flagella and cilia
2. Buoyancy bubble
3. Droplets of oil

-It is false that terrestrial plants make more oxygen than all the plankton combined

Pigeon Key: Adaptations

Adaptation- a characteristic an organism develops to better fit its habitat

Three Marine Adaptions:
-gills
-swim bladder
-movement

Movement and Specialized Limbs
-siphon(squids, octopuses, etc.)

-tube feet(sea stars)

Specialized Eye Structure
-Omnatophores(eyestalks)
-Tubular eyes

Barreleye fish uses eyeshine

-Tapetum Lucidum and eyeshine

Catching Prey
-Ampullae of lorenzini(jelly-filled sacs that detect magnetic direction, electrical charges, and temperature)
-angler fish use an illicium(lure)

Avoiding Predators: Primary Defense
-thick skin(manatee, walruses, etc.)
-shells(turtles, crabs, etc.)
-toxin(lionfish, spotted scorpionfish, etc.)
-setae(fireworms)
-claws(lobsters, crabs, etc.)

Avoiding Predators: Secondary Defense
these are behaviorally induced and primary is physical appearance
-the sea hare, squid, and octopus all use inking, parrottfish use mucus bubbles, and balloonfish use inflation

Sharks use countershading

Camouflage

making a visible organism indiscernible from its surrounding
-the spotted scorpionfish and the flounder use camouflage

Countershading
a color pattern of the skin where it is dark on top and light on bottom
-advantageous because from a top view the dark blends in with the sea and from the bottom the light blends in with the sun
-hog fish, killer whales, and the four-eyed butterflyfish use body shape breakup

Bioluminescence
where energy is released by a chemical reaction in the form of light

Fungi using bioluminescence

-attract prey, communication, camouflage, and to avoid predation are reasons why bioluminescence is used
-90% of deep sea creatures use bioluminescence
-blue and green reach the deepest in the ocean which is why the radiation is usually that color
-fungi also use it






Below is a link to a game that gives more info on adaptations and their benefits.
http://sea.sheddaquarium.org/sea/buildafish/flash.html

Motion in the Ocean: Photosynthesis Lab

Oxygen
1. no light and green light had 0% change
2. blue light made most oxygen
3.white light produces less photosynthesis than blue light
1. a. no light- photosynthesis requires light to split H2O into O2

b. green light- plant is green, and green light is reflected by chlorophyll in chloroplast, so the plant cannon use this light to split H2O into O2 with photosynthesis
2.Colors-blue, red, white
-colors are not reflected
-plants absorb the light waves for photosynthesis meaning H2O turns into O2
-blue made more than red b/c aquatic plants maybe adapted to use blue wavelength the best
3. White light
-made out of all the colors
-b/c it has blue it should have at least done as well as the blue light
-also can use red light to make even more
Errors
-more or less algae
-mass of each set

	Change	% Change
White Light	1.1à2.1	91%
Blue Light	1.4à3.7	164%
Red Light	1.6à3.0	88%
Green Light	1.0à1.0	0%
No Light	1.2à1.2	0%

Pigeon Key: Reef Fish ID

THE ANATOMY OF A FISH 

  

TAIL TYPES

BASIC FISH MARKINGS

MOUTH TYPES

Pigeon Key: Sea Chemistry

Lauren testing turbidity

-H2O


Turbidity:
-how much stuff floating in water

Salinity:
-salt content in the water
-high concentration=more dense
-ppt=parts per thousand
-36ppt is the average
-hydrometer

Sarah and Katie testing Nitrite

-Temperature

-Nitrite


Nitrate:
-can be toxic to fish
-eutrophication
-if its to low there is not enough nutrients

Phosphate

Gigi testing dissolved oxygen

Dissolved Oxygen:
-high pressure
-photosynthesis
-temperature

pH:
-7.8-8.3 is the normal for seawater which is a little basic

Sun Effects

Motion in the Ocean: Currents

Shallow: ships use to sail
-influenced by land mass and wind
Deep: all water in the world
-affected by salt and temperature
-with cold temperatures and more salt, it sinks
-with hot water there is less salt that rises

North: circulation clockwise
South: circulation counter clockwise
-no current on equator
-barrier islands move because of waves
Global Circulation: Thermohaline(thermo-temp and haline-salt)

Motion in the Ocean: Tides

-under the influence of the sun and the moon
*moon: close and more gravity
*sun: far and less pull

Neap tides are smaller than spring tides.

Motion in the Ocean: Waves

Waves: winds, surface, and erosion
-waves crash when molecules under water hit a surface and slow down while molecules on top keep moving

Reflection: waves hit the something and bounce off

Refraction:waves bend as water passes over shapes

Diffraction: how waves change when passing through two objects

Frequency: time it takes for a wavelength to pass a given point.

Photosynthesis

Formula for Photosynthesis: 6 CO₂ + 6 H₂O → C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6 O₂Carbon dioxide + Water + Light energy → Glucose + Oxygen
Color: chloroplasts---->chlorophyll<-----green pigments, red, blue, yellow, and orange
Light: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet=White Light (e.g. the color of a blue shirt means that all the other colors are being absorbed and the blue is reflected off which is the color that we see.)

-Green plant---->uses most of white light except green
-If a green plant is put in green light then it will no do much photosynthesis.

Reflection, Refraction, and Color

Visible wavelengths of light are collected by marine plants bearing chlorophyll which make their own food using the process of photosynthesis.  There are three different zones that are defined by the amount of sunlight they receive.


Euphotic Zone: 
-70% of the uppermost, sunlit layer participates in photosynthesis
-extends to a depth of 330 feet
Disphotic Zone:
-between 330ft. and 3,300ft
-dimly lit
-some animals able to survive; no plants
-not enough light for photosynthesis
Aphotic Zone:
-no light penetrates at all
-over 90% of the entire ocean area on earth
-depths more than 3,300ft


-long wavelengths of the light spectrum; red, yellow, and orange—can penetrate to about 49, 98, and 164ft.
-short wavelengths of the light spectrum; violet, blue and green—can penetrate to the lower limits of the euphotic zone
-Blue penetrates the deepest, which is why deep, clear ocean water and some tropical water look blue
- clearer waters have fewer particles to affect the transmission of light
-Water in shallow coastal areas contain a greater amount of particles that absorb light wavelengths differently, which is why sea water close to shore may appear more green or brown

Communities

-Coral Reef:biological hot spot, bleaching----->temperature pollution, parrot fish
-Whale Falls:where the carcasses of whales create livable habitats for other organisms; NO PRODUCERS
-Deep Sea Vents:open in crust, hot near vent, freezing, extremophiles, bacteria chemotrophs, smoker/lava crack in crust
-Estuaries:fresh water and salt water mix, nurseries for small animals, tide goes up and then salt goes up, river meets ocean
-Open Ocean:whales, plankton and low density
-Intertidal:rocky, sand, and cobble; waveshock! be able to hold on real tight like a MoshPit
-Mangrove:colors are red, white and black, filter salt water
-Kelp/Sea weed: underwater forests, otter are keystone species they eat sea urchins
     *Keystone Species-must be there or ecosystem would fall apart

Biodiversity

% Error:
-take more samples
-more transect lines
-Actual amount minus the guess divided by the actual amount times 100

Density:amount of species divided by area

Population


Variation of Life Forces:
-Monera
-Protists
-Fungi
-Plant
-Animal

Count Species----->Shannon Index
------->Richness


Quadrat

Ecology

Plankton:

-phyto(plant-like)

-zoo(animal-like)

Omnivores: eat both plants and animals

Carnivores: eat only meat

Herbivores:eat only plants

Food Webs: a diagram of what eats what in the marine ecosystem.

Cobble Beaches, Rocky Intertidal, and Mangroves

If you want to view these other environments brought to you by Heloise Hedlund than visit the following website.

http://waterinteraction22.blogspot.com/


Enjoy!! :)

FBI: Federal Bureau of Invasives

As we've researching marine species we came across this quite invasive species, The Sea Squirt.  Everyone must remain calm, he is quite dangerous and will kill others.  The FBI has given it the nickname of the "Squirt Smotherer" because it kills others by smothering them.  Now all we can do is let you guys know, do not get to close to this dangerous aquatic species.  Below, we have included a poster with all the information you should know about this plant.  DO NOT ATTEMPT TO BARGAIN WITH THIS SPECIES, IT WILL ONLY GET BIGGER AND MORE DANGEROUS! Also below, we have a list of the Top 10 Offenders.

1. The Sea Squirt

2. Asian Carp

3. Lionfish

4. Water Chesnut

5. Didymo

6. Sea Lamprey

7. Nutria

8. Zebra Mussel

9. Chinese Mitten Crab

10. Alligatorweed

For more info on the:

Sea Lamprey visit http://waterinteraction22.blogspot.com/ 

Zebra Mussel and Chinese Mitten Crab visit http://hardingintersessionbio.blogspot.com/ 
Lionfish visit http://youtu.be/a5TgjliM6AY

THE WATER CHESNUT

THE ALLIGATORWEED

THE NUTRIA

THE DIDYMO

THE ASIAN CARP

Estuaries

Estuaries are partially enclosed bodies of water formed where rivers usually meet the sea and are relied on by many animals and even humans.  The landward limit of an estuary is defined by salinity.  They are the most productive natural systems due to the mixing of land and sea nutrients.  People rely on estuaries for fishing, swimming, boating, wildlife viewing, and learning.  There are a wide variety of animals that live in the estuary environment such as the Brooding sea anemone, bubble shell, hermit crabs, mud shrimp, cutthroat trout, chum salmon, damsel fly, and the green darner. All of these animals work together to keep the balance of life in estuaries.  I learned all of this information when I took a tour at Chesapeake Bay, I mean at first I thought  it was going to be like really boring but I was actually very interested in all of it.  I can't wait to check out Galveston Bay next year.

Deep Sea Vents

They sound kind of threatening.  Really, there just hot water vents near the bottom of the ocean.  They occur when seawater circulates through hot volcanic rocks and they are often located where new oceanic crust is formed. Deep sea vents can be found in Cayman Trench and are excellent for biodiversity. It provides a lot of minerals that we use like copper, zinc, iron and other metals.  It is great for animal species like tubeworms, barnacles, hydrothermal vent octopus, hydrothermal vent eelpout fish, and the deep sea Pompeii worm.  These environments are independent of energy from the sun and use chemosynthesis.  Now personally I wouldn't want to go near a deep sea vent, because first of it seems really HOT and I am not ready to burn to a crisp and drown and second of all some of these creatures kinda freak me out! So yeah, I'm good with just learning about this kind of environment, no experience necessary, lol.

Coral Reefs

So coral reefs are usually found in warm shallow waters right?? Correct, well I went to one for the first time in Australia, yeah the Great Barrier Reef.  It was amazing!I had no idea there was a difference between hard coral and soft coral, but apparently there is.  I also learned that different organisms live in the coral reef.  You have producers like gastropods and phytoplankton.  There are also many different varieties of consumers such as the nurse shark, pufferfish, octopus, and the angelshark. They also have their fair share of detritivores with their different species snails, mollusks, and bacteria.  I had an awesome time learning about coral reefs.