Marine Biology!
Trophic Structure Autotroph (Producer) Heterotroph (Consumer)
Flow of energy through a living system; energy is degraded w/ each step
Generalized trophic pyramid
Simplified food web
Marine Zones: Benthic vs. Pelagic Neritic vs. Oceanic
Fig 12-16, p.285 Garrison
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Divisions of the Marine Environment Pelagic (open sea) – Neritic (< 200 meters) and oceanic Benthic (sea floor) – Subneritic and suboceanic
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Pelagic Environment Divided into biozones Neritic Province – from shore seaward, all water < 200 meters deep Oceanic Province – depth increases beyond 200 meters
Life in the Ocean The PELAGIC community! A “Pelagic community” is a community of organisms that live suspended in the water column…they either float (plankton) or swim (nekton). This is different than those that live on shore, on the bottom (etc.)
Pelagic Communitiy, Plankton And nekton
Marine Mammals that live in the pelagic zone (Baleen)
Marine Mammals that live in the pelagic zone (Toothed)
Even “deep” down there are pelagic fish: Deep sea angler fish
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Benthos Epifauna live on the surface of the sea floor. Infauna live buried in sediments. Nektobenthos swim or crawl through water above the seafloor. Benthos are most abundant in shallower water. Many live in perpetual darkness, coldness, and stillness.
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Benthic Environments Supralittoral Subneritic – Littoral – Sublittoral Inner Outer Suboceanic – Bathyal – Abyssal – Hadal
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Benthos
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Intertidal Zonation Rocky shore: Spray zone – above spring tide zone Intertidal zone – High tide zone – Middle tide zone – Low tide zone
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Coral Reef Zonation
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Organisms of the Deep Pelagic (discussed earlier) & Benthic (Heart Urchin seen here to right)
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Types of Life! Don’t forget PLANKTON (from previous lectures and lab) but now… NEKTON!
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Types of Plankton Most biomass on Earth consists of plankton. Phytoplankton – Autotrophic Zooplankton – Heterotrophic
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Nekton Independent swimmers Most adult fish and squid Marine mammals Marine reptiles
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Nekton
Now let’s put everything together – WHO lives there…
Animal Kingdom Classify similar animals into Phyla 36 Animal Phyla – Only 1 has vertebrates These animals are either BENTHIC or PELAGIC; PLANKTONIC or NEKTONIC…
Invertebrates Animals without backbones No internal rigid skeleton Softbodied Many have hard external coverings
Phylum Porifera
Phylum Cnidaria
Phylum Cnidaria - CORAL
Phylum Annelida
Phylum Arthropoda - Crustaceans Crabs, lobster, shrimp, barnacles, copepods
Phylum Arthropoda Class Crustacea
Phylum Mollusca 3 Main groups – Gastropods - snails – Bivalves- oysters, clams, mussels – Cephalopods – octopuses, squids
Gastropods Spiral shells Shell-less = sea slugs or nudibranchs Project head and muscular foot when moving
Phylum Mollusca
Bivalves Twin, hinged shells not very mobile Suspension feeders Gills for gas exchange
Phylum Mollusca
Cephalopods Largest of the invertebrates (59 ft squid) Foot modified into tentacles Active predators Highly evolved nervous system
Phylum Mollusca – Class Cephalopoda- CUTTLEFISH
Phylum Mollusca
Phylum Echinodermata Sea stars, sand dollars, brittle stars, sea urchins
Phylum Echinodermata
PHYLUM CHORDATA notochord dorsal, hollow nerve tube gill slits post anal tail
Two Invertebrate Chordates Urochordates – sea squirts or tunicates Cephalochordates – lancelets or amphioxus
VERTEBRATES Possess backbones – replaces the notochord Subphylum: VERTEBRATA (that’s us…if we were marine mammals!)
Jawless Fish – Class Agnatha hagfish lamprey
Cartilagenous Fish – Class Chondrichthyes skates, rays and sharks
Class Chondrichthy es
Cartilagenous Fish – Class Chondrichthyes skeletons made of tough elastic cartilage negatively buoyant some of the active sharks must swim to breathe
Bony Fish – Class Osteichthyes most numerous and successful of all vertebrates
Bony fish examples
Bony Fish – Class Osteichthyes swim bladders countercurrent exchange operculum body shape effects the efficiency of movement
Amphibians not found in marine environments
Marine Reptiles Sea turtles, sea snakes, marine iguanas, marine crocodiles
Figure 9.05 Marine iguana – 1 of 2 marine reptiles (other = crocodile)
Marine Reptiles ectothermic covered with scales breathe air with lungs, have specialized salt glands to excrete excess salt taken in from seawater
Marine Birds Class Aves Albatrosses, pelicans, gulls, terns, puffins and penguins are endotherms, also have salt secreting glands
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Marine Mammals Land-dwelling ancestors Warm-blooded Breathe air Hair/fur Bear live young Mammary glands for milk
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Major Marine Mammal Groups
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Order Carnivora Prominent canine teeth Sea otters Polar bears Pinnipeds – Walruses – Seals – Sea lions – Fur seals
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Carnivora
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Seals vs. Sea Lions and Fur Seals Seals lack prominent ear flaps Seals have smaller front flippers Seals have fore flipper claws Different hip structures Different locomotion strategies
Elephant Seals
Figure 9.11
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Order Sirenia Herbivores Manatees – Coastal areas of tropical Atlantic Ocean Dugongs – Coastal areas of Indian and western Pacific Oceans
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Order Cetacea Whales, dolphins, porpoises Elongated skull Blowholes on top of skull Few hairs Fluke – horizontal tail fin for vertical propulsion
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Order Cetacea
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Order Cetacea Suborder Odontoceti (toothed) – Dolphins, porpoises, killer whale, sperm whale – Echolocation to determine distance and direction to objects – Determine shape, size of objects
Bottlenose Dolphin
Beluga Whale
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Use of Baleen
Humpback Whale