CHAPTER 14 Animals of the Pelagic Environment http://www.aloha.com/~lifeguards http://www.yoto98.noaa.gov/books/whales

How organisms avoid sinking Increase buoyancy Gas containers Rigid container such as shells (internal or external) or… Swim bladder Fig. 14.2 http://www.fineartradiography.com/images/nautilus-pos.jpg

How organisms avoid sinking Float – less dense than saltwater or neutral Microscopic zooplankton have shells or tests Radiolarians Foraminifers Copepods Macroscopic zooplankton may have oil droplets Krill (resemble mini-shrimp or large copepods) Fish egg with oil droplet Krill http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/people/klf/MicroGalleryLarge_files/Forams1.jpg http://www.sfos.uaf.edu/research/arcdiv/watercolumn/euphausiid/images

How to avoid sinking Floating macroscopic zooplankton Cnidarians Hydrozoan (Portuguese man-of-war) gas-filled float Scyphozoan (jellyfish) soft low-density bodies http://www.aboututila.com/Photos/AdamLaverty/

How to avoid sinking Active swimming Fish – swim by curving body from front to back http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x245/Aquaman1956/fish_swimming.gif http://www.wissenschaft-online.de/sixcms/media.php/591

How to avoid sinking Active swimming – Squid Swim by trapping water and expelling it Also swim by using fins Unknown deep sea squid http://www.mbari.org/news/news_releases/2001/dec21_clague/squid_swimming-400.jpg http://www.smithsonianmag.si.edu/smithsonian/issues96/may96

How to avoid sinking Active swimming sea turtles use flippers marine mammals use up/down tail movements Different from fish http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/southflorida/everglades/estuarine/images/

Fin designs in fish Vertical fins as stabilizers dosral and anal fins Paired fins for “steering” and balance Pelvic and pectoral Tail fin (caudal) for thrust http://www.biologycorner.com/resources/fish_fins.gif

Fin designs in fish Rounded caudal fins flexible, maneuver at slow speeds Truncate fins and forked fins, useful for both maneuvering and thrust Lunate fins rigid, lots of thrust for fast swimmers Heterocercal fins asymmetrical, lift for buoyancy (shark)

Adaptations for finding prey Mobility Lungers wait for prey and pounce (grouper) Mainly white muscle tissue Cruisers actively seek prey (tuna) Mostly red muscle tissue

Adaptations for finding prey Swimming speed Speed generally proportional to size Can move very fast for short time (mainly to avoid predation) http://images.inmagine.com/img/imagezoo/iz125/iz125022.jpg http://chemistry.csudh.edu/faculty/jim/cozmay06best/barracuda.jpg

Adaptations to finding prey Most fish cold-blooded but some are warm-blooded Homeothermic-body temperature above sea water temperature Modifications in circulatory system Mainly in fast-swimming fish http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/2005/10/051031133653.jpg

Adaptations of deep-water nekton Mainly fish that consume detritus or each other Lack of abundant food Bioluminescence http://www.ted.com/talks/edith_widder_glowing_life_in_an_underwater_world.html Fishing lures Large, sensitive eyes Anglerfish w/ males Lanternfish http://www.antoranz.net/CURIOSA/ZBIOR2/C0301 http://www.lifesci.ucsb.edu/~biolum/organism/pictures/myctophid1.jpg

Adaptations of deep-water nekton Large sharp teeth Expandable bodies Hinged jaws http://www.floranimal.ru/pages/animal/b

Adaptations to avoid predation Schooling “Safety in numbers” School may appear as single larger unit Schooling maneuvers confuse predator http://www.oceanbrite.com/gallery/d/811-2/Fish_School.jpg

Some taxonomy…… Fish Kingdom Animalia Phylum Chordata Class Chondrichtyes – cartilaginous fish Sharks, rays Class Osteichthyes – bony fish

Chondrichthyes Cartilaginous Fish

Osteichthyes Very diverse group!

Marine Mammals Kingdom Animalia Phylum Chordata Class Mammalia Order Carnivora Sea otters Polar Bears Pinnipeds – Family Odobenidae (walrus), Family Otariidae (Sea lions), Family Phocidae (seals) Order Sirenia Manatees and dugongs Order Cetacea Whales

Whales Kingdom Animalia Phylum Chordata Class Mammalia Order Cetacea Suborder Odontoceti (toothed whales – dolphins, orcas, sperm whales) Suborder Mysticeti (baleen whales – blue whale, gray whale)

Marine mammals Land-dwelling ancestors Warm-blooded Breathe air http://www.colonialzone-dr.com/images/manatee%20mother%20and%20calf.jpg Marine mammals Land-dwelling ancestors Warm-blooded Breathe air Hair/fur Bear live young Mammary glands for milk http://images.aad.gov.au/img.py/8bb.jpg

Marine mammals Carnivora Prominent canine teeth Sea otters Polar bears http://www.birdsasart.com/Sea-Otter-w-pup-_T9J9119-Cordova,-AK.jpg http://www.gaszappers.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/3-lazy-polar-bears.jpg

Marine mammals Carnivora Walruses Seals Pinnepeds http://images.livescience.com/images/071008-walrus-04.jpg Marine mammals Carnivora Pinnepeds Walruses Eat crustaceans with tusks Seals http://www.cambriarealty.com/images/seal_pic1.jpg

Marine mammals Carnivora Sea lions Fur seals Pinnepeds http://www.naturetrek.co.uk/newsletter/images/200796947570.Galapagos-Sea-lion-and-pup.jpg Marine mammals Carnivora Pinnepeds Sea lions Fur seals http://neilshedden.com/africa/images/animals/seals3.jpg

Marine mammals Sirenia Herbivores Manatees http://www.nepa.gov.jm/yourenv/biodiversity/Species/gifs/manatee.jpg Marine mammals Sirenia Herbivores Manatees Coastal areas of tropical Atlantic Ocean Dugongs Coastal areas of Indian and western Pacific Oceans http://www.cnsweb.org/digestvertebrates/Photos/Dugong%20CL25_1b.jpg

Marine mammals Cetacea Stream-lined bodies for fast swimming Specialized skin (dermal ridges) structure for fast swimming Whales Toothed - carnivores Baleen – filter feeders

Cetacea

Marine mammals Dolphins vs. porpoises Dolphins (Delphinidae) http://www.flheritage.com/facts/symbols/images/symbols/porpoise.jpg Marine mammals Dolphins vs. porpoises Dolphins (Delphinidae) 35 species Beaks melon (fatty organ in forehead) Prominent, curved dorsal fin conical, undifferentiated teeth Range in size from 1.5 m Hector's dolphin to 9 m killer whales Porpoises (Phocoenidae) 6 species Lack prominent beak laterally compressed teeth More triangular dorsal fin Bottlenose dolphin Harbor porpoise http://www-heb.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/community/ education/images/harbourporpoise/teeth2_small.gif http://cache.eb.com/eb/image?id=94551&rendTypeId=4

Cetacea Adaptations for deep diving Use oxygen efficiently Able to absorb 90% of oxygen inhaled Able to store large quantities of oxygen – high levels of myoglobin and hemoglobin Able to reduce oxygen required for noncritical organs Slowed cardiac rate Muscles insensitive to buildup of CO2 Collapsible lungs http://www.freewebs.com/cetaceanrc/SpermWhale1.jpg

Cetacea Suborder Odontoceti (toothed) http://hearingresearch.net/pix/FultonCaldwell.gif Cetacea Suborder Odontoceti (toothed) Dolphins, porpoises, killer whale, sperm whale Echolocation to determine distance and direction to objects Clicks produced in nasal air sacs are focused by the melon Echos received thru lower jaw  middle ear Determine shape, size of objects

Cetacea Suborder Mysticeti Baleen whales Fig. 14.23 Baleen whales Blue whale, finback whale, humpback whale, gray whale, right whale Fibrous plates of baleen sieve prey items Vocalized sounds for various purposes Right whale baleen http://www.coastalstudies.org/what-we-do/right-whales/fieldnotes.htm

Marine reptiles Sea turtles Prey depends on species http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/southflorida/everglades/estuarine/images/ Marine reptiles Sea turtles Prey depends on species Greens eat seagrass (gut flora digests cellulose) Loggerheads eat conch Leatherbacks eat jellyfish Nest on beaches: predation, lights on dunes Many overexploited Green

Marine iguanas of Galapagos Islands Feed on submerged algae Dive for up to 20 minutes Must surface before they become too cold and can’t climb out of water http://www.surtrek.com/en/images/Program_pics/photogallery/gps http://www.exzooberance.com/virtual%20zoo/they%20walk/iguana

Truly aquatic - reproduce in water - live-bearers Sea snakes of Pacific Highly poisonous Truly aquatic - reproduce in water - live-bearers http://www.oceanbrite.com/albums/Fiji/ http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/corp_site/info_services/publications/sotr/1998/photos

Misconceptions

Florida Sunshine State Standards

Ocean Literacy Principles 3e. - The ocean dominates the Earth’s carbon cycle. Half the primary productivity on Earth takes place in the sunlit layers of the ocean and the ocean absorbs roughly half of all carbon dioxide added to the atmosphere. 5a. - Ocean life ranges in size from the smallest virus to the largest animal that has lived on Earth, the blue whale. 5b. - Most life in the ocean exists as microbes. Microbes are the most important primary producers in the ocean. Not only are they the most abundant life form in the ocean, they have extremely fast growth rates and life cycles. 5c. - Some major groups are found exclusively in the ocean. The diversity of major groups of organisms is much greater in the ocean than on land. 5d. - Ocean biology provides many unique examples of life cycles, adaptations and important relationships among organisms (symbiosis, predator-prey dynamics and energy transfer) that do not occur on land. 5e. - The ocean is three-dimensional, offering vast living space and diverse habitats from the surface through the water column to the seafloor. Most of the living space on Earth is in the ocean. 5f. - Ocean habitats are defined by environmental factors. Due to interactions of abiotic factors such as salinity, temperature, oxygen, pH, light, nutrients, pressure, substrate and circulation, ocean life is not evenly distributed temporally or spatially, i.e., it is “patchy”. Some regions of the ocean support more diverse and abundant life than anywhere on Earth, while much of the ocean is considered a desert. 5g. - There are deep ocean ecosystems that are independent of energy from sunlight and photosynthetic organisms. Hydrothermal vents, submarine hot springs, methane cold seeps, and whale falls rely only on chemical energy and chemosynthetic organisms to support life. 5h. - Tides, waves and predation cause vertical zonation patterns along the shore, influencing the distribution and diversity of organisms. 5i. - Estuaries provide important and productive nursery areas for many marine and aquatic species.