How water physics affect Marine Life
Sunlight
Photosynthesis -Process of using light energy to create carbohydrates from inorganic compounds is called photosynthesis. - FORMULA:
Light Light- Photic Only!! 2 zones in respect to light penetration – Photic: Euphotic (1%: most biologically productive) Dysphotic (not enough for photosynthetic life) – Aphotic: most of ocean (pg. 59 – Water and Light)
Desiccation Drying out Pigment Destruction
Scatter Suspended materials: – Light- reflect – Dark-Absorb
What is White Light? Combination of all visible colors Why is the Ocean Blue? Blue light remains- strongest and must travel through the most water before absorbed – High Energy, Short Wavelength
Concealment Chromatophores- contains a colored pigment that the animal can reveal by constricting a muscle around it – Different chromatophores, different colors
Temperature Ocean- fluctuates less than land Ectotherm- “Cold-blooded” Internal temp changes with external temp Endotherm- “Warm-Blooded” Relatively stable internal temp
Advantages of Being An Endotherm Tolerate a wide range of external temps, live in a variety of habitats, metabolic rate remains the same
Thermocline Zone of Rapid Temp. Change
Salinity -Measure of the concentration of dissolved organic salts in the water -Solutes -Osmosis -Hypotonic -Hypertonic -Isotonic
Halocline Salinity drops rapidly with depth
Density Mass of a substance in a given volume Pycnocline
Pressure 760mm Hg or 1 atm – Increases every 10 meters Hydrostatic Pressure- weight of the water column above a given depth – Primarily an issue for organisms who have gas in their bodies Equalizing- add air to space in ear
Bends nitrogen gas that is dissolved in the blood comes out of solution, and forms gas bubbles as the pressure decreases during an ascent.
Sound Only travel through matter Water or Air???? – Travels through warm water faster than cold and faster in deep water due to pressure
Echolocation Dolphins and Whales Sending out a sound wave, then senses the reflected sound wave that bounces back off an object
Size and Volume Why are single-celled organisms always small? – Exchange nutrients and gas directly with the external environment. Multicellular: High surface area to volume ratio
Buoyancy Minimizes affect of weight – Buoyed up by a force nearly the same as their own weight Don’t expend much energy – Grow larger, live without touching bottom
Movement and Drag Avoid Sinking: – Protrusions to increase drag and buoyancy adaptations Handle Resistance – Excrete mucus or oil “slip through water” – Streamlining: shape reduces drag
Currents New Habitats No energy