Marine Food Webs A complex ecosystem
A marine food web
Trophic levels
A trophic level is the level at which a particular organism feeds in the ecosystem. Energy and biomass is lost at each level because not all is consumed. About 90% of an organisms energy goes into its daily life processes and therefore is not passed on.
Making a food web The task is to come up with a food web containing all of the following organisms and at least 11 links. Blue shark Dinoflagellate Zooplankton Eelgrass Atlantic Herring Bluefin tuna Canada goose Human Mysid shrimp Blue Whale
Symbiotic Relationships There are three types of symbiotic relationships that can exist between two organisms: Mutualism Both organisms benefit from the relationship- eg - remora fish with sharks and rays - clownfish and coral or sea anemones.
When a predators comes to nibble on the anemone, the clownfish rushes out and drives it away. The clownfish hides in the somewhat poisonous anemone tentacles from its predators.
Remora and shark
Commensalism One organism benefits and the other is unaffected (neither harmed or helped). Eg. Barnacles on whales or crabs
Parasitism One organism (the parasite) benefits from the host, and the host is harmed. Eg. - Ascaris worm in codfish - Sea lice on Atlantic Salmon