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Currents move and mix ocean waters Transports heat, nutrients, pollutants, and organisms Affects the marine organisms and Earth’s climate How do you think marine organisms are affected?
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Created by wind pushing the sea surface Water moves at a 45° angle in opposite direction of wind Due to the Coriolis Effect tendency of objects moving large distances on Earth’s surface to bend Bend because Earth is constantly spinning
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Gyres: a large circular system of surface currents that center around latitude 30° in both hemispheres Brings heated water from Equator to polar regions and cold, polar water to Equator Helps regulate Earth’s climate Why is it necessary to circulate cold and warm water?
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Transport heat throughout the oceans Side that carries water from the Equator will always be warmer Warm waters = coral reefs Cold waters = kelp forests
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Most obvious part of ocean Carry energy but don’t transport water Crest: highest part of wave Moves up and forward Trough: lowest part of wave Moves down and backward Height: vertical distance between the crest and trough Wavelength: distance between each wave crest
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Definition: rhythmic pattern of the sea rising and falling Caused by the gravitational pull of the moon and sun Also caused by the rotation of the earth, moon, and sun Dominant influence for life near the sea Expose and submerge organisms, drive circulation of bays and estuaries, and triggers spawning
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Since Earth takes 24 hours to complete a rotation 2 high tides and 2 low tides High tide occurs when location is line with the moon Gravitational pull of moon causes the water to rise Low tide occurs when location is not in line with moon Tidal range: difference in water levels between successive high and low tides
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Spring tide: large difference between high and low tide Occur throughout the year Happens at new and full moons Neap tide: very small difference between high and low tide Occur at first and third quarter moons
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Narrow area of the shoreline that lies between the highest high tide and the lowest low tide Substrate and effects of tide determine which organisms live where Substrate: type of bottom that a marine organism lives in Can be rocky or soft-bottom What do you think would determine if a bottom is rocky or soft-bottomed?
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Found along the coast of California and Cape Cod Epifauna live on rocky shores Epifauna: organisms that live on the surface of the substrate Can either move over the rocks or be sessile Sessile: stay attached to rock
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Organisms that live low in intertidal are constantly covered by water Organisms that live high in intertidal are frequently exposed Need to deal with extreme heat or freezing can tolerate a wide temperature range Hide in moist, dark places Special ridges on shell to help lose excess heat Dark and light colored shells How does shell color help the organisms deal with temperature changes? Dark absorbs heat, light reflects heat
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Upper part of the intertidal only covered by water at high tide Upper part kept wet by wave splash Desiccation: drying out Organisms must find ways to prevent it from happening
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Run and hide in a wet place at low tide then return at high tide Hide in tide pools dents in the rocks that hold seawater once the tide goes out Ex. crabs Close their shells to seal out moisture Ex. barnacles and mussels Clamp shell opening to a rock to make a better seal Ex. limpets
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Carve out shallow holes in rocks to make seal more effective Use their shell or radula Radula: tiny, teeth-like structure Clump together Some can tolerate up a 75% loss of water Become crunchy Ex. Seaweed
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Filter feed: filter out nutrients and detritus suspended in water Detritus: dead organic matter and fish poop Seaweed and detritus are most important food sources Can scrape algae, bacteria, and other food from rocks Can be predators
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Organisms that live low in the intertidal have more access to food Organisms in the high intertidal have limited access to food As a result they: Move slowly to conserve energy Grow slower Can’t filter feed when clamped shut
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Sessile organisms attach themselves to rocks to cope with wave shock Holdfasts: structure used by seaweed to anchor themselves Barnacles secrete a special “glue” to hold themselves onto rocks Byssal threads: strong fibers made of proteins that mussels produce with a special gland in foot Forms the mussel’s “beard”
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Intertidal fish lack a swim bladder Sink and stay on bottom Find shelter on shore Thicker shells Low profiles to stay close to rocks Clump together strength in numbers Flexible body
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Not a lot of unoccupied space Limited space = limited intertidal populations Race to be first to an open spot give off larvae or spores to settle an clear area Take over space already occupied Force another organisms out Grow over an existing organisms Grow in colonies attached to each other Ex. Seaweed
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Soft-bottom: any bottom that is composed of sediment other than rock Gravel Sand Silt Clay Occur where sediments accumulate
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Infauna: organisms that live in the sediment Type of sediment determines how much life there is Coarse sand = less water retained limited animal life Clay and silt = more water more nutrients and animal life How tightly packed sediment is determines amount of oxygen available Anoxic: no oxygen sediment becomes black
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Soft bottoms are unstable and constantly shifting due to waves, tides, and currents Organisms aren’t sessile have no place to attach Very few seaweeds
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Change shape of muscular foot Foot thin to reach forward then widens as body passes through Ex. clams Burrow with spines Ex. sea urchins Dig with jointed appendages Ex. crabs and shrimp Eat through sediment Get nutrients from sediment then leave sediment behind Ex. sea cucumbers
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Detritus is the main food source Diatoms are also a food source Diatom: single-celled algae that look like crystals 2 types of filter feeding: Take in sediment as burrow through sediment More common in mud bottoms? Why? Use tube feed to pick up particles Ex. sand dollars
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