WARM UPS and NOTES
Set up about 10 pages for warm ups for
the rest of this six weeks.
 We will start having daily warm ups to
be completed within the first 5 minutes
of class
 Also daily aquarium tasks should be
completed within those first 5 minutes.

Warm-Ups 10/7/14

Remember to write both the questions & answers
1.
What does Nekton mean? Plankton? Benthic?
*hint use your ecology notes
2.
If you were an organism who preferred low salinity
(0.5ppt- 15.0ppt) where would you be found?
A. At the mouth of a river
B. In a bay far away from the gulf
3.
C. In a bay near the gulf
D. In the Gulf of Mexico
Write down the following water parameters of your tank:
Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, pH, and Salinity
Unit IV NotesMarine Ecology
I. Energy
A. Matter and Energy
Life requires both matter and
energy to exist.
–Matter that makes up living
organisms consists of about 13
of 118 known elements.
• Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, and
Phosphorous are four major
elements.
Law of conservation
Energy/Mass
cannot be
created nor destroyed; it can
only be changed from one
form to another.
B. Autotrophy and Heterotrophy
Most marine organisms get their energy
directly or indirectly from the sun.
 Autotrophy- process of self-feeding by
creating rich compounds called
carbohydrates (i.e. plants, algae,
phytoplankton).
 Heterotrophy- process of getting energy
and matter by consuming other organisms
(i.e. zooplankton, fish, etc.)

C. Respiration
Both autotrophs and heterotrophs must
convert carbohydrates into useable
energy.
 Done through cellular respiration:

C6H12O6 + 6O2 → 6CO2 + 6H20 + ENERGY
D. Photosynthesis

Process of using light energy to create
carbohydrates from inorganic
compounds.
6CO2 + 6H20 + LIGHT ENERGY → C6H12O6 + 6O2
E. Aerobic and Anaerobic
respiration
 Aerobic
respiration- uses
oxygen
 Anaerobic respiration- used by
organisms in environment
without oxygen.
F. Chemosynthesis

Process of using chemicals to create
energy-rich organic compounds.
– Similar to photosynthesis because it
produces carbohydrates.
– Differs because it does not use sunlight
as energy source, but chemical energy
in inorganic compounds.
– Not as efficient as photosynthesis.
– Used by bacteria that live on the ocean
floor.
II. Primary Production
 This
is the base of an ecosystem.
 In the ocean there are several producers,
including:
–Plants
–Algae
–Plankton
The land is only slightly more productive than
the ocean.
 Marine plants and algae are responsible for
producing a fair amount of dissolved oxygen in
the ocean.
 However, a very important group of primary
producers are the plankton.

Plankton
A
wide variety of organisms that
share a habitat and lifestyle
 Not one species, but include many
species from virtually every major
group of organisms found in the sea.
 They can be autotrophic or
heterotrophic.
Types of Plankton
Phytoplankton
Account for 92-96% of oceans
primary productivity
 These are the only plankton that
are producers (they can undergo
photosynthesis).
 Examples: Diatoms and
Dinoflagellates

Zooplankton

Primary and Secondary consumers that
feed on phytoplankton and other
heterotrophic plankton.

Largest Plankton in the sea is the Mola
Mola or Ocean Sunfish (it is also the
largest bony fish).
Limiting Factors
Physical or Biological necessities that
restrict survival of primary producers.
 Too much or too little will reduce
population of an organism.

1. Eutrophication
Pollution that results from excess
nutrients in the ocean.
 Algae and plants overgrow due to
presence of fertilizers and reduce the
amount of nutrients available to plankton.

2. Plankton bloom

Can deplete nutrients available for
plants, algae and other plankton.
3. Sunlight
All primary producers require sunlight to
undergo photosynthesis.
 The amount of sunlight in the ocean
varies due to depth, season and/or
water clarity.

Warm-Ups 10-8-14
4.
What is each piece of equipment called
and used for?
A
C
B
D
III. Food Webs/Chains
Trophic Levels

Representation of how energy
transfers from one level to the
next.
Primary Producers

Base
 Autotrophs
 Examples: Algae, Plants and
Plankton
Primary Consumers
 Heterotrophs
 Herbivores
 Most
important primary consumerZooplankton
Secondary Consumers
 Feed
Primarily on Zooplankton
 Carnivores
Decomposers
 Last
level
 Bacteria and Fungi
Energy Flow
Only about 10% of energy passes from
one level to the next.
 Other 90% is used for work (repair,
reproduction, etc).

Food Webs
Represents the flow of energy through
consumption in nature.
 Shows organisms have different
choices of prey and eat across a trophic
pyramids theoretical levels (a primary
consumer can also be a secondary
consumer).

Biological Magnification
(Biomagnification)

Small
concentrations
are increased as
they go up a food
chain.
Warm Up 10-9-14
Turn in yesterday’s work during this time as well.
5.
6.
7.
The term that refers to the buildup of
toxins/ poisons in the food web is
called _____________.
Autotrophs that use _______ to make
food are called chemosynthetic, while
autotrophs that use sunlight to make
food are called _____________.
The most important primary consumers
are ___________.
Warm Up 10-10-14
Final Day to turn in the Arctic Food Web
from Wednesday.
 Begin working on aquariums.

– Water Log # 3
Water Log # 3 (page 11)
Team Members present
 Date
 Fill in Water Chemistry Table (page 6)
 Add to Aquarium Chemistry Graph
(Page 7)
 Narrative of which team mates were
responsible for which tasks
 Complete Maintenance Check off Sheet
and attach to aquarium.

Biogeochemical Cycles

Carbon-Oxygen Cycle
– Photosynthesis & Cellular Respiration

Water Cycle
– Evaporation, Precipitation & Run-Off

Nitrogen Cycle
– Ammonia, Nitrosomonans, Nitrite,
Nitrobacter & Nitrate
IV. Marine Lifestyles

Plankton
– Group of plants (phytoplankton) and animal
(zooplankton) that exist adrift in ocean
currents
– Neuston
• Plankton that float at the surface (i.e.:
Portuguese man-of-war)

Nekton
– What you visualize when you think of
marine organisms
– Swim- small invertebrates to large whales

Benthos
– Live on or in the bottom
– Motile or sessile

3 groups
– Epifauna
• Animals that live on the sea floor (crabs)
– Epiflora
• Plants that live on the sea floor (sea grasses)
– Infauna
• Partially or completely buried in the sea floor
(clams, sand dollars, tubeworms)

Deposit or Suspension Feeders
– Deposit- Feed off detritus (loose organic
and inorganic matter) drifting down from
above
– Suspension- Filter particles (mostly
plankton) suspended in water for food.
V. Ocean Zones

Based on Light and Location
Division by Light

Photic Layer (sunlight layer)
– 2 areas
• 1. Euphotic Zone (eu= good)
–
–
–
–
Goes to about 660’.
Enough light for photosynthesis
Home to a variety of marine species
Relatively warm temperatures
• 2. Dysphotic Zone (dys= difficult)
–
–
–
–
Nicknamed “Twilight Zone”
Goes to about 3300’
Insufficient light for photosynthesis
Animals here must be able to handle cold
temperatures, higher pressures, and darkness

Aphotic Layer (midnight zone)
– No sunlight therefore no plants
– Can reach depths of close to 20,000’
– Very cold and completely dark
– Life isn’t easy here; fewer organisms than
other zones
– Some animals do not have eyes
Division by Location

2 Major Divisions
– 1. Pelagic Division
• Pelagius= “of the sea”
• Open water at any depth
• 2 zones
– 2. Benthic Division
• Benthos=bottom (bottom of the sea floor)
• Ocean bottom below neritic and pelagic zones
• Nutrients get here by “raining” down from
waters above (detritus)
Pelagic Division
1. Nertic zone (neritos= shallow)

Littoral Zone
– Shoreline between high and low tides
– High levels of light, nutrients, and oxygen
– Stressful environment (drying, wave action)

Sublittoral Zone
– Open Ocean
– From shoreline to 650’
– Organisms all floaters or swimmers
– Large numbers of phytoplankton
2. Oceanic Zone

4 areas
– Epipelagic zone (epi= atop)
– Mesopleagic (mesos= middle)
– Bathypelagic (bathos= depth)
– Abyssopelagic (a= without, byssos=
bottom)
Benthic Division
6 Areas

1. Supralittoral zone (supra= upper,
litus=shore)
– Water splashes but does not stay
submerged
– Drying out and thermal stress are a
challenge

2. Littoral zone (littoral= of shore)
– The band of coast covered and uncovered
by tidal action- the intertidal zone
Benthic Division cont.

3. Sublittoral zone (sub= below)
– Inner sublittoral- near shore
– Outer sublittoral- ocean floor out to edge of
continental shelf

4. Bathyal zone
– Seabed on the slopes and down to great
depths
Benthic Division cont.

5. Abyssal zone
– Deep waters of the ocean

6. Hadal zone (hades=underworld)
– Deepest: trench walls and floors
VI. Marine Ecosystems
Ecology- studies how organisms relate
to each other and their environment
 Abiotic and Biotic Factors

– Biotic- living (quantity and type of
organism)
– Abiotic- non-living (temperature, wind, pH,
currents, minerals, sunlight, etc).
Warm-Ups 10-20-14

No Questions today, Just NOTES
Ecosystem

distinct entity usually with clearly
defined physical boundaries, distinct
abiotic conditions, an energy source,
and a community of interacting
organisms through which energy is
transferred. (No ecosystem exists in
isolation- therefore the ocean is
composed of interacting ecosystems)
Ecosystem cont.
Community- collection of different
organisms living and interacting in an
ecosystem. (Includes all species and
types of organisms)
 Population- group of the same species
living and interacting within a
community

Ecosystem cont.
Habitat- includes the area and
conditions in which you find an
organism.
 Microhabitat-exists on a very small
scale
 Niche- organisms role in its habitat

Ecosystems in the Open Sea

Neuston ecosystem (plankton that live
afloat on the sea surface)
– Very thin layer (few mm)
– Receives maximum amount of sunlight
– Largest floating ecosystem- Sargasso Sea
• Sargassum- brown algae accumulates in the
middle of the North Atlantic as floating mats.
Ecosystems in the Open Sea
cont.
 Continental
Shelf
– Rarely exceeds 656’; s nutrients are
kept in the photic zone.
– Highly productive ecosystem
Ecosystems in the Open Sea
cont.
 Upwelling
–Significant to open sea
ecosystems because they bring
nutrients from deep water to
shallow more productive depths
Costal Ecosystems

Estuaries
– Exists where the tides meet rivers
– Trap and accumulate runoff sediments, so
they are rich with nutrients and biologically
productive
– Provide shallow sheltered water with a
steady stream or nutrients
– Serve as nurseries for 75% of commercial
fish species
Costal Ecosystems cont.

Salt Marshes
– Exist in estuaries and along the coast
– Halophytes- plants with adaptations that
allow them to survive in salt water.
• Have stomata on leaves that allow it to draw in
oxygen into its submerged parts.
• Sacrificial leaves that serve as a storage area
for excess salt and fall of when the slat load
reaches a certain point
• Salt glands on leaves and stem excrete excess
salt.
Costal Ecosystems cont.

Mangrove Swamps
– Various adaptations allow them to live in salt
water
• Grow above waterline on stilt-like roots, which
allows oxygen to reach the roots
– Provide habitats for juvenile fish and
invertebrates because of strong, tangled
roots.
– Protect habitat and coasts from erosion
Costal Ecosystems cont.

Sea grasses
– Provide shelter
– Internal salinity is the same as the sea
water
– Reproduce by releasing pollen into
currents
Costal Ecosystems cont.

Intertidal zones
– May be above waterline a times
– Adaptations help retain moisture
Costal Ecosystems cont.

Beaches
– Rich and productive ecosystem
– Acts a filter that processes compounds
entering the sea
– Sand protects coastline
• Reduce sedimentation caused by costal erosion
– Complex organisms live in submerged
beach sand
– Meiofauna
• Benthic organisms that live in spaces between
sand grains
Costal Ecosystems cont.

Kelp and
Seaweed
– Seaweed-red,
green, and brown
algae
– Kelp forest- very
productive
Costal Ecosystems cont.

Coral Reefs
– Most productive ecosystem
– Threats to coral reefs
• Nutrients
• Increased temperature is causing coral bleaching
(Global Warming)
• Competitive algae
• Sedimentation
• Coral Disease
Polar Ecosystems

The Arctic
– Species found here have special adaptations
• Anti-freezing compounds in blood
• Low metabolism
– Upwellings: Increased productivity because
of nutrients being brought to the top
– Challenges to marine organisms:
• Reduced sunlight
• Near freezing water
Polar Ecosystems cont.

The Antarctic
– Largest nutrient-rich area on Earth
– Supports massive phytoplankton blooms
Deep-sea Ecosystems

The Abyssal Zone
– Average temperature 2C
– No primary productivity (nutrients come
from marine snow)
– Greatest diversity found in the meiofauna
Deep-sea Ecosystems cont.

Whale Falls
– Place where dead whales come to rest on
the deep ocean floor
Deep-sea Ecosystems cont.

Hydrothermal
Vents and Cold
Seeps
– Home to
chemosyntheitc
organisms
Deep-sea Ecosystems cont.

Hadal Depths- Ocean Trenches
– Makes up the deepest ocean depths
– Scientists know little because of limits of
technology
• Few submersibles have been built that can
descend safely into the zone
• 1 manned trip has been made to the deepest
known spot in the ocean.
Symbiosis – an ongoing relationship in
which two species live closely together.
1. Mutualism – both benefit
2.
Commensalism – one benefits and the
other is neither helped or harmed.
3.
Parasitism – one benefits and the other
is harmed. Ex: ticks on a dog.
Interactions
Predation
 Competition
 Symbiosis

– Mutualism
– Commensalism
– Parasitism
+/-/+/+
+/0
+/-
Other interactions

Predation-interaction where one
organism captures and feeds on
another.