Spatial Distribution
high surface
area volume
ratio
increases
•drag (friction)
•nutrient
uptake
•Fig. 2.1 A spatial classification of marine organisms.
Five Kingdoms of Life
Protista:
“grab-bag kingdom”
single-celled eukaryotes:
phytoplankton
protozoa (eg, ciliates)
zooplankton
form chains of cells or
colonies sometimes
Three domains of life
phytoplankton
parasitic
protozoa
(Giardia)
Three domains of life: Archaea
•single celled, tiny
•unique cell membrane
•prokaryotes (no nucleus
or organelles))
•live in extreme environments
(high T or produce methane)
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Three domains of life: Archaea
Three domains of life: bacteria
•single celled, small
•no membrane-bound nucleus
•no organelles
Yellowstone Hot Springs. Archaea living in boiling water
Three domains of life: Eukaryotes
Three domains of life: Eukaryotes
Fungi, Protists, Plants, Animals...
Fungi, Protists, Plants, Animals...
cells contain:
cells have a nucleus and
organelles
(eg, mitochondria
and chloroplasts)
nucleus
DNA in
chromosomes
organelles
mitochondria (~all)
and plastids (plants)
Cyanobacteria (“blue green algae”)
Cyanobacteria form stromatolites
Domain
Bacteria
early producers
of oxygen
Anabaena 400x and 2500 x
stromatolites
•mounded, microbial mat with sand or mineralized material
•mostly fossils, modern day stromatolites in W Australia, Baja
•early oxygen atmosphere created by cyanobacteria
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Classification of Plankton
Five kingdoms: Domain:
Animalia
Plantae
Fungi
Protista
Animalia
Archaea
Bacteria
Eukaryota
Identify the kingdoms and domains
zooplankton = protozoa (eg foraminifera, ciliates),
copepods and other crustacea, jellyfish, and other
animals that feed on phytoplankton or eachother)
Foraminifera
•single celled
•calcium carbonate shell (“test”)
•marine
•large (up to 10 cm)
•benthic (sea floor)
or pelagic (open water)
•heterotropic (eat others)
•many are symbiotic with algae
Foraminifera (specks on “hairs” are symbiotic algae)
Foraminifera (“bearer of little holes” philopods
come out of holes to feed or to expose symbionts to light)
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Foraminifera (growth of chambers)
living sands (skeletons of foraminifera seen through hand lens)
Phytoplankton Groups
diatoms
•one celled, chains
•phytoplankton
•cell walls made of silica
•fossils well-preserved
•important in colder seas
Chrysophyta
•Fig. 3.9. An SEM view of
Thalassiosira, a coastal diatom,
clearly showing the epitheca,
hypotheca, and a connecting girdle
of cell wall material. ( Courtesy of G.
Fryxell)
Cyclotella stelligera
diatom
http://www. indiana.edu/%7Ediatom/diatom.html
Diatoms
Diploneis
Krill - nekton or zooplankton?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krill
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Noctiluca bloom CA
Dinophytes (dinoflagellates)
•unicellular
•marine
•photosynthetic,
or parasitic, fish eating
•cause “red tides”
•bioluminescent seas
•important in tropical seas
•symbiotic with corals
Pfiesteria (fish-killing dinoflagelllate)
What links country-sized patches of bright turquoise
water in the oceans, CO2 concentrations in the
atmosphere, and the white cliffs of Dover?
Emiliania huxleyi , a coccolithophore plankton
http://www.vims.edu/pfiesteria/
bloom (turquoise)
calcium carbonate platelets (protection from uv? predators?)
http://www.soes.soton.ac.uk/staff/tt/
coccolithophore
photosynthetic
grow in lownutrients
warm and
temperate seas
Sargasso Sea
dominated by
one species of
Coccolithophore
Chalky skeleton
(sunscreen?)
Coccolithophore blooms:
cover huge areas
many loose coccoliths plus living cells
simultaneous bloom over wide area
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Dinophytes (dinoflagellates)
•unicellular
•marine
•photosynthetic,
or parasitic, fish eating
•cause “red tides”
•toxic
•bioluminescent
milky blue from loose
coccoliths from
coccolithophores,
•important in tropical seas
•symbiotic with corals
massive blooms over
areas size of countries
toxic algae blooms
Dinophytes (dinoflagellates)
• dinoflagellates (paralytic shellfish
poisoning)
can produce potenttoxins
• diatoms (amnesiac shellfish poisoning)
ciguaterra poisoning (from
eating large fish)
paralytic shellfish poisoning
“Bioaccumulation” (or “biomagnification”)
toxins accumulate in tissues of predators in
increasing amounts, enough to kill higher trophic
levels (people, birds, sea lions)
when diatoms go bad….
Harmful algal blooms - history
“Paralytic shellfish poisoning” from eating shellfish contaminated
with “red tides” (plankton, dinoflagellates) known for years.
1987 - Prince Edward Island, Canada, 3 people died
from eating shellfish, 100 sick, due to domoic acid, a new toxin
produced by a diatom plankton
1991 - Domoic acid found in razor clams off coast of
Washington and Oregon, and large die-off of seabirds
1998 - 400 California sea lions died in California from
domoic acid (yearly die-offs since then)
2003 - whales? (off NE coast of USA
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Harmful algal blooms, history cont
Domoic Acid causes “amnesiac shellfish poisoning”
Produced by diatom Pseudo-nitzchia (at least 8
species). First toxin found in a diatom.
Domoic acid accumulates in shellfish as they filter feed
on plankton. Mammals and birds affected when they
eat shellfish.
Shellfish not harmed by domoic acid toxin, but it
accumulates in their tissues = bioaccumulation.
harmful algal blooms
yearly sea lion and dolphin deaths off
California in recent years
domoic acid from plankton
Symptoms of poisoning in humans:
seizures, nausea, vomiting, dizziness,
confusion, coma and possible death.
permanent memory loss, no antidote
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