GE-ES-G2-Aquatic-EcosystemsMarine.pdf file

Ecosystems

1. Aquatic
Ecosystem
MARINE

2. Introduction
OCEAN TAKES UP 70% OF THE EARTH'S
SURFACE. THE WATER IN THE OCEAN HAS A
VOLUME OF OVER 320 MILLION CUBIC
METERS. THEY REACH AN AVERAGE DEPTH OF
2.3 MILES. KNOWING THEIR VAST EXPANSE,
ONE CAN SEE WHY OCEANS DIRECTLY AND
INDIRECTLY INFLUENCE LIVING THINGS.
HYDROLOGICAL CYCLE IS A CLEAR
ILLUSTRATION OF THE IMPORTANT EFFECTS OF
OCEANS ON THE GLOBAL CLIMATE

3. WATERS BASED ON THEIR SALINITY OR SALT CONTENT
WHICH AFFECTS ITS, PHYSICAL, CHEMICAL AND
BIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
MARINE WATER : HAS A SALINITY OF 5 PARTS PER
THOUSAND (PPT)
BRACKISH WATER : HAS A SALINITY OF 3 TO 5 PPT
FRESH WATER : HAS A SALINITY OF LESS THAN 3 PPT
GEOMORPHOLOGICAL
FEATURES OF THE
OCEAN

4. THERE ARE 5 OCEANS ON EARTH, NAMELY:
ARCTIC OCEAN - NORTH POLE
ANTARCTIC OCEAN - SOUTH POLE
ATLANTIC OCEAN
PACIFIC OCEAN
INDIAN OCEAN
FUN FACT!
IN TERMS OF VOLUME AND SURFACE AREA, THE PACIFIC
OCEAN IS LARGER THAN THE ARCTIC & INDIAN OCEAN
COMBINED
GEOMORPHOLOGICAL
FEATURES OF THE
OCEAN

5. CONTINENTS SEPARATE OCEANS FROM EACH OTHER IN THE
NORTHERN HEMISPHERE. SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE, CONTINETS
BORDER THE INDIAN OCEAN.
THE CONVENTIONAL BOUNDARIES OF OCEANS IN THE SOUTHERN
HEMISPHERE ARE THE MERIDIAN 20°E BETWEEN ATLANTIC AND
INDIAN OCEANS. THE MERIDIAN BETWEEN INDIAN AND PACIFIC IS
147°E. - THE WARM WATERS OF THE ATLANTIC, PACIFIC, AND
INDIAN ARE SEPARATED FROM EACH OTHER BY CONTINETS. - IN
THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE, THE WARM WATERS (OF THE
EQUATORIAL REGION) ARE CONTINOUS W/ EACH OTHER
((DEEPEST PART OF THE OCEAN
FLOOR IS THE MARIANAS TRENCH ON THE EASTERN SIDE OF
MINDANAO ISLAND))
GEOMORPHOLOGICAL
FEATURES OF THE OCEAN

6. THERE ARE LAND FORMATIONS DEVELOPED BECAUSE OF
WAVE ACTION
OFFSHORE SAND BAR: FORMED BY BIG WAVES THAT
DEPOSIT SAND, (SMALLER WAVES BUILD ANOTHER SAND
BAR CLOSE TO SHORE)
LAGOON: THROUGH CONTINOUS WAVE ACTION, THE
FARTHER THE OFFSHORE SAND BAR GROWS IN HEIGHT AND
FINALLY EMERGES ABOVE THE WATER SURFACE (ROOTED
MANGROVE VEGETATION IS ESTABLISHED)
MARSH: FORMED BY SLIT DEPOSITED BY RIVER FLOW,
GRASSES, AND MANGROVE SPECIES
SAND DUNES: THE INTERPLAY OF RIVER FLOW AND WIND
Lagoons, Marshes and Sand Dunes

7. THREE BOUNDARY SURFACES IN AN OCEAN
PELAGIAL: OPEN WATER IN WHICH PELAGIC ANIMALS LIVE
BENTHAL: SEAFLOOR THAT IS INHABITED BY BENTHONIC
ORGANISMS REPRESENTING THE BENTHOS
PLEUSTAL: BOUNDARY LAYER OF WATER/AIR IN WHICH
PLEUSTONIC ORGANISMS (PLEUSTON) LIVE
ECOLOGICAL DIVISIONS
OF THE OCEAN

8. PELAGIAL IS DIVIDED INTO TWO HORIZONTALLY

NERITIC OR NEARSHORE WATERS
CHARACTERISED BY THE YOUNGER STAGES,
PARTICULARLY LARVAE OF BENTHIC ANIMALS
OCEANIC OR THE WATERS BEYOND
ADULT STAGES
ECOLOGICAL DIVISIONS
OF THE OCEAN

9. BENTHAL SURFACE EXTENDS OVER THE CONTINENTAL SHELF
AROUND 200 METERS DEEP THE CONTINENTAL SHELF
GRADUALLY SLOPES TO THE DIRECTION OF THE OPEN SEA
MOST AUTOTROPHS AND CONSUMERS ARE FOUND OVER THE
SHELF, WHERE SUN IS FOUND
BENTHAL SURFACE SUBDIVIDED INTO
LITTORAL: MARGINAL ZONE NEAREST TO LAND; EXTENDS
DOWN TO THE BENTHAL IN WHICH BENTHIC FAUNAL LARVAE
MAY STILL BE FOUND
BATHYAL: EXTENDS BETWEEN THE UPPER 200 M DEPTH
DOWN TO 4,000 M OR 4 KM DEPTH
ABYSSAL
HADAL
ECOLOGICAL DIVISIONS
OF THE OCEAN

10. BROAD STRIP FURTHER SUBDIVIDED INTO
SUPRALITTORAL: THE REGION BEYOND THE MEAN
OF HIGH WATER
EULITTORAL: STRIP OF SHORE COVERED AND
UNCOVERED BY THE TIDE (AKA INTERDIAL ZONE)
SUBLITTORAL
ECOLOGICAL DIVISIONS
OF THE OCEAN

11. LIGHT
IT IS THE ELECTROMAGNETIC
RADIATION PROPAGATED IN SPACE
IN TERMS OF ENERGY UNITS CALLED
PHOTONS. IT IS ALSO THE SOURCE
OF THE EXCITATION ENERGY OF AN
ELECTRON THAT DRIVES THE LIGHT
REACTION OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS
TWO PROCESSES OF LIGHT
EXTINCTION:
ABSORBATION AND SCATTERING

12. LIGHT
SUBMARINE DAYLIGHT AT COMPENSATION DEPTH IS
400 LUX.
BELOW COMPENSATION DEPTH IS THE APOTHIC
ZONE OR THE UNLIGHTED ZONE
THE EPIPEGIAL AREA REFERS TO THE PHONTIC ZONE
MESOPELAGIAL: UPPERMOST PHONTIC ZONE
WHOSE LOWER LIMIT IS THE 10° ISOTHERM AND MAY
FALL WITHIN THE UPPER 100- 700 M OF WATER
COLUMN
BATHYPELAGIAL: MIDDLE PHOTIC ZONE BELOW THE
ZONE OF 10° AND 4° ISOTERMS
ABYSSOPELAGIAL: DEEP PHOTIC ZONE LOCATED AT
AROUND 6 KM DEEP
HADOPELAGIAL: REGION IN THE DEEP SEA TROUGHS

13. LIGHT
HOW IMPORTANT IS LIGHT TO
ANIMALS?
THERE ARE SOME ANIMALS THAT
NEED LIGHT FOR VISUAL
ORIENTATION AND FOR
STIMULATING LOCOMOTION. IN
OTHER CASES, THE LENGTH OF
PELAGIC LARVAE LIFE SOLELY
DEPENDS ON LIGHT.

14. THE ANNUAL FLUCTUATIONS IN SURFACE TEMPERATURE OF THE
OPEN OCEAN HAVE A CHARACTERISTIC DISTRIBUTION OVER THE
GLOBE. PHYSIOLOGICAL PROCESSES IN LIVING ORGANISMS ARE
MEDIATED BY ENZYMES. THE ACTION OF ENZYMES IN
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENT. THE IMPORTANCE OF TEMPERATURE
OF OCEANS AND SEAS THEREFORE, SHOULD NOT BE
OVEREMPHASIZED
TREMENDOUS DEVIATIONS FROM THE MEAN TEMPERATURE
CHARACTERIZING AN OCEANIC REGION MAY CAUSE THE
DISPLACEMENT OF SPAWNING AREAS AND LOSS OF MIGRATORY
ANIMALS. HOWEVER, SOME CASES MAY CAUSE ADAPTATIONS
THAT ARE NOT GENETIC IN ORDER. THIS ABILITY COULD BE
INFLUENCED BY AN EARLIER CONDITIONING IN THE JUVENILE
STATE.
TEMPERATURE

15. SALTS
ELEMENTS ENTER BODIES OF ANIMALS THROUGH
THEIR INGESTION OF LIVING FOOD PARTICLES
(PLANKTON) AND OF DETRITUS AND ALSO THROUGH
THE WATER THAT THEY DRINK. HOWEVER, NOT ALL
ELEMENTS TAKEN IN HAVE A FUNCTIONAL
SIGNIFICANCE. CARBON, NITROGEN AND
PHOSPHORUS ARE NEEDED IN LARGE AMOUNTSS
BECUASE THESE ARE COMPONENTS OF PROTEINS.
THE TRACE ELEMENTS IN SEAWATER, IRON, COOPER,
AND VANADIUM ARE CONSTITUENTS OF
RESPIRATORY PIGMENTS WHILE MAGNESIUM IS
CENTRAL ELEMENT IN THE CHLOROPHYLL MOLECULE.
COBALT FORMS A PART OF VITAMIN B12, WHICH IS
NECESSARY TO DINOFLAGELLATES. CALCIUM, AND
STRONTIUM ARE IMPORTANT SKELETAL SUBSTANCES
WHILE SILICON IS NECESSARY FOR CONSTRUCTION
OF THE DIATOM FRUSTULE

16. Salinity
THIS REFERS TO THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF MINERAL
SALTS DISSOLVES IN A KNOWN VOLUME OF
WATER.
IT IS EXPRESSED IN PARTS PER THOUSAND.
SALINITY LEVELS ARE INFLUENCED BY THE INFLOW
OF FRESHWATER, PRECIPITATION, AND, IN POLAR
REGIONS, THE MELTING OF ICE.
A HALINE DISCONTINUITY LAYER IS ONE WHERE
AN ABRUPT CHANGE IN THE SALT CONTENT OF
THE WATER IS DETECTABLE. ABOVEE IT IS
RELATIVELY LESS SALTY WATER WHILE BELOW IS
THE MORE SALTY HIGH-DENSITY WATER. THIS
LAYER EXTENDS HORIZONTALLY OVER A WIDW
EXPANSE OF THE SEA.

17. SALINITY AFFECTS THE OSMOREGULATORY ABILITY OF FISHES
INVERTEBRATES IN GENERALLY ARE ISOTONIC, I.E., THEIR INTERNAL
BODY FLUIDS HAVE A SOLUTE CONCENTRATION EQUAL TO THE
SOLUTE CONCENTRATION IN SEA WATER.
Salinity

18. VERTEBRATE FISHES AND MARINE MAMMALS, INCLUDING SEA BIRDS,
ARE GENERALLY HYPOTONIC, MEANING THEIR BODY FLUIDS HAVE A
SALT CONCENTRATION LOWER THAN THAT OF THE SURROUNDING
WATER. THESE ORGANISMS HAVE A PHYSIOLOGOCAL MECHANISMS
THAT MAINTAINS THEIR RELATIVELY LOW SALT CONTENT. WHATEVER
EXCESS SALT THEY TAKE IN WITH FOOD AND WATER IS EXCRETED.
Salinity

19. Specific Gravity
THE SALT CONTENT OF SALTWATER MAKES IT DENSER
THAN FRESHWATER. WHILE THE LATTER HAS IT MAXIMUM
DENSITY AT 4 DEGREES CELSIUSB (SPECIFIC GRAVITY =
1), SEA WATER HAS IT MAXUMUM DENSITY AT LESS THAN
0 DEGREES CELSIUS.
SPECIFIC GRAVITY IS A FACTOR OF BOTH DIRECT AND
INDIRECT IMPORTANCE TO THE BIOLOGY OF MARINE
LIFE. THE THERMAL AND LAHILE DISCONTINUITY LAYERS
DESCRIBED EARLIER SERVE AS BARRIERS TO THE
VERTICAL EXCHANGE BETWEEN LAYERS OF WATER
SEPARATED BY THEM.

20. Specific Gravity
WHEN THE DISCONTINUITY LAYER IS INTACT, IT COULD
SERVE AS A COLLECTING LAYER FOR THE RAIN OF
ORGANIC MATTER COMING FROM THE UPPER WATER
MASS THAT HAS A SPECIFIC GRAVITY LOWER THAN THAT
OF WATER IN THE DISCONTINUITY LAYER. THE ORGANIC
MATTER-RICH DISCONTINUITY LATER IS ALSO KNOWN AS
PLANKTON OR TURBIDITY LATER. IT IS A LAYER RICH IN
ZOOPLANKTONIC FORMS THAT GRAZE ON THE
PHYTOPLANKTON.

21. TEMPERATURE-SALINITY RELATIONS ARE DESCRIBED FOR
THE WATER MASSES AT 200M AND BELOW. THERE ARE
INDICATIONS THAT CERTAIN ORGANISMS ASSOCIATE WITH
WATER MASSES HAVING A CERTAIN TYPE OF SALINITY-
TEMPERATURE RELATIONSHIP. THUS A CHANGE IN THE T/S
RELATIONSHIP IN A WATER MASS MAY BRING ABOUT
FUNCTUATIONS IN THE OCCURENCE OF SPECIES IN THE
SAME.
Temperature-Salinity
Relations

22. SOME MARINE LIFE LIKE FISHES, CRUSTACEANS, AND MAMMAL
PRODUCE SOUNDS THAT ARE A PART OF THEIR BEHAVIOUR. IN THE
SEA, SOUND TRAVELS AT A RATE OF 1, 500 M/SEC. FACTORS LIKE
WATER TEMPERATURE, SALINITY, AND HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE
INFLUENCE THE RATE OF SOUND TRANSMISSION.
ANOTHER FACTOR IS ACOUSTICS. IT CONCERS THE SOUNDS
PRODUCED BY MARINE LIFE LIKE THE DOLPHINS, FISHES,
CRUSTACEANS. SUNCH SOUNDS PLAY A ROLE IN THE BEHAVIOUR OF
THE ANIMALS. MEMBERS OF A SPECIES RECOGNIZE THE SOUND
PRODUCED BY THEM. REPEATED PRODUCTION OF SOUNDS
UNDERWATER COULD CONDITION THE MINDS OF AQUATIC LIFE TO
DANGER, THEY CAN DESRT A PLACE FOR ANOTHER WITHOUT THE
DISTURBING SOUND.
Acoustics

23. OCEANS ARE IN CONSTANT MOTION. CURRENTS ARE STREAMS OF
MOVING WATER IN THE OCEAN. SUCH FLOWING WATERS MAY BE
LIKENED TO RIVERS BUT ARE MUCH MORE GIGANTIC THAN THESE.
SURFACE CURRENTS ARE CREATED BY WIND BLOWING OVER THE
SURFACE OF THE WATER. IN THE NOTHERN HEMISPHERE, CURRENTS
MOVE IN A CLOCKWISE DIRECTION WHILE IN THE SOUTHERN
HEMISPHERE, THEIR MOVEMENT IS COUNTERCLOCKWISE. IT IS DUE
TO THE EARTH’S ROTATION ABOUT ITS AXIS.
WHEN THE WIND BLOWS, IT PILES UP IN THE WINDWARD DIRECTION
(DIRECTION TO WHICH THE WIND IS GOING). AS A RESULT, A
COMPENSATING CURRENT MOVING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION IS
FORMED, REPLACING THE WATER BLOWN OUT BY THW WIND.
Ocean Currents

24. CURRENTS ALSO CHANGE THEIR DIRECTION FROM TIME TO TIME. AS
THEY DO SO, THEY INFLUENCE THE FISHERY PRODUCTION IN SOME
AREAS OF THE WORLD.
BEING LARGE MASSES OF WATER MOVING ACROSS OCEANS AND
SEAS, CURRENTS HAVE THEIR OWN ASSOCIATED SET OF FEATURES
PERTAINING TO TEMPERATURE, DENSITY, SALINITY, OXYGEN, AND
NUTRIENT CONTENTS. IT SERVES AS A VEHICLE TO BRING IN FOOD
(PLANKTON) NECESSARY TO FISH IN ANOTHER PART OF THE GLOBE.
CURRENTS ALSO CAUSE LARGE SCALE CLIMATIC CHANGES. THE EL
NINO PHENOMENA ARISES FROM THE WARM CURRENT’S PASSING BY
A PLACE ON THE GLOBE WHERE IT CAUSES NOT ONLY AN EXTREME
RISE IN AIR TEMPERATURE BUT ALSO A SEVERE LACK OF WATER ON
LAND.
Ocean Currents

25. THE RISE AND FALL OF OCEAN WATERS ARE CALLED TIDES. WATER
RISES OR BECOMES DEEPER IN A PLACE ON EARTH BECAUSE OF THE
PILING UP OF WATER THERE. THIS PILING UP IS CHIEF;Y UNDER THE
INFLUENCE OF THE GRAVITATIONAL FORCES OF THE MOON. THIS
MEANS THAT WHERE THE MOON IS DIRECTLY OVERHEAD, THERE THE
HIGHEST TIDES WILL BE.
SPRING TIDE TAKES PLACE WHEN THE EARTH, SUN AND MOON FORM
A STRAIGHT LINE AS WHAT HAPPENS DURING FULL MOON OR NEW
MOON. THE HIGHEST TIDE (HIGH HIGH TIDE) FORMS BECUASE THE
PULL OF THE SUN UPON OCEAN WATERS (WHICH IS ONLY ONE0HALF
THAT OF THE MOON) COMBINES WITH THE MOON’S GRAVITATIONAL
PULL. NEAP TIDES OCCURS WHEN THE SUN AND MOON ARE AT RIGHT
ANGLES TO EACH OTHER WITH RESPECT TO THE EARTH. NEAP TIDE
HAPPENS DURING THE FIRST AND LAST QUARTERSS OF THE MOON.
TIDES

26. WAVES ARE FAMILIAR SIGHT TO ALL. WAVES ARE CAUSED BY WINDS. THE
WAVY FORM ON THE SURFACE OF A BOD OF WATER IS A
MANISFESTATION OF THE PRESSURE DEALT ON IT BY THE MOVING WIND.
WATER SO AFFECTED DOES NOT MOVE OVER A DISTANCE. HOWEVER, AS
THE WAVE APPROACHES SHORE AND HE WATER BECOME SHALLOWER,
THE WAVE SCOURS THE BOTTOM AND SO IT MOVES. THIS MOVEMENT IS
SUFFICIENT TO MOVE MATERIALS FOUND AT THE BOTTOM, LIKE STONES,
BROKEN CORALS, AND SHELLS
BIG WAVES CONSTANTLY POUNDING ON SHORE ERODE LAND. IN TIME, A
CLIFF IS FORMED. THE WALL OF A CLIFF IS STRAIGHTENED UP BY
CONTINUED EROSION BY WAVE ACTION. OVER TIME, THE STRAIGHT CLIFF
DEVELOPS A DEPRESSION OR A NOTCH AT THE BASE. IF THE NOTCH IS
DEEP ENOUGHT, THE UNSUPPORTED MASS OF SOIL ABOVE IT MAY
COLLAPSE. SOIL CARRIED AWAY BY WAVES DURING CLIFF AND NOTVH
BUILDING IS DEPOSITED AND PILED UP UNDER WATER, FORMING WHAT WE
CALL A TERRACE
WAVES

27. WE EASILY FLOAT IN SEA WATER THAN IN FRESH WATER BECAUSE OF THE
FORMER’S HIGH DENSITY. THE PRESSURE AT 10M DEEP ON A SQUARE
CENTIMETER SURFACE IS ONE ATMOSPHERE.
ANIMALS IN THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT GENERALLY RESTRICT
THEMSELVES TO A CERTAIN DEPTH WHILE OTHER EXPLORE VARIED
DEPTHS OR AN EURYBATHIC. THE RANGE OF HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE
TOLERATED IS FROM 20 TO 40 ATMOSPHERE OR FROM 200 TO 400
METERS DEPENDING UPON THE GROUP.
SOME ANIMALS HAVE GAS-FILLED SWIMBLADDERS THAT HELP IN
FLOATATION. ANIMALS WITH THIS SRUCTURE ARE ABLE TO WITHSTAND
MORE PRESSURE. INCREASED PRESSURE IS KNOWN TO INCREASE THE
DISSOLUTION OF CALCIUM CARBONATE. IT IS LIKELY THAT INCREASED
PRESSURE AT GREAT DEPTHS HELPS TO DISSOCIATE PROTEIN MOLECULES
FOR METABOLISM.
HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE

28. FOR EUKARYOTIC ORGANISMS, OXYGEN IS ABSOLUTELY
NECESSARY FOR THE PRODUCTION OF ENERGY.
OXYGEN IN OCEANS COME FROM PHOTOSYNTHESIS
AND FROM THE ATMOSPHERE.
TURBULENCE INDUCED BY WINDS IS A PRIMARY FORCE
THAT INTRODUCES OXYGEN INTO WATER. THE RATE AT
WHICH OXYGEN IS INCORPORATED DEPENDS UPON
TEMPERATURE AND SALINITY. INCREASING LEVELS OF
THESE CAUSE A DECREASE IN THE SATURATION VALUE
FOR OXYGEN.
OXYGEN CONTENT

29. BENTHONIC / BENTHIC ORGANISMS
THESE ARE SEDIMENT-DWELLING ORGANISMS LIKE
SNAILS, CLAMS AND ATTACHED AQUATIC
MACROPHYTES, INCLUDING THOSE THAT ARE
MOCROSCOPIC IN SIZE. THEY DERIVE THEIR ENERGY
SOURCES FROM VIABLE ALGAL CELLS AND DETRITUS
FOUND IN SEDIMENTS
CLASSIFICATION OF BIOTA
BASED ON THEIR MODE OF
EXISTENCE

30. PLANKTONIC
THIS IS A GROUP OF MINUTE OR MICROSCOPIC PLANTS AND ANIMALS
THAT LIVE SUSPENDED IN WATER. IT ONSISTS OF ORGANISMS SO SMALL
THAY HAVE NO POWER TO HAVE A DIRECTED MOVEMENT AGAINST THE
POWER OF WAVES. THE LITERAL TRANSLATION OF THE TERM ‘PLANKTON’
BEING WANDERDER. PLANKTONIC ORGANISMS ARE OF TWO KINDS -
1.PLANTS OR PHYTOPLANKTON
2. ANIMALS OR ZOOPLANKTON
THE FORMER ARE THE FOOD TO THE ZOOPLANKTON. THE TERM
TYCHOPLANKTON REFERS TO THE ALGAE THAT SPEND A PART OF THEIR
LIFE CYCLE IN AN ATTACHED MODE OF EXISTENCE AND ANOTHER PART IN
THE PLANKTON
CLASSIFICATION OF BIOTA BASED
ON THEIR MODE OF EXISTENCE

31. PLANKTONIC
ZOOPLANKTON ARE FURTHER CATEGORIZED INTO HOLOPLANKTON
(PERMANENT) AND THE MEROPLANKTON (TEMPORARY).
HOLOPLANKTONIC ANIMALS HAVE THEIR LIFE STAGES IN THE PLANKTON, NONE
OF THESE ARE BOTTOM DWELLING.
ALL ANIMAL PHYLA EXCEPT THE SPONGES, BRYOZOANS AND PHORONIDEANS
ARE REPRESENTED IN THE HOLOPLANKTON.
MEROPLANKTONIC ANIMALS SPEND A PART OF THEIR LIFE CYCLE AT THE
BOTTOM. POLYCHAETES, CRUSTACEANS, BRYZOANS, ECHINODERMS,
LAMELLIBRANCHS, GASTROPODS, AND FISHES BELONG TO THIS CATEGORY
CLASSIFICATION OF BIOTA BASED
ON THEIR MODE OF EXISTENCE

32. ZOOPLANKTON
MEGAPLANKTON >10 MM
MACROPLANKTON >1 - 10 MM
LARGER PHYTOPLANKTON AND ZOOPLANKTON
MESOPLANKTON 0.5 - 1 MM
PHYTOPLANKTON
MICROPLANKTON >60 UM
NANNOPLANKTON >5 UM
BACTERIA & SMALL FLAGELLATES
ULTRAPLANKTON >5 UM
Size differences for classifying
planktonic organisms into categories

33. THIS CLASSIFICATION IS OFTEN USED IN RELATION TO
PRODUCTIVITY. IT MUST BE NOTED THAT IN THE OPEN SEAS,
MAJORITY OF THE PLANKTONIC PLANTS BELONG TO THE ORDERS
OF SIZE OF THE MICRO- AND MACROPLANKTON.
A RICH POPULATION OF MEGAPLANKTON AND MACROPLANTON IS
INDICATIVE OF A HIGH PO[ULATION OF MICROPLANTON AND
NANNOPLANKTON, WHICH ARE FOOD TO THEM
Size differences for classifying
planktonic organisms into categories
NEKTON - THESE ARE ORGANISMS THAT CAN
SWIM AGAINST THE CURRENT AND BIG WAVES,
LIKE WHALES, TURTLES, AND MAN. THEIR ABILITY
TO DO THIS IS SEEN IN THE MIGRATORY HABITS
OF SUCH ORGANISMS AS SALMON AND MILKFISH.
THIS REFERS TO THE PLANKTON, NEKTON AND
PLEUSTON THAT POPULATE THE OPEN WATERS.

34. THE ADAPTIVE MECHANISMS OF PHYTOPLANKTON INCLUDE
THEIR SMALL SIZE WHICH MAKES THEM FLOAT AND BE
CARRIED AWAY BY WAVES, CURRENTS AND TIDES.
SOME SPECIES FORM A CELL WALL EXTENSION THAT
INCREASE THE CELL’S SURFACE AREA CALLED, SETAE.
OTHERS HAVE OIL FOR THEIR FOOD RESERVE WHICH
FURTHER BUOYS THEN IN REGIONS OF THE WATER COLUMN
WHERE LIGHT AVAILABLE FOR PHOTOSYNTHESIS.
ADAPTIVE MECHANISMS OF
MARINE BIOTA

35. DEEP-WATER OCCURING SPECIES ARE LARGER BODIES
THAT NEAR-SURFACE FORMS. LARVAL FORMS OF THE
PLANKTONIC AND BENTHIC ANIMALS POPULATE THE SEAS.
BECAUSE FOOD IS PLENTIFUL NEAR THE SURFACE, LARVAL
FORMS ARE MORE FREQUENT HERE. AS THEY GROW TO
MATURITY, ORGANISMS MOVE TO DEEPER WATERS WHERE
THEIR PARENTS LIVE.
ADAPTIVE MECHANISMS OF
MARINE BIOTA

36. FOR FISHES, THE ADAPTIVE FEATURES HAVE MANY VARIATIONS.
A. BOTTOM-FEEDERS - INFERIOR MPUTH PARTS, I.E., THE MOUTH IS
UNDER THE HEAD, VERY SMALL EYES, LARGE PECTORAL FINS, LACK OF A
SWIM BLADDER
B. PELAGIC - OBLIQUELY UPTURNED MOUTH, LARGE EYES, SHORT AND
LATERALLY COMPRESSED BODIES, SILDER IN COLOR
C. PREDATORS - HAVE THE ABILITY TO SWALLOW THEIR PRAY WHOLE
HEAD FIRST
ADAPTIVE MECHANISMS OF
MARINE BIOTA

37. FACTORS LIKE COLORS AND FOOD PREFERENCES CHANGE WITH CHANGE.
COMMONLY, COPEPODS AND AMPHOPODS ARE FOODS TO ORGANISMS, POST-LARVAL
STAGES BUT WILL CHANGE TO CRABS, JELLYFISH AND FISH AT MATURE AGES.
BASED ON BODY FORM AND WAY OF LIFE, OPEN-WATER SPECIES ARE SPINDLE-SHAPED
WHILE REEF DWELLERS HAVE THICKER BODIES. ALSO, OPEN-WATER DWELLERS LIVE IN
SCHOOLS, WHILE REED FISH FORM SCHOOLS WHEN TREVELING. PELAGIC FISHES HAVE
LIGHT SPINES THAT DO NOT HINDER SWIMMING. THEY FEED BY SIMPLY OPENING THEIR
MOUTHS AS THEY SWIM. THEY POPULATE AREAS WHEN UPWELLING OCCURS, WHICH IS
WHEN THE BOTTOM SEA WATER IS CAUSED BY THE WIND-DRIVEN CURRENT TO MOVE
TO THE SURFACE, THUS ENRICHING THE SURCHING THE SURFACE WATERS WITH
NUTRIENTS.
ADAPTIVE MECHANISMS OF
MARINE BIOTA

38. PRIMARY PRODUCTION IN A LAKE IS ACCOUNTED FOR PRIMARILY BY
THE PHYTOPLANKTON. IN THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT, THE BIOMASS
OF PHYTOPLANKTON FAR EXCEEDS THAT OF THE TROPHIC LEVEL
IMMEDIATELY ABOVE IT.
PRODUCTION IN SEAS AND OCEANS

39. THE MARINE ECOSYSTEM INCLUDES OCEANS, SEAS, LAGOONS,
MARSHES AND SAND DUNES. OCEANS ARE DIVIDED INTO
ECOLOGICAL ZONES OR DIVISIONS, THESE ZONES HAVE THEIR
OWN ASSOCIATED SETS OF CHARACTERS INCLUDING THOSE THAT
ARE BIOLOGICAL IN NATURE. THERE ARE FEATURES OF THE MARINE
ENVIRONMENT WHICH AFFECT MARINE LIFE. VARIOUS FORMS OF
MARINE ORGANIZATIONS CAN BE DIFFIRENCIATED BASED ON THEIR
PLACES OF ESTABLISHMENT, GROWTH AND REPRODUCTION, THERE
IS A FUNCTIONA; SIGNIFICANCE TO AN ORGANISM’S HABITAT TO
WHICH IT IS PHYSIOLOGICALLY ADAPTED.
SUMMARY

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