Chapter 16: Marine EcosystemsOceanography 2014
Chapter 16 Vocabulary1. Biotic2. Abiotic3. Community4. Population5. Ecology6. Habitat7. Microhabitat8. Niche9. Ecosystem
10.Biome
large geographical area of distinctive plant and animal groups, which are adapted to that particular environment
11.Detritus12.Antarctic Divergence 13.Eutrophication14.Littoral Zone15.Meiofauna
Levels of Ecology
Biomes: A ReviewWORLD BIOMESTundraRainforestSavannaTaigaTemperate ForestTemperate GrasslandAlpineChaparralDesertAquatic
Aquatic Biomes
Freshwater
Marine
Community vs. Population
<<< Community: Multiple species that interact
Population: >>>Group of ONE species in a given area
Habitatsecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular species of animal, plant, or other type of organism
Examples:
Clown FishHabitat = Sea Anemones in an area of a coral reef
Fiddler CrabHabitat = Sandy areas of a salt marsh
Finding your Niche…• Unique way of life specific to an
organism• Individual role of a species in an
ecosystem• No two species can occupy the same
niche in an ecosystem without one outcompeting each other
EXAMPLE: Remoras are small fish that live on sharks. Their niche is their role cleaner fish for specific shark species.
Food Chains & WebsFood Web: all the food chains found within an ecosystem, shows all possible paths for energy to moveFood Chain: one part of a food web starting from producers ends at decomposers
Trophic Levels• Producers
– 1st level in the trophic system– Make their own food (autotrophs):
Photosynthesis or Chemosynthesis– Examples: Plants and phytoplankton
• Consumers– 2nd/3rd/4th levels of the trophic systems: primary,
secondary, tertiary– Primary consumers are herbivores– Secondary consumers eat herbivores– Tertiary consumers eat the secondary consumers
• Decomposers– Last level of the trophic system as dead animals
are broken down– Examples: mushrooms and bacteria
Ecosystem Types• Coral Reefs• Estuaries• Salt Marshes• Mangroves• Kelp Forests• Beaches / Tidal Zones• Polar• Hydrothermal Vents• Abyssal
Coral Reef Ecosystem• Located in waters between the Tropic
of Capricorn and the Tropic of Cancer
• Require water temperatures to be warm and stable year-round (64-86 F)
• Individual coral polyps build the reef's calcium carbonate structure
• As a single polyp dies, its soft tissue decays, but the calcium carbonate cup remains– Other polyps build on top of the
cup – Over time, this process creates
larger and larger coral reefs
Estuary Ecosystem• Partially enclosed body
of water where fresh water mixes with salt water– areas of transition
between the land and sea
• Examples: bays, harbors, inlets or sounds
• Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuarine system in the US
Salt Marsh Ecosystem• Coastal wetlands that are
flooded and drained along with tides– Soil composed of deep mud and
peat. – Peat is made of decomposing
plant matter that is waterlogged and very spongy
• They provide food, refuge, and nursery habitat for more than 75 percent of fisheries species
• Found within estuarine systems
Mangrove Ecosystem• Tree systems with roots
submerged in water– Thrive in hot, muddy, salty
conditions that would quickly kill most plants.
• How do they do it? Through a series of adaptations– a filtration system that
keeps out much of the salt– a complex root system that
holds the mangrove upright in loose, sandy sediments
Kelp Forest Ecosystem• Giant kelp– Species of brown macro-algae
• Grow along rocky coastlines– Depths from 2 m to 30 m +– Nutrient-rich, cool water – Temperature from 5o to 20o C– Clear water conditions through which light penetrates easily– Often found in regions where upwelling occurs
Beach / Tidal Ecosystem• Beach has habitats such
as dunes, intertidal region, and tide pools– Seawater trapped in
depressions in the rocks forms tide pools
– Shallow pools are extreme environment with changing water levels and temperatures
– Home to many types of plants and animals
Polar Ecosystem• Artic and Antarctic• Cover 20% of Earth• Covered by areas of
thick ice• Coldest habitats in the
world• Plankton are an
essential part of the ecosystem
Hydrothermal Vent Ecosystem• Deep-sea hydrothermal vents form
due to volcanic activity on the ocean floor
• Water leaks through cracks in the Earth's crust– dissolves metals and minerals and
becomes super-heated from magma. – Water can be as hot as 400o C
• Chemosynthesis: relies on hydrogen sulfide instead of sunlight
• 300+ unique species live in these environment
Abyssal Ecosystem• Abyssal Zone: 3,000 to 6,000
meters deep
• Cold temperatures, and high pressure
• Animals in this region relay on dead animals from above that sink to the bottom as their main food source
• Some animals exhibit bioluminescence
Notes Quiz1. Put the following in order from smallest to largest:
Community, Individual, Ecosystem, Biosphere, Population
2. Is this a community or a population?
3. Remoras that serve as cleaner fish on sharks are an example of what aspect of ecology?
4. What is the 1st level of the tropic system?
5. Name 3 ecosystem types.
Oceanography May 13, 2014
1. What do estuaries, salt marshes, and mangroves have in common?
2. What type of animals would you expect to find in a polar ecosystem?
3. What type of marine ecosystem is the local watershed?
Oceanography May 21, 2014
1. Give an example of an animal with a specific niche.
2. What role do dead things play in ecosystems?
3. What does a coral polyp look like? Sketch a basic diagram.