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.