Test 1 Marine Ecology Lectures 1-5

Ocean Anthropocene

Specific and cascading anthropogenic impacts on marine ecosystems including positive and negative impacts in the forms of destruction, threats, interventions, managements, conservation, and communications.

5 guiding questions of ocean studies in the Anthropocene?

1) What is the ecology of the organism/habitat?

2) What are the threats, stressors, and problems?

3) How do we measure (1) and (2)

4) How do we save, manage, and conserve it?

5) How do we communicate it?

4 oceanography of marine science basics

1) Biological Oceanography(marine biology): Studies diversity of ocean life + ocean’s role as their habitat.

2) Chemical Oceanography: Studies chemistry of seawater.

3) Geological Oceanography: Concerns itself with the geology of the ocean.

4) Physical Oceanography: The study of physics within the marine environment.

What is the salt concentration and pH of the ocean?

3.5% salt and pH of 8.1

Physical properties of the ocean

Temp: 2C-40C

Pressure: the deeper, the stronger the pressure

Salinity: ~33ppt

Color: Like every color

Sound: Strong conductor

Oxygen Content: cold vs hot water

What is the solubility pump?

• Ocean takes up CO2

• CO2 gas reacts with water and forms a balance of several inorganic carbons

What is the biological pump?

• The transformation of CO2 (because of phytoplankton through photosynthesis)into organic carbon then sinking in the deep ocean and decomposing at depth. 

• “Marine snow” 

Link between climate change and the ocean:

• Since industrial revolution, ocean has absorbed ~30% of all CO2

• Absorbed 90% of all heat generated by emissions

• MAJOR CARBON SINK

Manifestations:

• Increase SST

• Ocean acidification

• Sea level rise

Epipelagic zone

0-200 meters Light zone, “euphoric” or “photic”

Mesopelagic Zone

200-1000 meters middle zone, some light

Bathypelagic zone

1000-4000 meters, deep zone, no light “aphotic” 75% of living space in the ocean

Abyssalpelagic Zone

4000-6000 meters, deep, extending to sea floor

Hadalpelagic

+6000 meters, deep ocean trenches

EMBAH

Every Morning Beyonce Acts Heroic

Epipelagic, mesopelagic, bathypelagic, abyssalpelagic, hadalpelagic

3 categories of Marine Organisms

• Free floating plankton: Phytoplankton (photosynthetic organisms) + Zooplankton (heterotrophic protozoa and animals)

• Nekton: Stronger swimmers (fishes, whales, turtles)

• Benthos: Bottom dwellers (worms, barnacles, starfish, insect larvae

Why are ocean currents important?

• Major factor in ocean ecosystems

• Circulate nutrients

• Habitat distribution

What are currents driven by?

• Water density

• Wind

• Tides

Wind and tides are influenced by Earth’s rotation and ocean basin shape

Upwellings

• Critical for marine productivity

• Sea life is concentrated at surface, but organic material is deep below

• Sweeps vital nutrients to surface

Downwellings

• Sinking of surface water

• Oxygen rich water flushes the deep sea

• Mainly in polar regions

Thermohaline Circulation

Global scale process that drives ocean currents and redistributes heat and salt around the world.

More downwellings happen at high latitudes and upwellings happen in warmer, topical waters Cr

Cross shelf gradients

What changes in oceanographic features (more downwelling + upwelling near coast)

• More runoff near coast 

• Salinity, depth, temp all changes

• What biotic and abiotic patterns may be seen across the gradient?

• More anthropogenic stressors near shore

Across the gradient: Depth, nutrients, sediments, salinity, temp, biodiversity, currents, upwelling, and downwelling are all different.

Marine Conservation

The protection of marine species and ecosystems in oceans and seas worldwide.

When did Marine Conservation start?

1970s-1980s

What is the IUCN and when did it start?

International Union for Conserving Nature (1940)

Created marine protected areas and multi-national agreements.

When did undersea exploration and technology really start?

1970s

What is the Endangered Species and Conservation Act?

1970 landmark act enacted to protect and recover species at risk of extinction,

What resolution did the UN pass in 2002

Resolution for restoring fisheries and marine ecosystems.

What does the UN think 2021-2030 will be?

UN decade for ocean sustainability and restoration.

What was the beginning focus of marine conservation?

Rare species and protecting as much habitat as possible. Heavily based on terrestrial ecosystems and models.

What species were mostly focused on in the beginning?

• Mostly things that people eat or megafauna

• The Endangered Species Act didn't cover any marine plants, invertebrate species, and only covered 1 marine fish species.

• Previously focused on offshore waters, not coasts.

What is the current focus of marine conservation?

Multidisciplinary: ranges from conservation genetics to global change ecology to social science of marine communities

What is a shifting baseline?

Change in how a system is measured against previous reference points. The “new normal.” Gradual shift in the baseline in terms of species, ecosystems, thing, and at what past levels.

Components of Marine Conservation

• Human Impacts

• Techniques

• Law and treaties:Marine Mammal Protection Act (1972), Convention on Fishing and Conservation of Living Resources of the High Seas

• Organizations, events, and initiatives

Why is Marine Conservation important to the Anthropocene?

Marine Conservation is an aspect of the Anthropocene that looks to change some of the negative aspects of it and to make the relationship that humans have with the ocean more beneficial for both people and the ocean. Without Marine Conservation, the Anthropocene would be, somehow, even more skewed toward the negative effects that people have on it.

Who was Daniel Pauly?

French-Born Marine Biologist

Studies human impacts on global fisheries

Professor at UBC

Coined “Shifting baselines” and “fishing down the food web”

Human impacts examples

Fishing, trawling, pollution, shipping, agriculture, acidification

Techniques of Marine Conservation

• Marine protected areas

• Turtle excluder devices

Law and Treaties on Marine Conservation

• Convention on Fishing and Conservation of Living Resources on the High Seas

• Marine Mammal Protection Act (1972)

Ecosystem approach to wildlife management

• Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act (1972)

National marine sanctuaries

Ocean dumping

Marine Conservation Organizations

Oceana, Sea Shepard, Reef Watch, Australian Marine
Conservation Society, Marine Conservation Institute, NOAA, etc

How is Marine Conservation fundamentally different from Terrestrial Conservation?

• The sea is much larger than the terrestrial realm!

• Marine species are more poorly known than the ones on land!

• Dispersal stages are usually smaller and have longer potential dispersal distances

• Size classes are different

• Spatial ecology is fundamentally different.

• Se is geochemically downhill- things flow into ocean.

• Nations and marine jurisdictions /ownership across boundaries and mismatch of scale=overall less protection

• Hard to drum up support/interest in MC when most people dont really interact with the ocean every day.

Why do humans need MC?

• Food

• Carbon sequestration

• Travel

• Recreation

• Health: if the sea is contaminated that gets into food and then people

• Keeps areas of the world warm

Goals of MC

• Set baselines

• Safeguard species, habitats, and humans

• Shift perspectives and behaviors 

• Engages society in conservation

Ecosystem Function

• How an ecosystem works-sum of all the processes, interactions, services, valuesm and environmental changes

What does ecosystem function depend on?

• Structure

• Biodiversity

• Productivity

• Energy Flow (trophic interactions and biogeochemical cycles)

R-strategists

• Prefer less stable environment

• Smaller

• Shorter lifespans

• Younger reproduction age

• Have more offspring

• Little/no parental care

• Population stability has wild fluctuations

K-strategists

• Larger

• Life longer

• Older reproduction age

• Have less offspring

• Long/involved parental care

• More stable population

Morphology

Structure or shape of an organism, growth pattern

Physiology

Biological processes that occur for an animal to exist “how an animal works” and regulates

• Feeding, moving, reproducing, digestion, metabolism

• Muscles, tissues, nerves, organs

Ecological Feedbacks

The effect that change in one part of an ecosystem may have on another.. and how that effect feedback to then effect the source of the change inducing more or less of it. There are positive and negative feedbacks,

Ecological Tipping Point

Critical threshold at which a significant and abrupt shift occurs in an ecosystem, moving it to a new, often irreversible state, even if the initial environmental pressures are reduced.

Ecological Restoration

The process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed. Seeks to initiate or accelerate ecosystem recovery.

Ecotone

The center of the center of biodiversity. Transition zone between two biomes where communities meet and integrate. Species richness is usually greater at the margins of adjacent communities than in their centers. 

Symbiosis

An interaction between 2 different organisms living in close physical proximity, typically to the advantage of both.

Symbiosis is context dependent.

Coexistence is critical to marine ecology.

Mutualism

Mutually beneficial interaction between individuals of different species.

Trophic Mutualism

A mutualist receives energy or nutrients from its partner.

Habitat Mutualism

One partner provides the other with shelter, a place to live, or favorable habitat.

Service Mutualism

Interactions in which one partner performs an ecological service for the other (i.e. defense)

Facultative Mutualism

Not essential for survival of either species (individual)

Obligate Mutualism

Essential for the survival of one or both species

Endosymbiosis

Symbiont lives inside the host

Ectosymbiosis

Symbiont lives outside the host

What is sci comm

The skills, media, activities, and dialogue to produce one or more of the following personal responses to science: awareness, enjoyment, interest, opinion forming, and understanding.

Purpose of Scicomm

• Relationship between between science and society

• Informing, educating, and raising awareness

• Critical to equality, diversity, STEM, and access

What is the Ivory Tower

Environment of intellectual pursuit divorces from practical concerns of everyday life. Old fashioned.

Deficit Model + fix for it

• one way

• Public skepticism toward science because of a lack of adequate knowledge about science

Fix: Provide people with sufficient information over and over till they get it. Doesn't really work too well

Dialogue Model

• 3rd party help, engagement, bi-directionality

• Debate and dialogue

• Scientists must learn to communicate

Public understanding of Science

Attitudes, behaviours, options, and activities that are part of the relationship between the general public as a whole to scientific knowledge.

Based on: content, methods of inquiry, use and social factors

Categories of Scicomm

Science outreach: typically conducted by professional scientists to non-expert audiences

Science inreach: expert to expert communication from similar or different backgrounds

Progression of SciComm

Renaissance: discourse starts

Printing Press—> mass distribution of information

Extension lectures, demonstrations, and
museums
• Advocacy groups to advance democracy
• Scientific journals
• Contemporary media
• World events / emergency response