Marine Bio Lab Practical

Atlantic croaker scientific name

Atlantic croaker scientific name

Micropogonias undulatus

Ribbon Fish scientific name

Trachipterus jacksonensis.

Sand/sea trout scientific name

Cynoscion arenarius.

Scaled Sardine scientific name

Harengula jaguana.

Soles scientific name

Solea solea

Southern Flounder scientific name

Paralichthys lethostigma

Lizard fish scientific name

Synodus lucioceps

Bay anchovy scientific name

Anchoa mitchilli

Midshipman scientific name

Porichthys

Sea robin scientific name

Prionotus carolinus.

Spot scientific name

Leiostomus xanthurus

Hog choker scientific name

Trinectes maculatus

Red Fish scientific name

Sciaenops ocellatus

Hard head catfish scientific name

Ariopsis felis

Bay Squid scientific name

Uroteuthis noctiluca

Southern king fish scientific name

Menticirrhus americanus

Red snapper scientific name

Lutjanus campechanus

Porgy scientific name

Sparidae

Atlantic croaker

Ribbonfish

Sand/sea trout

scaled sardine

soles

Southern Flounder

Lizard fish

Bay anchovy

Midshipman

Sea robin

Spot

Hog choker

Red fish

Hard head catfish

Bay Squid

Southern King fish

Red Snapper

Porgy

head of Mobile bay

Rivers entering the bay

mouth of Mobile bay

Bay exiting into GOM between Dauphin Island and Fort Morgan

Depositional environment

Sediment deposited on bay bottom by river flow

CTD and YSI

Conductivity-Temperature-Depth

Measures salinity, temperature, depth, and dissolved oxygen of water at each of the sampling locations

water profile

The changes in salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, or other parameters as functions of depth

hydrocast

the act of lowering, then raising a meter through the water column each time

thermocline

a zone located beneath the surface in which a rapid decrease in temperature occurs relative to the change in depth

pycnocline

density gradient

how are pycnocline and thermocline related

water temperature is a critical factor in determining water density, so the thermocline and pycnocline are directly related

stratified water

A water column that has ‘layers’ because of the large density difference across the thermocline

salinity is measured in

parts per thousand (ppt) 0/00

Approximate ocean salinity

35 ppt

halocline

A sharp change in salinity with depth

Salinity stratified

Water that has different salinity layers and has a strong halocline

refractometer

hand-held device for measuring salinity

Density of open ocean water

1.025 g/ml

Are phytoplankton or zooplankton larger

zooplankton

holoplankton

remain planktonic for their entire life cycle

meroplankton

Have both planktonic and benthic stages of life, and are usually larval stages of larger organism

Mobile Bay sediment

muddy/clay typically hypoxic or anoxic in summer

nekton vs. plankton

nekton are capable of swimming/fighting against a water current of at least 1 knot on their own. Plankton cannot swim against a current of 1 knot.

Phytoplankton

consists of representatives of seven plant divisions, all algae, plus a \n photosynthetic group of bacteria (the cyanobacteria).

dominant members of the phytoplankton caught in nets

diatoms and dinoflagellates

dinoflagellates

diatoms

zooplankton

consists of members of almost all 35 animal phyla

copepod

decapod

Polychaetes

Mysids

Anchovy larvae

Chaetognath

Larvacean

Echinoderm larvae

Species of plant in sandy beach habitat

Sea oats, seaside morning glory, American beach grass, seashore dropseed, pennywort, smooth cordgrass and others

Sea oats

Seaside morning glory

American beach grass

smooth cordgrass

Seashore dropseed

pennywort

Birds observed in class

Brown pelican, laughing gull, great blue heron, red-winged blackbird, grackle, snowy egret, great egret, least tern, osprey, black skimmer, clapper rail

Common salt marsh plants

Spartina, juncus, saltwort and glasswort, seashore dropseed, seaside morning glory and others

Plant adaptations to avoid desiccation in salt marsh

Root mats, rhizomes, less surface area above ground to support, skinny body to handle wind, no leaves/small leaves to deal with salt content, larger roots or taproot for water retention, etc.

Common salt marsh animals and adaptations

Periwinkle snails (suction to spartina to avoid washing away), fiddler crabs (burrow), hermit crabs, bird species, ragworm, capitellid worm, and others

Shark external anatomy

Shark internal anatomy

Bony fish external anatomy

Bony fish internal anatomy

Blue crab external anatomy (how to determine male or female)

Males are larger. Females have a darker abdomen on ventral side and more pairs of pleopods

Female blue crab internal

Male blue crab internal

How are oysters beneficial

American oysters are commercially beneficial, they filter pollutants and sediment out of the water, and create oyster reefs which are important habitats

American oyster

Common sea grasses in Big Lagoon

Thalassia testudinum (turtle grass), Halodula wrightii (manatee grass)

Thalassia testudinum (turtle grass)

Halodula wrightii (shoal grass)

Syringodium filiforme

manatee grass