BIOL271 Marine Ecology

Porifera

The phylum of a sponge

Benthic

Associated with the sea floor

Pelagic

Above the sea floor in the open water column

3 types of phytoplankton

Diatoms, Dinoflagellates, and Cyanobacteria

Are Diatoms, Dinoflagellates, and Cyanobacteria benthic or pelagic

Pelagic

Photosynthetic organisms such as Diatoms, cyanobacteria, and dinoflagellates

Primary producers

Are Macroalgae and diatoms benthic or pelagic

Benthic

Are diatoms benthic or pelagic

Can be both

Examples pelagic grazers

Copepods ( They feed directly on phytoplankton )

Examples of benthic grazers

Urchins, fish, gastropods

Examples of pelagic filterers ( suspension feeders )

Amphipods, fish, baleen whales

Examples of benthic filterers ( suspension feeders )

Molluscs, sponges, ascidians, barnacles, anemones, fish

Examples of scavengers

Worms (annelids), Gastropods (molluscs), crustaceans, echinoderms (starfish)

Examples pelagic of predators

Squid, predatory fish, killer whales, sea lions/seals, birds, dolphins, sharks

Examples of benthic predators

octopus, starfish, fish, sea otter

Adaptations accommodate to…

environment, secure food, avoid predation, reproduction

Osmoregulation

The maintenance of constant osmotic pressure in the fluids of an organism by the control of water and salt concentrations

Conformers

Wide spaced limits, variability in internal conditions

Regulators

Narrow spaced limits, constant internal conditions

Osmosis

The movement water from an area of higher water concentration to an area of lower water concentration

Ways of regulating water and solutes:

Actively transport solutes

Change permeability of membranes

Alter concentration gradients

Hypertonic ( Hyperosmotic )

A solution with a greater solute concentration

Hypotonic ( Hypoosmotic )

a solution with a lower solute concentration

Isotonic ( isoosmotic )

solution with equal solute concentration

Water moves into organism

Hyperosmotic

Water moves out of the organism

Hypoosmotic