Chapter 1
Comb jellies or Ctenophores are basically fake jellyfish. Like jellyfish they are transparent are transparent, but these lacking stinging cells are basically giant balls of see-through goo. These balls of goo are located throughout most marine environments, at varied depths and temperatures they are very good conformers. The most prominent feature of Ctenophores is their cilia. Cilia are hair-like structures that are used to help this species swim. Being fake jellyfish the comb jellies are extremely predacious, they entrap food and suck them up and are known for being cannibalistic and swallowing each other whole.
Ctenophores play various roles in an ecosystem. Ctenophores have an extremely important predator prey role. They balance many ecosystems by preventing over growth of certain species. These species usually consume large amounts of
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phytoplankton, therefore comb jellies are very beneficial in many cycles specifically the carbon cycle. They are also a food source for many species. While not particularly nutrient rich this abundant species contains plenty of energy if there is enough of them. Chapter 2 The Hagfish, a weird eel-like fish lives all over the world in deep oceans, the benthic zone.
The Hagfish are blind, because the majority of them living in deep waters do not need to see. They are also known for living in the Gulf of Maine. It estimated that thousands of these scale-less fish, who duo as scavengers and predators, live in the deep waters of the gulf. These fish do not have jaws, but still have teeth. One way they attack their prey is to go through open areas (mouth, gills, anus, etc.), and once in the animal eat on their flesh, muscles, and organs.
The Hagfish role in the environment is very closely related to lobsters, except much less obvious. The Hagfish is both a scavenger and a predator. Thus, they decompose dead species, and remove the weak/sick from a population which are both an essential role in an ecosystem. Being a scavenger allows this species to return nutrients from dead species back into the cycles in which they came from. The Hagfish may also have a role in medicine, because they contain anti-microbial compounds that have been proven useful in the medical
field. Chapter 3 Conch, a food I have grown to love, live in warm tropical waters near the shore. The most well-known feature of the Conch is the large whorled shell it lives in. The Conch has two yellow eyes and a large snout that it uses while grazing algae. An interesting feature of the Conch is its mode of transportation. Unlike most animals which swim, walk, and drift this creature hops. Using a muscular foot the Conch pulls itself to the bottom and then throws its large heavy shell jumping from place to place. The Conch is very important in Bahamian culture. This tasty animal has a variety of uses, its large beautiful shell is sold to tourists, and the tasty animal can be cooked in a variety of ways. Through harvesting this animal is collected and benefits the economy and human health. It contains a large amounts of proteins meaning it is not only good for the animals who prey amongst it, but it is also healthy for the humans that consume it after harvesting. Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Octopus are fast growing organisms who usually reach maturity within 2 years. They live through most of the oceans usually in deep hard to reach environments, although some live closer to the surface. They have eight muscular arms which are used to attack and immobilize prey. Octopuses have acidic and venomous spit. For example the blue-ringed octopus contains some of the most deadly venoms in the world and octopus will spray their prey with the venomous spit to paralyze it. Another major feature is that Octopuses have is a parrot like beak. They use this beak to break apart flesh, bones, and drill into things. Octopus extremely important Chapter 6 The Mola Mola or ocean sunfish is an enormous fish that can grow up to 4m and thousands of kilograms. They live in the pelagic zones in temperate and tropical waters all around the world. The Mola Mola has an interesting design that makes it look like a “thick dinner plate”. It has a flat body with two large eyes, and a back that seems almost cut off. Another abnormity is its two large fins positioned on the top and bottom of the Mola Mola. Mola Mola, thought it may be hard to see, are very important to ecosystems around the world. Their large size requires them to eat lots of food, and their diet consist of primarily jellyfish. Since its diet is nutrient poor it must consume large amounts of prey regulating its size and its prey. They are also considered a delicacy in some parts of the world, but since the EU forbids them in trade they are not eaten as often.
The documentary Blackfish by Gabriela Cowperthwaite is a gripping documentary about orca whales in captivity at SeaWorld and other sea parks around the world that shows the disturbing effects that can be caused from having these animals in a place where they shouldn’t be.
Cephalopods are known to be exceptionally intelligent by invertebrate standards and in some respects even rival “higher” vertebrates. These animals have many highly evolved sensory and processing organs that allow them to gain a greater understanding of their environment and their place within it. Due to their advanced structures, many of which are analogous to vertebrate structures, and abilities they have been widely studied. Their methods of learning have been of prime interest and many experiments have been conducted to determine the different ways in which octopuses can learn. From these experiments four main kinds of learning have been identified in octopuses: associative learning, special learning,
They also look after the quality of coastal waters by watering down, sifting, and settling deposits, left-over nutrients and contaminants. They are highly productive ecosystems and provide habitats and act as nurseries for all manner of life.
Lionfish have brown and white stripes covering their body (NOAA, 2011). Lionfish have broad pectoral fins, and long individual dorsal spines that contain the venom glands in the tips (NOAA, 2011). The venom of the lionfish is only intended as a defense mechanism and not meant to kill. The spines of the lionfish deliver a sting that can result in severe pain, respiratory distress, and even paralysis (NOAA, 2011). Lionfish are found in almost all tropical marine habitats consisting of warm waters due to their invasive behavior. Their native range covers a very large area from western Australia and Malaysia east to French Polynesia and off the east coast of Australia to the Kermadec Islands of New Zealand (NOAA, 2011). Lionfish have been found along the coast from Florida to North Carolina. The first lionfish was reported in South Florida waters in 1985 with additional sightings occurring until they were documented as established in the early 2000s (NOAA, 2011). Lionfish are very popular aquarium fish, especially in the U.S making them important to the aquarium trade. There are two possible ideas about how the lionfish were introduced into the Atlantic. The first is through ballast water, the water carried in the bellies of the enormous transport ships of intercontinental trade (Whitney, 2003). Larval lionfish have low oxygen and food needs which makes surviving movement in ballast water a possibility (Whitney, 2003). The second possibility is that a number of...
Blackfish tells the story of Tilikum, a performing killer whale that killed several people while in captivity. Blackfish tells the story of Tilikum, a performing killer whale that killed several people while in captivity. Along the way, director-producer Gabriela Cowperthwaite compiles shocking footage and emotional interviews to explore the creature’s extraordinary nature, the species’ cruel treatment in captivity, the lives and losses of the trainers and the pressures brought to bear by the multi-billion dollar sea-park industry. In black fish the information they used is misleading and untruthful and is meant to pull at your emotions.
In the coral reef habitat, food consumption is based on sunlight. The sunlight gives food to the plants, bacteria and algae, which is eaten by the plant eaters or herbivores, such as parrotfishes. The bigger carnivores, such as the Whitetip Reef Shark, in the ecosystem then eat those fishes along with the bacteria and plankton in the water. On the other hand, the deep sea is based on dead animal bodies or waste, shown in the fake whale carcass in the deep sea exhibit. Organisms of the deep sea feed on waste because sunlight does not have the ability to reach that deep in the ocean. Nektons are the fishes that feed on the waste produced by the epipelagic zone.
Earth’s environment is a complex construction with multiple parts that are all important to its success. Even creatures like jellyfish cannot be ignored when considering this delicate construction. As humans manipulate the environment, conditions are beginning to favor jellyfish and promote large population explosions. The effects of these large populations have a myriad of effects on humans and can be applied to ecological dynamics found in Margaret Atwood’s A Handmaid’s Tale.
In The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister tells how a beautiful, extraordinary, yet, self-centered blue fish learns that being beautiful isn’t the key to happiness. The blue fish came to find this lesson when he lost his friends. Pfister takes a simple ocean setting and explores the consequences of an individual’s arrogance toward their peers, the process of humbling of oneself, and the tremendous reward one feels when they learn to share. The story achieves these morals by the author’s use of detailed imager and also, the influence of minor characters on the antihero in order to reveal to the audience the true thematic message; selfish actions bring true happiness.
Orconectes rusticus, also known as Rusty crayfish, are freshwater benthic omnivores that are important in the lentic ecosystem (Nilsson, E, et al, 2012). Nilsson et al, observed how the Rusty crayfish that are native to the Ohio River valley in North America are dispersing to other lakes and becoming an invader of that ecosystem. Rusty crayfish feed on the microphytes, (Nilsson, E, et al, 2012) which are aquatic plants that enhance water transparency and aquatic biodiversity in fresh water ecosystems (Peeters Ehm, et al. (2013)). Microphytes also provide shelter and food for native fishes such as lepomis. Lepomis also prey on the juvenile rusty crayfish. Abundances of rusty crayfish, macrophytes and Lepomis were associated by a feedback that
Coral reefs are systems of large, underwater structures that are composed of the mineralized bodies of corals. These corals are a class of marine invertebrates known as Anthozoans, and belong to the phylum Cnidaria, and are thus related to sea anemone and jellyfish. Each individual coral animal is only a few millimeters in diameter, and a few centimeters in length. Due to their sessile nature, and their ability to reproduce asexually, they are able to construct, over many generations, massive colonies of genetically identical individuals. Additionally, they secrete a hard exoskeleton of calcium carbonate to support and protect their bodies, and it is from this process that the colony constructs what is known as a single coral “head.”
A big change that has occurred in the oceans all over the world is the Coral Reefs are dying and are predicted to be dead by the end of the century due to the rising acidity of the oceans caused by many different threats to marine ecosystems. Coral reefs cover less than 0.2% of our oceans but they contain 25% of the world’s marine fish species according to Endangered: Biodiversity on the brink, 2010: pg.45). If this is the case that means by the time the end of the century comes around we will have lost close to 25% of the worlds marine ecosystems.
Introduction Caretta caretta, otherwise known as the Loggerhead Sea Turtle, is an oceanic turtle that exist throughout the globe. They are circumtropical species (LeBlanc et al. 2014) meaning they are distributed throughout temperate and tropical ocean regions, but most abundant species are found in the United States coastal range. Loggerheads largest nesting aggregations in the Atlantic are found along the southeastern United States coastal range where about 80% of all nesting occurs and 90% of all hatchlings are produced (Abecassis et al. 2013).
It is not known about how the sea lamprey was introduced into the great lakes region. It was first discovered in around 1830s. It is hypothesized that it was introduced in the Erie Canal as well as other shipping canals years prior to its discovery. Originally it was a salt-water creature that lived in the oceans but now they have adapted and can live in fresh water and can live comfortably in the great lakes and other fresh water rivers and streams.
The timeless and complex nature of human frailties that lie at the core of literature allows the subject and their themes to retain relevance throughout time. The story of William Shakespeare's, Othello, written in 1603 before being published in 1622, is a timeless representation of race, love, jealousy and betrayal. The story revolves around Othello, a black soldier, but is in a sense more central to Iago, an enraged, manipulative man fuelled with vengeance after being passed over for lieutenancy; that initiated the destruction of his fellow characters and brought in a twisted, scheming set of events that transcended this play from a tame love-story to one of deep thematic concerns. Through the sowing of doubts trust is eroded and suspicion
They are invertebrates (spineless animals) and are cousins of anemones and jellyfish. When thousands of these animals are grouped together, they are referred to as coral colonies. Each coral "tree" or "mound" is one colony of coral polyps. A polyp has a sac-like body and an opening or mouth encircled by stinging tentacles called cnidae.