Some diatoms are benthic and live on mud, seaweed, and other surfaces. Other diatoms are wholly plankton and float in the water column. What type of adaptations do you expect each type of diatom to have? In other words, how do some diatoms stay afloat, while others stay attached to the benthos? Some of the diatoms are able to stay afloat because they have more surface area, meaning they have extended body parts that catch the water and make them sink much slower. While other types of diatoms stay attached to the benthos because they don’t have the longer appendages and therefore sink faster. So they have to make the benthos their home.
Which group of phytoplankton contains many members that produce light by bioluminescence? The group
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Another would be that some species of the pennate diatoms are motile, meaning they are able to propel themselves in the water column. This helps them maintain a planktonic existence because they are able to stay at the top of the water column there there is more sunlight. Then there is the siliceous frustule, it is thought to have developed because it could help protect the diatom from grazers. Another thought for the siliceous frustule is that it could help capture light energy for photosynthesis, which would help them diatom because it needs photosynthesis to live. Those are some of the morphological adaptations that diatoms have evolved to help them maintain a planktonic existence.
Dinoflagellates have a pair of flagellum, transverse flagellum, that are wound up around the body and then when whipped in a wavelike fashion causes the cell to go in a spinning motion, giving it a forward propulsion. This helps the dinoflagellates keep their planktonic existence because it can help them stay at the top of the water column, making it easier for them to perform
The Artemia franciscana can survive in extreme conditions of salinity, water depth, and temperature (Biology 108 laboratory manual, 2010), but do A. franciscana prefer these conditions or do they simply cope with their surroundings? This experiment explored the extent of the A. franciscanas preference towards three major stimuli: light, temperature, and acidity. A. franciscana are able to endure extreme temperature ranges from 6 ̊ C to 40 ̊ C, however since their optimal temperature for breeding is about room temperature it can be inferred that the A. franciscana will prefer this over other temperatures (Al Dhaheri and Drew, 2003). This is much the same in regards to acidity as Artemia franciscana, in general thrive in saline lakes, can survive pH ranges between 7 and 10 with 8 being ideal for cysts(eggs) to hatch (Al Dhaheri and Drew, 2003). Based on this fact alone the tested A. franciscana should show preference to higher pH levels. In nature A. franciscana feed by scraping food, such as algae, of rocks and can be classified as a bottom feeder; with this said, A. franciscana are usually located in shallow waters. In respect to the preference of light intensity, A. franciscana can be hypothesized to respond to light erratically (Fox, 2001; Al Dhaheri and Drew, 2003). Using these predictions, and the results of the experimentation on the A. franciscana and stimuli, we will be able to determine their preference towards light, temperature, and pH.
In the lab the isopods were observed in a way to where behavior and structures could be properly recorded. The isopods were revealed to two dissimilar scenarios, normal temperature water vs. warm temperature water, to calculate which environment was most preferred. In each distinct scenario ten isopods were placed ten a choice chamber, one side being normal temperature (26.7celsius) and the other being warm temperature (43.3 celsius) , and observed for a total of ten minutes with thirty second intervals which was when we recorded our observations. After observations, it was seen that normal conditions was the most preferred environment by the isopods. In the scenario the Isopods exhibited taxis behavior, which is behavior caused by factors such as light, temperature, water and such. Nothing physical, but rather environmental.
Recreating the evolutionary history of dinoflagellates has been challenging as they possess a known ability to transform from noncyst – to cyst – forming strategies (unreferenced/Wikipedia). The dinoflagellate nucleus lacks histones, nucleosomes and maintains continually condensed chromosomes during mitosis (Dodge 1966), making their classification difficult (Hackett et al 2004). Though being classified as eukaryotes, the dinoflagellate nuclei are not characteristically eukaryotic (Dodge 1966). However, typical eukaryotic organelles, such as Golgi bodies, mitochondria and chloroplasts are present in dinoflagellates (Morrill et al 1983). Since dinoflagellate nuclei possess intermediate characteristics between the coiled DNA areas of prokaryotic bacteria and the well-defined eukaryotic nucleus it was termed ‘mesokaryotic’ by Dodge (1966).
The Daphnia magna species in this experiment were kept and preserved in jars of suitable water that acted as small ponds. Each Daphnia Magna was transported individually using a wide-mouthed pipette to a depression slide. The stability of the Daphnia Magna on the slide was attained by using a drop of pond water that acted as a boundary of movement for the Daphnia on the depression slide, small pieces of cotton wool were also used to act as an extra boundary to stop the Daphnia Magna from swimming in circles in the pond drop it was placed in; the stability factor was important in counting the heart beat rate more accurately. The depression slide was then placed under the stereomicroscope, over a cooling chamber that was used to slow down the
Investigating the Effect of Alcohol on Heartbeat of Daphnia Daphnia are the organisms that are involved in this experiment to find out what effect alcohol has on their heartbeat. It is easy to study the effects of alcohol on the heart of Daphnia as the organ can be easily seen through the transparent body of Daphnia. The number of heartbeats may be counted before submersion in alcohol and after submersion in alcohol to investigate the effect of alcohol. Daphnia belong to the Phylum Arthropoda and are Branchiopoda which belong to the class, Crustacea. Daphnia are invertebrates and also have an exoskeleton, jointed appendages, a dorsal heart and open blood system.
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,
Zooplankton is a very diverse group of organisms that form an integral part of the microscopic animals that make up plankton in the water columns of lakes, ponds, rivers, estuaries and open-ocean. These organisms play important roles in the aquatic food web and can greatly affect fisheries among species that rely on a diet of zooplankton early in their life cycle. Taking the time to study these microscopic organisms would be beneficial in regards to understanding the early lives of larval fish, as well as how abundance may affect water quality throughout the year. In addition to being a main player in pelagic food webs, zooplankton metabolism has a close connection with the regulation and exchange of carbon dioxide (CO2) between
• Understand the movement of fish. Since small water bodies have limited oxygen supply, fish tend to stay shallower. On the contrary, fish in larger lakes have adequate oxygen supply; hence, fish tend to stay where there is food. The fish may also stay deeper because the temperature of the deep water is slightly higher.
Darkness all around. Like an infinite black hole. Only flashes of light from fish. So much pressure, it feels like you are being squeezed into a ball. That’s what it would be like to live in the deep dark depths of the Pelagic zone, so fish make big adaptations to be able to live down there. One quick definition everyone should know is ecosystem. Ecosystem means all of the living things (plants and animals) and nonliving things that live in a specific area and interact with each other. The Pelagic zone has deeper water and the deeper down you go, the colder it gets and the more pressure there is. When it gets deep into the Pelagic zone it gets very dark so lots of animals have bioluminescence which basically means they can make their own light.
We have learned about the fundamental information about plankton in the lecture that planktons are unable to swim against water currents. Based on the exhibit, I get a deeper understanding about the planktons. The Bay is full of microscopic organisms, including phytoplankton, that inhabits in the sunlit layers where it is able to get energy from the sun. Because of the characteristic of planktons that they cannot decide where they go, scientists found that the types of phytoplankton in the Bay change throughout the year.
Maybe you’re sick of the word “zombies”, or maybe you’e not interested in the series that revolves around supernatural creatures. Believe it or not, The CW’s “iZombie” is the most talked-about TV series of the month. It’s new, it’s interesting, and most importantly, it’s not your typical zombie show. Before you decide to skip the show, it’s best to find out why this new zombie show is receiving rave reviews from viewers and critics. iZOMBiE 02 - (L) Rose McIver Liv Moore and (R) Rahul Kohli as Dr. Ravi Chakrabarti iZOMBiE – (L) Rose McIver Liv Moore and (R) Rahul Kohli as Dr. Ravi Chakrabarti
Porifera is the most simplistic phylum under the kingdom Animalia. The sponges have no tissue layers, but instead an interior and exterior layer with a gelatinous middle layer that separates the two. They are the only phylum with asymmetrical symmetry. Throughout the advancing phyla it will be shown this trait is lost. Porifera lacks a proper digestive system, but a canal system allows the sponges to filter feed. Along the inside of a sponge, flagella pump water through the sponge’s body. This process brings in oxygen and other small organisms and then flows out the top of the sponge, the osculum, removing waste by diffusion. Sponges lack a circulatory system, as does many of the first couple of phyla. A coinciding factor could be their small size. A nervous system is also missing, but very basic nerve cells within the pores sense the water currents. Gas exchange occurs through these pores. Reproduction in sponges can be asexual by budding, gammation, or fragmentation. Some sponges can also have sexual reproduction occur as an egg gets released and fertilized in the open water by free floating sperm. After this stage they cling onto rock and begin their sessile, basic, life....
Plankton are organisms in the ocean that drift with the currents. This includes phytoplankton and zooplankton. Phytoplankton are plant plankton or some are bacteria that they contain chlorophyll and want sunlight in order to grow and live. It lives in watery environments both salty and fresh. Some phytoplankton can improve nitrogen and can grow in low concentrations nitrate areas. Phytoplankton are most important to the ecosystem because it is a food
rich cell walls (in some green algae only); and cell division by means of a cell