Plankton are marine microorganisms that live in various aquatic environments. The term “plankton” may include organisms such as protists, bacteria, as well as small plants and animals. Plankton move by drifting through water; they are also are photosynthetic organisms, meaning they absorb sunlight in order to obtain energy. According to NOAA, “Most phytoplankton are buoyant and float in the upper part of the ocean, where sunlight penetrates the water. Phytoplankton also require inorganic nutrients such as nitrates, phosphates, and sulfur which they convert into proteins, fats, and carbohydrates” (NOAA, 2009). Although the author is speaking towards ocean phytoplankton, the same can be assumed for freshwater. These inorganic nutrients need to …show more content…
In our group of four, each individual obtained one microscope and one ruled microscope slide to put the samples on. A pipet was used to place both the wetland and the river samples (one at a time) on the slide. A drop of Protoslo was added to the water in order to slow down the plankton’s movement to be able to better view them. We individually viewed the two separate communities and picked four squares on the ruled slide to observe the various species of plankton and recorded the number of individuals we saw. Once we identified the species and tallied up their numbers, we recorded our own results, then compiled the rest of the group’s data into an organized table such as in Tables 1 and 2. From there, the Shannon Diversity Index was calculated as a reflection of the species diversity from the whole group’s data. This “H” value was calculated for both the Wetland and River communities and was furthermore compared and contrasted. As the results suggest, the river channel plankton community showed a higher diversity (H=1.071) than compared to the wetland community (H=0.996), but just barely. It is curious to note that while the river
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,
Glibert, Patricia M. and Daniel E. Terlizzi. “Nutrients, Phytoplankton, and Pfiesteria In the Chesapeake Bay.” Available: http://www.arec.umd.edu/policy/Pfiesteria/terlizzi/terlizzi.htm (22 Nov. 1999).
The Red Lionfish (Pterois volitans) is an invasive saltwater predator that is increasing exponentially in the tropics of the western Atlantic (Benkwitt, 2013). The Lionfish invasion is causing a dramatic decline in native marine reef species due the gluttony of the lionfish.
The bottom of the chain and the trophic level that depends upon by all others is the primary producers. These primary producers consist of autotrophs, which are capable of deriving their food and energy source without consuming organisms or substances taken from other organisms. In the Arctic lake of Alaska, one of it’s primary producers consists of aquatic plants and algae. These aquatic and algae contain chlorophyll, which means that they can use light energy from the sun to synthesize glucose and other organic compounds, that they can use for cellular respiration and building material for growth. In other words, called photosynthesis. Photosynthesis requires light energy, but some autotrophs use chemosynthesis, which means they can convert nutrients to organic compounds without light in the presence.
The story Sea Oak written by George Saunders is a compelling story about a male stripper, his aunt, sisters and their babies, who resides in a dangerous neighborhood. His only hope and aspirations to help move his family out of the Sea Oak environment are to rely on his unusual job. He copes with his dead Aunt who visits him in his dream. She explains her life struggle and why great things didn’t happen for her during her time living. When Aunt Bernie dies from panicking after a burglar breaks in, her body is discovered missing from the grave days after her death. Aunt Bernie, the peacemaker, pleads with the narrator about him stripping for women by earning $20. The family lives in apartment complexes where the money the male stripper earns,
According to NOAA phytoplankton are microscopic organisms that continuously convert sunlight and nutrients into living tissue. Phytoplankton can be harmful to the bay because they at an uncontrollable rate causing harmful algae blooms when there is an abundance of nutrients. Phytoplankton also serve as the main food source for a larger but still microscopic organism named Zooplankton. Marine Bio.org did a study on zooplnkton revealing that they are very weak swimmers making them an easy food source for any larger organsim. Zooplanktons’ main purpose serves as the main food source for small fish and
The definition of story is “an account of imaginary or real people and events told for entertainment,” and both of these novels take this term to heart. Using their stories to hide their pain and emotions, it is easier to come up with a majestic tale then to tell the cold hard truth. In Life of Pi the author says, “That’s what fiction is about, isn't it, the selective transforming of reality? The twisting of it to bring out its essence,” (vi) and that is something both Edward Bloom and Pi Patel doesn’t. Despite Life of Pi and Big Fish’s obvious differences, they have one thing in common they both revolve around the topic of story telling. The novels are about struggling to come to terms with reality and being stuck
In absence of calcium carbonate, coral and shellfish can’t survive. The ecosystem of ocean depends on these organisms because they offer a large source of food at the bottom of the food chain. They need to be abundant in order t...
Globally coastal wetlands are disappearing at an alarming rate, the problem is most of society does not realize the value of these precious wetlands. Coastal wetlands provide an important role in the coastal ecosystem. “Coastal wetlands provide critical services such as absorbing energy from coastal storms, preserving shorelines, protecting human populations and infrastructure, supporting commercial seafood harvests, absorbing pollutants and serving as critical habitat for migratory bird populations”(Anonymous, 2011). Coastal wetlands are an economical asset as well as an environmental one.
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.
The use of meiofauna as a biological indicator is a more recent development than the utilization of macrofauna in the assessment and monitoring of aquatic ecosystem (Coull & Chandler, 1992). Meiofauna is thought to be jointly connected to the other faunal compartments as they are the most richest benthic group. Foraminifera and Nematode are two major protozoans usually found in the sand sediment.
What I have found to be most interesting about both Deontology and Utilitarianism isn’t their approach to ethics, but rather their end goal. Deontology promotes “good will” as the ultimate good; it claims that each and every person has duties to respect others. On the other hand, Utilitarianism seeks to maximize general happiness. While these may sound rather similar at first glance (both ethical theories essentially center around treating people better), a deeper look reveals different motivations entirely. Deontology focuses on respecting the autonomy and humanity of others, basically preaching equal opportunity. Utilitarianism does not specify any means by which to obtain happiness—happiness is its only mandate. While happiness sounds like a great end goal, it is a rather impractical one and the lack of consideration of motivations and means of utility-increasing actions has some serious negative consequences. I prefer Deontology over Utilitarianism for its focus on individual’s rights, opportunity, and personal autonomy.
Did you know that more than 90 percent of all organisms that have ever lived on Earth are extinct? According to Pandey, the author of Humans Pushing Marine Life toward ‘Major Extinction’, nearly 10,000 species go extinct each year, and this rate is estimated to be 1,000 times higher than the natural extinction rate (1). Human beings are causing irreversible damage to the oceans and their wildlife, which is being led by two major reasons: Commercial fishing or over-fishing, which damaged the marine environment and caused a loss in the marine life diversity, and pollution, which is a primary way of the extinction causes that drastically modifies the marine life habitat. As a result of the commercial fishing and pollution, many of the marine species will start disappearing of the oceans. Briggs emphasizes that over-fishing “has induced population collapses in many species. So instead of having less than a hundred species at risk, as was the case some 30-40 years ago, there are now a thousand or more (10).”
Introduction One particularly interesting sea creature is the whale shark, formally known as Rhincondon typus; it was first discovered in 1828 by Andrew Smith (Rowat 2012). This large fish is found globally in warm tropical oceans and prefers to stay within 200 meters of the ocean’s surface in waters ranging from 4.2 to 28.7 degrees Celsius (Stevens 2006). This creature can be found all across the globe in warm tropical seas. Aggregations of whale sharks have been seen off the coast of Australia at times, although it is primarily a creature of solitude. Whale sharks are filter feeders that consume plankton as well as small fish and are harmless to humans.