Sabellaria cementarium
Sabellaria cementarium belongs to the phylum Annelids and is an invertebrate polychaete species. They are found in small clumps at the rocky bottoms of the sea floor where they use the rich source of natural phytoplankton as their primary diet (Qian and Chia, 1990). The tube-like worms can behave social and form extensive reefs or independently build hollow tubes in to the sandstone (pawlik and Chia, 1991). Embryos form a polar lobe that is absorbed in to the blastomeres at the end of division. Larval development and movement follows shortly after the 14-15 hour fertilization period where spiral cleaving of the fertilized oocytes appears (Render, 1983). Much is still not known about the invertebrate worm in their natural niche.
The understanding of Saballaria cementarium's diet has not been thoroughly examined in much detail. Qian and Chia (1990) examined the role of detritus, form of eelgrass, as a food source for developing larvae of the organism. It is not known whether they are food limited. The experiment was conducted to reveal some facts about the feeding habits of the larvae in determining the development and growth of it. The invertebrate larvae's primary food source comes from the phytoplankton that is found in abundance at the bottom of the sea floor. The larvae fed with detritus were compared with those fed on equal concentrations of phytoplankton. Other tests were conducted to compare the degrees of survivorship among the larvae using varying concentrations of phytoplankton. Higher concentrations of phytoplankton, consumed by the larvae, yielded
higher survivorship in growth and development among them. The results showed that there were no major alterations in growth and development of the larvae when fed with detritus. The results suggested the potential of detritus as a possible food source for the larvae. This would insignificantly limit the extent of growth and development among the larvae. The study concluded that larvae of Sabellaria cementarium are capable of changing their diet and thus utilizing detritus as a food supply (Qian and Chia, 1990).
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.
This research focuses on Gambierdiscus toxicus which is an armored, marine, benthic species in the phylum Dinoflagellata. It has an epitheca and a hypotheca, that is very similar in size, compressed anterio-posteriorly. The theca is covered with numerous deep and dense pores which are very thick. This species is autotrophic creating energy via several golden-brown chloroplasts (Hackett et al 2004), but is also heterotrophic and hence is referred to as mixotrophic. It has a ventrally – oriented crescent shaped nucleus. (Adachi & Fukuyo 1979). It usually inhabits warmer waters such as bay, mediterranian, tropical/sub – tropical in North/Central America (Shiumuzu et al 1982; Loeblich & Indelicato 1986), Asia/Pacific (Holmes & Tao 2002; Lu & Hodgkiss 2004) and has recently been identified in the Mediterranean (Aligizaki & Nikolaidis 2008). These authors identified the organisms to genus level, at best of their effort, so may have been one of the less common members of its genus although it is unlikely.
T. californicus is found from Alaska to Baja in small, shallow tidepools and tidal flats in the upper spray zone where they cannot avoid the full effect of visible and ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Individuals assemble in areas of lower radiation at midday, yet have no preference to the intensity of light at dawn and dusk (Hartline and Macmillan 1995). These tiny arthropods inhabit all types of marine sediments from sand to fine mud and ooze. Along with plankton, T. californicus eats microscopic algae, protists, bacteria, diatoms, algae and microbes (McGroarty 1958). When the concentrations of the species in their habitats are high, T. californicus will turn to cannibalism for a food source. The nautilus eye present in the species is rich with fatty acids and provides a good food source for the animal.
The outer layer of a reef consists of living animals, or polyps, of coral. Single-celled algae called zooxanthellae live within the coral polyps, and a skeleton containing filamentous green algae surrounds them. The photosynthetic zooxanthellae and green algae transfer food energy directly to the coral polyps, while acquiring scarce nutrients from the coral. The numerous micro habitats of coral reefs and the high biological productivity support a great diversity of other life.
In the early development process of many organisms, it is important to be able to minimize exposure to agents of stunted or arrested development. By decreasing the mortality rate for a generation of a species, that species is given an advantage in later reproduction; by increasing the number of organisms of the same species within a limited environment, more organisms of the same species are able to reproduce, resulting in an augmented overall population ("Reproduction and Development", 2013). However, when toxins are introduced to an environment, an embryo’s viability can decrease. Mortality rates for the generation of the species can increase, and defects that are harmful to the reproductive cycle can emerge. Thus, it is necessary to measure and observe the effects of certain toxins on embryonic development. The North American brine shrimp, or Artemia Franciscana (Artemia Salina), is subject to changes in its environment. Toxins introduced to its hatching environment, such as ethanol (in concentrations of 0.1%, 0.15%, and 0.2%), can have significant impact for the hatching process and embryonic development. The experiment sought to explore the relationship between birth defects and exposure to ethanol at early developmental stages through the use of American brine shrimp. However, to be able to fully comprehend the impact that certain toxins would have on the embryonic development of the North American brine shrimp, it is first important to be versed in its specific hatching process.
they find their food by their surroundings and sifting the sand of filtering the water. the bulk of their diet is composed algae and plankton matter. The big evolutionary change helped the shrimp defend itself, time before the change there wasn’t this many shrimp in the ocean most people eat shrimp and can cause a decrease in shrimp, progress has been showed since this great evolutionary change, there are some effects on the species such as not being able to see where it’s going and can sometimes get in to traps and trash in the
The earthworm is distinctive from saprozoic organisms. Earthworms are ancient creatures, which have survived on apex of the earth at least 700 million years ago (Cho et al., 1998). Earthworms are usually precise the same as a relatively well known group of soil invertebrate from both ecological and taxonomical perception. Earthworms are enforced to adopted and survive in this type of environments (Muhamad et al., 2006). The earthworm skin play a key role in the everyday survival of amphibians and
In the first study examined, “Effect of Different Salinities on the Survival and Growth of Artemina Spp,” researchers Soundaraparian and Saravanakumar designed an experiment to ascertain the ideal conditions for the growth of brine shrimp, or Artemina. In the Introduction, the scientists note the growing significance of Artemina, as it is now used as live feed for over 85 percent of cultured species around the world. Thus, a demand to grow huge quantities of Artemia has arisen, making this study incredibly relevant.
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.
4) When the female anglerfish want to lay eggs, it can trigger sperm in the parasitic males’ bodies. 5) Most of the anglerfish larvae won’t live to become mature because of all the predators out there (Bioexpedition).
Forensic entomology is the study of insects and arthropods and their relation to a criminal investigation. Forensic entomology can determine the postmortem interval (PMI) or how long since the descendants’ death, whether the body has been moved since expiring, and what injuries may have been sustained (Ryan, 2011). When decomposition begins, insects establish a colony to lay eggs on the remains; these eggs will hatch into larvae that will eat the human organs and tissues. Forensic entomologists can determine the specific insects present in the body and estimate how long a body has been left exposed by examining the stage of development of the fly larvae; however, these findings are not always plausible. The fly larvae look and act different at each stage of development. The time required for stage development is not only affected by environmental influences such as geographical location, climate, and weather conditions, but also by type of insect. The forensic entomologist must consider these conditions when estimating the postmortem interval. Knowledge of insects, their life cycles, and their habits make entomological evidence a priceless tool for an investigation. Forensic entomology has proved its significance in a number of cases; though circumstances such as weather, temperature, and time of year clearly affect the development of insect infestation, and the expert must keep these in the forefront of his/her mind (Innes, 2000).
...eational fishing. Our hypothesis was rejected because the mass of the mealworms from the oatmeal was more than that from those in rabbit food. A few errors we encountered included missing mealworms and leaving for a week due to spring break. For a few weeks, we noticed that we were missing a mealworm or two from a few of the cups and we did not find their bodies so we could only assume that they either managed to escape or they were eaten by another mealworm or beetle. As for leaving for spring break, we were gone for a week and were not able to add a fresh source of water for each of the cups. That could have been the reason why some of the mealworms died. For our project the mealworms were kept in a dark and somewhat cool cabinet. Overall, mealworms need to be kept in a warm and dry environment for them to grow efficiently (“Raising and Breeding Mealworms,” n.d.).
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....
Challenge tests will be performed according to the method developed by Defoirdt et al. (2005). Bacterial isolates used for the challenge will be washed twice in filtered and autoclaved seawater. The bacterial dose will be 105 CFU per ml of shrimp larval culture water. The survival of the larvae will be counted 48 h after the addition of the pathogens. Each treatment will be done in triplicate and each experiment will be repeated twice to see the reproducibility. The sterility of the control treatments will be checked at the end of the challenge. If the control is contaminated, the results will be not considered and the experiment will be