While nature has bestowed us with beautiful wildlife and a multitude of bizarre, beautiful yet terrestrial and aerial species, it has not boycotted the aquatic fauna too. From scary to intriguingly beautiful, here’s a list of ten amazing organisms inhabiting the dark depths of seas and oceans.
The experiment consisted of two sub-experiments that when synthesized together, successfully answered our main question. The first of the two sub-experiments focused on collecting data for the creation of a life table in which Daphnia magna were not in the presence of a predator such as Lepomis macrochirus, known in laymen’s terms as bluegill fish. The second of the two sub-experiments focused on collecting data for the creation of a life table as well, but this time the daphnia were subjected to an environment where bluegill fish were present.
Understanding the biology of lobster is imperative to ensuring that the resource is being managed appropriately, and it provides context for the v-notch measure. American lobster (Homarus americanus) live on rocky sea bottom cover, and range across the eastern seaboard from the Maritime Provinces of Canada to the Mid-Atlantic United States. In the United States, Maine’s lobster fishery is by far the most prevalent. Lobster fishing in Maine occurs year round – lobster are often found offshore in the colder months and closer to shore during the warmer summer months. Lobsters are long-lived crustaceans. Like all crustaceans, lobsters molt their exoskeleton every year or two. They do this by splitting their carapace, the central section of their
This experiment is performed to test how Daphnia react when exposed to differing levels of copper sulfate so that we may understand what effects it has on underwater organisms. One possible hypothesis is, if the levels of copper sulfate in their environment rise, more of the Daphnia will die because copper sulfate is toxic.
Daphnia magna is a transparent water flea species found in rocky pools along the Atlantic Ocean. The Daphnia’s body is encased in a clear structure called carapace (Elenbaas, 2013). The exoskeleton, carapace, provides protection for the Daphnia magna, “The portion of the hard exoskeleton, or shell, that covers all or part of the body of many crustaceans…” (“Definition, n.d.). The heart can be easily seen under a light microscope due to the transparency of the skin (Handy, 2012). A variety of factors can change the heart rate of Daphnia. According to Richard Handy (2012), “The heart rate (which can be up to 300 beats per minute) can be monitored and counted in different conditions – for example changing water temperature, or changing the type
Many organisms prefer environment with specific conditions called specialists, while other individuals can occupy diversifying environmental conditions called generalists (Biology 108 Lab Manual 2015-16). Artemia franciscana, a species of brine shrimps are able to resist to warm water temperatures and even develop thermal adaptations (Clegg et al. 2001). Other abiotic factors that affect habitat selection in brine shrimps are temperature, pH and gradients of light (Biology 108 Lab Manual 2015-16). If A. franciscana are also able to withstand wide range of environmental conditions like generalist, then we can predict that A. franciscana will
Loggerhead turtles are species generalists. Loggerheads compete with other carnivorous predators whose diets overlaps with theirs. For example, juvenile loggerheads and Kemp’s ridleys in waters around Long Island have substantial diet overlap. Interspecific competition also occurs for nest sites for beaches shared with other sea turtles species; however, this problem was likely greater in the past before modern turtle population declines. The diet of loggerheads includes many species that are harvested by humans and consequently decreases in food resources can result in sublethal effects in the form of decreased growth rates and reproductive output (Bjorndal 2003). Loggerheads are also prey for a large number of both terrestrial and marine
between populations with variability of less than a percent between populations (Mrosovsky et al. 2002).
The purpose of this study is to understand the feeding rate of Daphnia magna. D. magna is a species of Daphnia that belongs to the suborder Cladocera (Ebert, 2005). They live in freshwater and feed on small, suspended particles in the surrounding water. They are filter feeders. Leaf-like appendages, called phyllopods provide a filtering apparatus for the collection of food. These structures beat to produce a constant current of water, allowing particles to be filtered by fine setae on the thoracic legs. The particles are then transferred to their mouth groove to be ingested. D. magna typically feed on planktonic algae (Ebert, 2005). The following experiment uses algae to test what affects the feeding rate of D. magna. The rate of filtration
Mutualism: Painted turtle’s remove algae and leeches from snapping turtles. The leeches and algae provide the painted turtle with food while also helping the snapping turtle by getting rid of it’s parasite's.
After a plethora of studies made we know quite a bit about the ocean and the creatures that live there. We know who is the prey and who is the predator, what temperature some live in, and where they live. We know so much about the ocean and its inhabitants, but we also don’t know enough. There is more in the ocean than the things we’ve seen and studied. There’s things deep down in the ocean so deep that light from the sun doesn’t even reach it. In this deep abyss, there lives fish we have come to call the Chimaera. These fish are found in the deep water where they hunt with their tooth plates which they use to grid into hard bodied prey. Today I will be giving you some information on Chimaeras to increase your knowledge on them and to understand
The Mediterranean Loggerhead Sea Turtles tend to nest in the eastern side of the the sea on the coasts of Greece, Cyprus, Israel, Turkey, and parts of northeast Libya and Egypt (Zbinden, Aebischer, Margaritoulis, Arlettaz, 2007). The female adult Loggerheads lay eggs on the beach (terrestrial ecosystem), preferably with coarse sand and a steep incline. The beaches tend to be wide with low dunes in the rear and flat sandy shorelines. However, this is a generalization. Detailed characteristics of the beaches can vary greatly between regions. In the Mediterranean, for example, the turtles are mostly found nesting on beaches with sandy entrances, whereas in South Africa, the turtles tend to prefer beaches with “adjacent reefs or rocky outcrops” (Bolten, Witherington, 2003). A study performed in Japan found that distance from human settlement was also an important factor when predicting Loggerhead spawning. The analysis found that the turtles tend to distance themselves from human interaction due to the obvious threats humans pose (Bowen, Karl, 2007).
Isopods are group of small, cold-blooded, crustaceans also known as pillbugs and sowbugs (pillbugs are commonly known as “roly polies”). Pillbugs are almost exactly like sowbugs, but differ because they can curl up into balls and are thicker than sowbugs (PNNL). Isopods are related to a few water crustaceans including crabs, crayfish, and shrimp, so water is necessary for them to survive. For that reason, they live in damp or wet areas such as forests and meadows. Isopods have seven armour plates, called “pereonites,” that serve as protection from predators and have seven pairs of legs. Predators include, ants, spiders, toads, frogs, lizards, small owls, foxes, centipedes, beetles, and occasionally even other isopods.
The crown of thorn starfish, Acanthaster planci, are currently responsible for a majority of the coral reef destruction occurring throughout the world. This creature consists of 13-16 arms that allow it to easily latch itself onto its prey. Crown of thorns starfish also contain a venomous spikey exterior that
Introduction: Cobia, Rachycentron canadum, is the only species of the family Rachycentridae. Other common names for cobia include black kingfish, black salmon, lemonfish, and sergeant fish as well as cobie and bonito (in Spanish) and mafou (in French). Cobias are a popular recreational and commercial species. They reach lengths of 50-120 cm, with a maximum of 200 cm.