Marine Ecology

Biology finally!
Why do we care?

Fishing
Water quality
Diversity of species
Medicines

Ocean Habitats
Two major marine provinces
Benthic = bottom
Pelagic = water column

BREAK

Benthic Zone
Littoral or Intertidal zone area between
high and low tide
Sublittoral zone from low tide to shelf
break, ~continental shelf
Bathyal zone shelf break to 2000 m
Abyssal zone from 2000 to 6000 m
Hadal zone sea floor deeper than 6000 m,
trenches

Pelagic Zone
Neritic zone shallow water above
the continental shelf
Oceanic zone deep water of open
ocean beyond the shelf break

Oceanic Zones
Epipelagic from surface to 200 m,
the maximum depth of light
penetration
Mesopelagic between 200 and
1000 m, no light
Bathypelagic zone between 1000
and 2000 m
Abyssalpelagic zone between 2000
and 6000 m
Hadalpelagic zone greater than
6000 m, trenches

Percentage of Marine
Habitats
Zone
Epipelagic
Mesopelagic
Bathypelagic
Abyssalpelagic
Hadalpelagic
Sublittoral
Bathyal
Abyssal
Hadal

Depth (m)
Pelagic
0-200
200-1000
1000-2000
2000-6000
>6000
Benthic
0-200
200-2000
2000-6000
>6000

Volume (%)
3
28
15
54
<1
8
16
75
1

Light Zones
Yet another way to classify the ocean
Photic zone
light is sufficient for photosynthesis
to 100 (or 200 m)

Dysphotic zone

light is too weak for photosynthesis

twilight zone
< 5% sunlight
100 to 200 m

Aphotic zone
no light

Classification of Organisms
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
- Family
- Genus
- Species

Genus names are capitalized

Genus and Species are italicized
Homo sapiens

Major Marine Kingdoms

Monera
Bacteria and blue-green algae

Protista
Single-celled organisms

Fungi
Multicelled organisms, which feed on
decay and are not plants or animals

Metaphyta
Plants that are attached to the sea floor

Metazoa
All multicellular animals

Monera
Bacteria
Important for decomposition, synthesis
of organic compounds, and release of
nutrients

Blue-green algae
Single cells, which lack a nucleus and
convert ammonia and nitrogen into
nitrates and nitrites

Protista
Single celled organisms with a nucleus
Plants and animals
Foraminifera, coccoliths, diatoms, radiolaria
dinoflagellates

Generate deep sea oozes carbonates and

silicates

Fungi
Abundant in the intertidal zone
Not as diverse as on land
Important in decomposition

Metaphyta
Plants that grow attached to the sea floor
Red, brown, and green algae
Advanced plants of salt marshes and coastal
swamps

Only found in shallow areas where bottom

is in the photic zone

Metazoa
Mollusks clams, oysters, snails,
squid
Arthropods barnacles, crab, shrimp
Analids polychaete worms
Ctenophores comb jellies
Brachiopods lamp shells
Echinoderms starfish, sea urchins,
sea cucumbers
Chordates fishes, sea turtles, seals
and whales
o Whales, seals, and dolphins are
mammals warm blooded Class
Mammalia
o Sharks and fish - cold-blooded
Classes Chondrichthyes and Pisces
Sea turtles Class Reptilia

Metazoa
All multicellular animals

Classification by Lifestyle
Plankton animals that float and
have no ability to propel themselves
against the current
Phytoplankton
plants
Primarly productivity through
photosynthesis

Zooplankton
Animals
Eat the phytoplankton

Some can migrate vertically

Nekton active swimmers

Marine fish, reptiles, mammals, birds
Larger ones can swim against currents
Distribution controlled by T and S

Classification by Lifestyle
Benthos
Epifauna - live on the bottom
Infauna live within the bottom
sediments
Note: fauna signifies animals not plants

Plants are restricted to photic zone

Bacteria and animals survive at all
depths, including trenches

Classification by Lifestyle
One Problem: some animals start as
planktonic or benthic or even nekton
and change to nekton or benthic

Basic Ecology
Ecosystem
The total environment including the
biota (all living organisms) and nonliving physical and chemical aspects

Basic Ecology
Environmental factors affecting life

Temperature
Salinity
Pressure
Nutrients
Dissolved gasses
Currents
Light
Suspended sediments
Substrate (bottom material)
River inflow
Tides
Waves

Temperature Effects
Can control distribution, degree of
activity, and reproduction of an
organism
Temperature controls the rate of
chemical reactions within organisms,
thus their rate of growth and activity
10oC rise in temperature, doubles the
activity
Polar organisms grow slower,
reproduce less frequently, and live
longer than tropical organisms
Tolerance to variation in temperature
varies greatly between species and
within an organisms lifespan
Temperature can indirectly control
organisms by limiting their predators or
restricting pathogens

Temperature Effects
more activity with higher
temperature

Clams and Green Crabs

Salinity Effects
Can control the distribution of
organisms and force them to migrate
in response to changes
Availability of various dissolved
chemicals (calcium and silicon) can
limit an organisms ability to
construct shells
Epipelagic organisms are more
tolerant to changes, since they are
more accustomed to them
Marine organisms body fluids have
the same proportion of salts than sea
water, but lower salinity

Diffusion and Osmosis

Diffusion physical process
whereby molecules move from areas
of higher concentration into areas of
lower concentration
Osmosis movement of water
molecules through the cell
membrane from where salinity is
lower to where it is higher
Can result in dehydration of
surrounding water is more saline
(saltier, higher salinity)
Can result in rupturing of the cell if
surrounding water is fresher

Hydrostatic pressure P=? gh

Gases are compressible, but water not

Osmoregulation
Control of diffusion through the cell wall
and the maintenance of sufficient body
fluids
Marine organisms
Drink large amounts of water
Chloride cells extract and dispose of excess salt

Freshwater organisms
Dont drink
Produce large amounts of dilute urine

Selective Adaptive Strategies

Plants
90% of marine plants are algae
Most unicellular and microscopic
Photosynthesis
Takes CO2 and nutrients and makes organic
compounds, O2, and energy
Chlorophyll needed for photosynthesis

More dense than water and sink, but

have evolved various methods to retard
sinking
Increasing surface area slows down sinking
because of frictional drag
Small size results in a better ratio of drag to
mass
Porous shells and spines increase drag

Holdfasts anchors that plants use to

hold themselves to the bottom
Dont bring in nutrients or water like the
roots of land plants

Diatoms
Thrive in cold, nutrient rich waters
of polar region and inshore regions
of mid-latitudes
Plankton bloom
rapid reproduction
Often in spring

Single cell in siliceous shell shaped

like a pillbox -silicates

Selective Adaptive Strategies

Zooplankton
Copepods
Small herbivores (plant eaters) that filter
diatoms from the water
Molt their outer skeleton as they grow
About the size of a grain of rice
Migrate vertically seasonally

Foramifera

Single celled, microscopic organisms

Calcium carbonate shells - Carbonates
Benthic forms outnumber the pelagic
Their shells are porous and protoplasm
streams from inside the shell to engulf and
digest food

Copepods and Foraminifera

Selective Adaptive Strategies

Fishes
Morphology of fish has evolved to
allow them to move through the
water easily

Three types of Drag

Surface
Friction between the surface and the water
Reduced by reducing surface area
Sphere offers least surface drag

Form
Function of volume of water which must be
displaced
Increases as the cross-sectional area increases
Needle or pencil shape has least form drag

Turbulent
Created around a body as it moves through a
fluid
Reduced by having a blunt leading edge and a
tapering end
Torpedo has least turbulent drag

Speed in Water
Speed dependent on
Body length
Beat frequency
number of times the tail (caudal fin)
sweeps back and forth in a unit of time

Aspect ratio of the caudal fin

AR = (caudal fin height)2/caudal fin area
Low aspect ratio
Tail is broad
Short, rapid acceleration and good
maneuverability but lots of drag
Good for darting motion
High aspect ratio
Tail is narrow
Ideal for maintenance of high speed,
bad for maneuverability

Three Basic Body Types

Torpedo shape
Efficient, high speed cruising

Elongate
Rapid acceleration

Circular
High maneuverability

Intertidal benthic
Communities
Vary with the substrate (bottom
material)
Rocky firm, stable material for
attachment, but prevents burrowing
Sandy mobile and abrasive, but can
be burrowed into
Mud provides little support, but is
easy to burrow through
Infauna dominate in sand and mud