Ecology II

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Term Definition

Limiting

factors

A condition limiting the growth, abundance, or distribution of an organism or population in an ecosystem.

Pelagic Greek for open sea, surface of the sea almost to the bottom.

Littoral Part of a sea, lake or river that is close to the shore.

NeriticThe relatively shallow part of the ocean above the drop-off of the continental shelf, approximately 200m in depth generally corresponding to the continental shelf.

AbyssalPortion of the ocean t 2,000 m (6,600 feet) to 6,000 m (20,000 feet) stays in total darkness.

BenthicThe ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean or a lake, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers.

SessileAn organism anchored to a substrate, thus cannot move about freely.

Motile An organism which is free swimming.

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Term Definition

Euphotic

zone

”Sunlight," zone — 0 to 200 m deep. “Photic” means particle of light, “eu” means pleasant, well, good — good light.

Dysphotic

zone

“Twilight” zone — 200 to 1,00 m deep, light looks like twilight. “Photic” means particle of light, “dys” means difficult — difficult light.

Aphotic

zone

“Midnight,” zone — below 1,000 meters, total darkness. Photic means particle of light, “a” means away — away from light or darkness.

Atmospher

es

A unit of pressure based on the average atmospheric pressure at sea level. The weight of air experts pressure on your body — about 14.7 psi (pounds per a square inch).

Estuary Where ocean’s salt water & river’s fresh water intermingle (mix).

Adapted Adjusted to conditions

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The limiting factors in water biomes are:•Amount of salt (salinity)

•Amount of dissolved (available to use) oxygen

•Sunlight

•Saltwater1. Ocean (marine)

2. Seashores (intertidal areas)

3. Estuaries

•Freshwater1. Rivers and Streams

2. Lakes and Ponds

About 95 percent of Earth’s water has a high concentration of salt called high salinity.

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1. Temperature range is avg. 4°C, with range of -2°C to 28°C in most cases

2. Location (s): world-wide

3. Light penetration is between 200m (656 ft)—1,000m (3,280 ft), but rarely any significant light beyond 200m

4. Average depth is 3,720 m (12,200 ft).

• Deepest point: 11,033 m (36,198 ft) in the Mariana Trench in the western Pacific. That’s 6.8 miles.

5. Life features:

A.can move freely: motile

B. attached to or crawl on floor: sessile

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• Ocean’s floor is not flat

• Has mountains, hills, valleys and gorges similar to land masses.

• Terms are different: volcanic island arcs, abyss, guyot, mid-ocean ridges, continental slope, trenches.

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We now

know life

fills every

part of an

ocean.

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Two kinds of zones

• Distance from land1. Pelagic

• Nertic2. Oceanic3. Benthic

(bottom)

• Depth & light1. Euphotic2. Disphotic3. Aphotic

a) Littoral zone includes: intertidal zone

b) Neritic zone includes: first 200 meters (656 feet) of ocean water

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1. Where land and sea meet

2. Covered with water at high tide

3. Exposed to air at low tide

4. Can be A. Rocky

B. Sandy

C. Mudflats

5. Two high/low tides a day

6. Tide change every 6 hours and 12.5 minutes

7. Organisms must withstand force of waves

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http://www.whsrn.org/site-profile/columbia-river-estuary

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• Splash zone

• High tide zone

• Mid-tide zone

• Low tide zone

Mid-Tide

Low Tide

High Tide

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• During low tidepools capture and hold seawater.

• Seaweeds

• Black chiton

• Goose neck barnacles

• Acorn barnacles

• Limpets

Black chiton

Goose neck barnacles

Limpets

Acorn barnacles

Seaweeds

Seaweeds

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a) Abyssal is the deepest part of the ocean, depths of 2,000 to 4,000 meters (6,560 to 19,680 feet)

b) Stays in perpetual darkness

c) High pressure: 200 atmospheres (200x normal)

d)Mariana Trench is deeper than Mt. Everest is tall! It is about 10,000 meters (6.8 miles) deep.

e) Special adaptations include:

i. fish are small,

ii. soft bodies and small bones

iii.tend to have big mouths, long teeth, and stretchable stomachs

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The ocean is divided up into three vertical light zones.

1. Top layer: euphotic zone — area where light can penetrate.

2. Middle layer: disphotic zone where it is too deep for lots of light to reach.

3. Bottom layer: aphotic zone, or deep sea — very cold, completely dark, low nutritional content.

• Largest (80 percent) habitat on earth —aphotic zone

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Phytoplankton, zooplankton

Bacteria (Chemosynthesis)

Seaweed Algae

Sharks, rays, skates Shrimp, crabs, lobsters

Whales, dolphins, seals Mussels, clams, oysters, chitons, octopi,

Sunfish, tuna, rock fish, swordfish, angel fish

Anemones, jellyfish, coral, sea squirts,

Producers

Consumers

1. New communities found in ocean's abyssal zone (3,000 m) in 1977.

2. Living around deep ocean or hydrothermal ventsA. Use chemicals from vents instead of sunlight for

energy source

B. This process of converting energy is called Chemosynthesis.

C. This area high in economic value because of high mineral content.

D. Temperatures range: freezing to 400 °C

3. Deep, cold water coral “forests”A. Found at depths of 60-3,050 meters

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• Bill Nye Science Guy 100 Greatest Discoveries: Deep Ocean Vents —5:30 min.

• Marum: Hydrothermal vents in the deep sea — 7:25 min.

• Smithsonian Hydrothermal Vent Organisms

• David Attenborough on Hydrothermal Vents — 2 min.

• Deep Water Coral — 2 min.

• Atlantic Oceans’ 'Coral Forests' NOAA sub — 7:15 min.

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• Most productive on earth, creating more organic matter each year than the same sized forest or grassland.

• Nutrient levels are higher than both salt and freshwater.

• Many types of habitats surround or are a part of estuaries.

• They act as nursery for many marine organisms.

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Tillamook Bay Overview5 min.

323:30 min.

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Three percent of Earth’s water is fresh found in glaciers and ice, below the ground, or in rivers and lakes.

• The faster a stream flows the greater the amount of dissolved oxygen in it.

• Faster water moves over rocks “catching” air

• Faster water flows = more oxygen

Fishes living in streams are adapted to fast moving water.

http://www.manitoupontoonboats.com/blog/salmon-resources/

•Water moves slower in a river and debris settles on the bottom.

• So rivers tend to have more nutrients and less dissolved oxygen.

•Nutrients go up and O2 goes down

Columbia River West of The Dalles

2,000 km (1,243 miles) long.

Salmon River East of Sandy, OR @ Wildwood Park

• Small, shallow bodies of water

• Sunlight penetrates all the way to the bottom

•Most completely filled with plant material

•Very high amount of nutrients

Pond in basalt crater @ Diamond Craters, in SE Oregon

Pond along

Hwy 224

@ Caver, Oregon

•Larger and deeper than ponds

• Plant growth is limited to the shoreline

• Sunlight does notpenetrate to the bottom = no plants after a certain depth.

Crescent Lake, Central Oregon Cascades

Crescent Lake, Central Oregon Cascades

•Plankton are microscopic drifting organisms in aquatic environments, including marine& fresh water.

•They need sunlightto survive.

• Phytoplankton are important producers in water biomes.

• They are microscopic plants forming the base of aquatic food webs.

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• Zooplankton are small protists or metazoans (e.g. crustaceans and other animals) that feed on the phytoplankton.

• Larval stages of larger animals, such as fish, crustaceans, and annelids (worms) are included here.

• Zooplankton are in turn consumed by small fishes.

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