SURVIVAL STRATEGIES: BENTHIC VS. PELAGIC ZOOPLANKTON
Oceanography, Marine Organisms
Phytoplankton is the primary food source for most marine organisms, either directly or indirectly. Since phytoplankton converts sunlight into energy, in the form of carbohydrates, their habitat is necessarily confined to the upper pelagic layers. The organisms that feed on the phytoplankton, the zooplankton, are thus forced to either remain in the upper pelagic layers or migrate vertically between the upper and lower layers. An important functional division within zooplankton is the ability to actively travel from location to location (nekton) or simply drift with the ocean currents (plankton) (Miller, 2004, p. 111). Whether an organism can swim or not determines to a significant extent what survival strategies are utilized.
Benthic Zone
Since plankton can't evade predators they rely on more passive defense mechanisms. Gastropods grow hard shells with narrow openings or elaborate sharp spines, and microalgae restrict the production of digestible structural material to deter foragers (Duffy and Hay, 2004, p. 137). Some species of benthic algae alter their form of...
S. has jurisdiction. The dumping specifically of biodegradable plastics into the sea in these navigable waters and in offshore areas less than 25 nautical miles from the nearest land is strictly forbidden. Metals, bottles, crockery and similar garbage cannot be disposed of into the sea within 12 nautical miles from the closest land (U.S. Congress). Food waste, paper, rags, glass and similar wastes cannot be thrown into navigable waters or those
Negative Effects of Artificial Reefs Artificial reefs are man-made habitats that are created from many different materials to build new marine life communities (Rodriguez, 2004). For many years, fish and shellfish habitats have been damaged or wiped out by the development of new coastal areas, accidents, and major storms. As a result, there has been a decline in different marine life populations. Artificial reefs provide food, shelter, protection, and spawning
Where, sharp increases or decreases in the temperature could have an effect on the eco system. As any one of the vital pieces of the food system and their way of life; would have ripple effects based on slight changes in temperature. This has the possibility of setting off a mass extinction. (Garrison, 2008) The obvious effect on land would be that humans depend on the ocean as a source
Oceanography Comparing Approaches to the Carbon-Based Productivity Model: Assessing the Sensitivity of Remote Sensing-Derived Phytoplankton Productivity to Mixed Layer Depth. The purpose of this review is to compare approaches or variations of approaches that are being used to assess the sensitivity of phytoplankton productivity to mixed layer depth. The challenge to clarifying controls on primary productivity and the related responses and feedbacks is a key objective of research on global change. In order
Oceanography Diurnal tides are the daily ones, and have a single high tide and low tide, respectively, each day. Semidiurnal tides have two high tides and low tides each lunar day, both of which are always at the same height. Mixed tides are when there's two high tides and two low tides, but the high tides are at different heights and the low tides are at different heights. Ocean depth and rotational
On January 11 at 3:00 AM, high tide reaches its first peak at 31.248 feet at high tide. The corresponding low tide of this same day hits at 10 am at around 3.517 feet. There is a dramatic difference between the two tides occurring twice a day. On that same day, the second round high tide is at a height of 29.588 at 5 pm, a lesser degree than
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