Jellyfish use currents to move place to place in the water. Their belly use a pulsating movement to move vertically which is very important becuase it is very sensitive to light so it needs to be able to decend deeper into the ocean.Jellyfish tend to eat other jellyfish and other zooplankton by paralyzing it using their tentacles. Their tentacles paralyze or kill other organisms and some jellyfish could kill humans such as the Portuguese Man O'War. Jellyfish live in fresh and salt water, most of them also live on the shallow water but some live as deep of 12,000 feet in the water.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
Dinoflagellates
Dinoflagellates: are unicellular type of phytoplankton, basically a floating organism that produces oxygen, requires sun light much like a plant on the earths surface. These organism only lives in about the first 200m because any lower and the sunlight does not reach. something unique about this organism is it produces its own food. Around the coastal areas during the summers the Dinoflagellates reproduce in such high numbers it might appear the water has turned golden or red, producing a red tide. Because of this many of the marine life suffers due to a neurotoxin that is produced.
Photosynthetic Can produce toxins Causes paralytic shellfish poisoning Cause to many tropical fish poisonings, Part of the phytoplankton world Needs light Scientific name Dinoflagellates Dinoflagellates are most often considered to be plants, because many make their own food using air, water, and sunlight Interaction with the ocean. Feeds other sea creatures like whales. Are Poison to shellfish and humans after the fish have eaten the Dinoflagellates. The physical side is that it uses its surroundings to create its own food
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/protista/dinoflagellata.html
Photosynthetic Can produce toxins Causes paralytic shellfish poisoning Cause to many tropical fish poisonings, Part of the phytoplankton world Needs light Scientific name Dinoflagellates Dinoflagellates are most often considered to be plants, because many make their own food using air, water, and sunlight Interaction with the ocean. Feeds other sea creatures like whales. Are Poison to shellfish and humans after the fish have eaten the Dinoflagellates. The physical side is that it uses its surroundings to create its own food
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/protista/dinoflagellata.html
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Dolphins
Dolphins are vertebrates that live in the epileptic open oceans. The epileptic ocean is the surface of the ocean, meaning it is the first 200 meters of the ocean. Because it is the top layer, it recieves the most sunlight. This means that there is different tempertures all over this area of the ocean.
They can live to be up to 40 years old! They are though to be one of the most intelligent animals on the planet. They have been found to chase ships in the ocean.
Dolphins eat a variety of things... including fish, squid and crustaceans.
Their mating season is in the spring and in the fall, and the gestation period is 9-17 months. Usually only one "calf" is born, and it follows it's mother around for 2 years. When the calf is born, the mother has to immediately bring the calf to the surface so it can breathe air.
Dolphins have no interaction with geology, because they live in the first 260 meters of the ocean. The only interaction they can have is if they get beached.
Theories of the reason that Dolphins are beached is because they become deaf, due to the noise in the ocean with power boats etc. Also, when it’s high tide, it’s easier to catch prey, but then low tide occurs, and before they realize it, they’re stuck.
After Dolphins are beached, they are usually euthanized.
Believe it or not, a common activity of dolphins is SURFING!It is thought that they do this because they are used to swimming in their mother’s “slip stream” when they are young.
Another cause of beached dolphins is Mercury.
Dolphins eat fish, and fish contain mercury, thus, if the fish have too high levels of mercury, it kills the dolphin.
A study in Australia showed that 3.45 milligrams of mercury per kilogram of body weight was in beached Dolphins, twice of which live Dolphins contain.
That amount of Mercury could easily disorient the Dolphin, thus why it swims in shallow water.
Source Used: http://www.defenders.org/wildlife_and_habitat/wildlife/dolphin.php?lb_v=7
http://www.seasky.org/deep-sea/ocean-layers.html
They can live to be up to 40 years old! They are though to be one of the most intelligent animals on the planet. They have been found to chase ships in the ocean.
Dolphins eat a variety of things... including fish, squid and crustaceans.
Their mating season is in the spring and in the fall, and the gestation period is 9-17 months. Usually only one "calf" is born, and it follows it's mother around for 2 years. When the calf is born, the mother has to immediately bring the calf to the surface so it can breathe air.
Dolphins have no interaction with geology, because they live in the first 260 meters of the ocean. The only interaction they can have is if they get beached.
Theories of the reason that Dolphins are beached is because they become deaf, due to the noise in the ocean with power boats etc. Also, when it’s high tide, it’s easier to catch prey, but then low tide occurs, and before they realize it, they’re stuck.
After Dolphins are beached, they are usually euthanized.
Believe it or not, a common activity of dolphins is SURFING!It is thought that they do this because they are used to swimming in their mother’s “slip stream” when they are young.
Another cause of beached dolphins is Mercury.
Dolphins eat fish, and fish contain mercury, thus, if the fish have too high levels of mercury, it kills the dolphin.
A study in Australia showed that 3.45 milligrams of mercury per kilogram of body weight was in beached Dolphins, twice of which live Dolphins contain.
That amount of Mercury could easily disorient the Dolphin, thus why it swims in shallow water.
Source Used: http://www.defenders.org/wildlife_and_habitat/wildlife/dolphin.php?lb_v=7
http://www.seasky.org/deep-sea/ocean-layers.html
Comb Jellies
Saturday 28 April 2011
Comb jellies were named for their comb-like cilia plates. Their scientific name is Phylum Ctenophora, from the Greek ktenos (comb) and phoros (bearing). Even though it is called a "comb jelly", it is not actually a jellyfish. It comes from the phylum Ctenophora whereas the jellyfish comes from the Cnidaria phylum.
Comb jellies are invertebrates and come in many different sizes and shapes. They can range in size from a few millimeters to two meters long. They are considered the prettiest jellyfish-type animals because of their iridescent flashing cilia plates. Some flash rainbow colors.
When comb jellies die, they decompose very quickly which means they don't affect the floor of the ocean as much as a larger species would. This is also because they float when they die.
Pollution affects comb jellies by changing the pH levels and temperature in the water forcing the jellies to adapt. They can adapt pretty well to the changing pH levels and temperature because they can be found and travel all over the world, so they are used to the differences in the water. The way pollution affects them, though, is by killing off their food sources (small fish, eggs, zooplankton, and other invertebrates).
Comb jellies are planktonic, meaning they depend on the ocean currents to travel long distances. They can, however, move up and down in the water due to their cilia.
WORKS CITED:
Comb jellies were named for their comb-like cilia plates. Their scientific name is Phylum Ctenophora, from the Greek ktenos (comb) and phoros (bearing). Even though it is called a "comb jelly", it is not actually a jellyfish. It comes from the phylum Ctenophora whereas the jellyfish comes from the Cnidaria phylum.
Comb jellies are invertebrates and come in many different sizes and shapes. They can range in size from a few millimeters to two meters long. They are considered the prettiest jellyfish-type animals because of their iridescent flashing cilia plates. Some flash rainbow colors.
When comb jellies die, they decompose very quickly which means they don't affect the floor of the ocean as much as a larger species would. This is also because they float when they die.
Pollution affects comb jellies by changing the pH levels and temperature in the water forcing the jellies to adapt. They can adapt pretty well to the changing pH levels and temperature because they can be found and travel all over the world, so they are used to the differences in the water. The way pollution affects them, though, is by killing off their food sources (small fish, eggs, zooplankton, and other invertebrates).
Comb jellies are planktonic, meaning they depend on the ocean currents to travel long distances. They can, however, move up and down in the water due to their cilia.
WORKS CITED:
"ctenophore." Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition. HarperCollins Publishers. 28 Apr. 2011.
Mianzan, H. Phylum Ctenophora : comb jellies. Canterbury University Press : Christchurch, NZ, 2009. GeoRef In Process. EBSCO. Web. 28 Apr. 2011.
"Planktonic." Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 28 Apr. 2011.
Ramel, Gordon. "The Comb Jellies (Phylum Ctenophora)." The Earth Life Web. Web. 28 Apr. 2011.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Zooplankton and Epipelagic layer
For Zooplankton, the creature I plan to study are Jellyfish! Jellyfish are memeber of the phylum Cnidaria. Jellyfish contain elementary nevous system which detect odor, light, and other senses. Jellyfish come in all shapes and sizes and could be found in shallow and deep waters.
Http://www.dnr.sc.gov/marine/pub/seascience/jellyfi.html
Epipelagic Open Ocean is the top layer of ocean zones which contain most of the ocean life. This is the only zone that contains plants because of the light which is needed for photosynthesis. This layer of the ocean contains Jellyfish, sea lions, sea turtles, sting rays, and many more.
http://library.thinquest.org/04oct/00116/epipelagic.htm
Http://www.dnr.sc.gov/marine/pub/seascience/jellyfi.html
Epipelagic Open Ocean is the top layer of ocean zones which contain most of the ocean life. This is the only zone that contains plants because of the light which is needed for photosynthesis. This layer of the ocean contains Jellyfish, sea lions, sea turtles, sting rays, and many more.
http://library.thinquest.org/04oct/00116/epipelagic.htm
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Notes from Giant Post-It:
- Lack of nutrients, but because it is so big, it is able to have the most activity
- jellyfish, mola-mola, dolphins, whales, sharks, squid, mollusks, crustaceans, etc
- tiny organisms move with the water currents
- high concentration of plankton because of the sunlight penetrating into this zone. It allows for photosynthesis
- "sun lit" zone
- uppermost layer of the pelagic zone/surface - 200 m down
- jellyfish, mola-mola, dolphins, whales, sharks, squid, mollusks, crustaceans, etc
- tiny organisms move with the water currents
- high concentration of plankton because of the sunlight penetrating into this zone. It allows for photosynthesis
- "sun lit" zone
- uppermost layer of the pelagic zone/surface - 200 m down
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Norwich GL111 Term Project Introductions
As part of our Introduction to Oceanography class this Spring 2011 semester at Norwich University, our group will be researching and presenting on plants and animals that live in an ecosystem called the 'Epipelagic Open Ocean'.
We have four group members:
_Benjamin Villamora_, Meg R, Benjamin T., and Lauren W.
Each member of our group will be reporting on a different marine organism that lives in the epipelagic zone ecosystem of the open ocean. One will be a zooplankton, one a phytoplankton, one a marine invertebrate, and one a marine vertebrate.
As part of an integrated approach, we will be researching how our organisms interact with the other aspects of the ocean system (geological, physical, and chemical).
We have four group members:
_Benjamin Villamora_, Meg R, Benjamin T., and Lauren W.
Each member of our group will be reporting on a different marine organism that lives in the epipelagic zone ecosystem of the open ocean. One will be a zooplankton, one a phytoplankton, one a marine invertebrate, and one a marine vertebrate.
As part of an integrated approach, we will be researching how our organisms interact with the other aspects of the ocean system (geological, physical, and chemical).
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