CHAPTER 14 Animals of the Pelagic Environment
http://www.yoto98.noaa.gov/books/whaleshttp://www.aloha.com/~lifeguards
How organisms avoid sinking Increase buoyancy
Gas containers○ Rigid container such as shells (internal or
external) or…○ Swim bladder
Fig. 14.2http://www.fineartradiography.com/images/nautilus-pos.jpg
How organisms avoid sinking Float – less dense than saltwater
or neutralMicroscopic zooplankton have
shells or tests○ Radiolarians○ Foraminifers○ Copepods
Macroscopic zooplankton may have oil droplets
Krill (resemble mini-shrimp or large copepods)
Fish egg with oil droplet
http://www.sfos.uaf.edu/research/arcdiv/watercolumn/euphausiid/images
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/people/klf/MicroGalleryLarge_files/Forams1.jpg
Krill
How to avoid sinking Floating macroscopic
zooplankton Cnidarians
Hydrozoan (Portuguese man-of-war) gas-filled float
Scyphozoan (jellyfish) soft low-density bodies
http://www.aboututila.com/Photos/AdamLaverty/
How to avoid sinking Active swimming
Fish – swim by curving body from front to back
http://www.wissenschaft-online.de/sixcms/media.php/591http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x245/Aquaman1956/fish_swimming.gif
How to avoid sinking Active swimming – Squid
Swim by trapping water and expelling it Also swim by using fins
http://www.smithsonianmag.si.edu/smithsonian/issues96/may96http://www.mbari.org/news/news_releases/2001/dec21_clague/squid_swimming-400.jpg
Unknown deep sea squid
How to avoid sinking Active swimming
sea turtles use flippers marine mammals use up/down tail
movements Different from fish
http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/southflorida/everglades/estuarine/images/
Fin designs in fish Vertical fins as stabilizers
○ dosral and anal fins
Paired fins for “steering” and balance○ Pelvic and pectoral
Tail fin (caudal) for thrust
http://www.biologycorner.com/resources/fish_fins.gif
Fin designs in fish Rounded caudal finsRounded caudal fins flexible,
maneuver at slow speeds
Truncate finsTruncate fins and forked finsforked fins, useful for both maneuvering and thrust
Lunate finsLunate fins rigid, lots of thrust for fast swimmers
Heterocercal finsHeterocercal fins asymmetrical, lift for buoyancy (shark)
Adaptations for finding prey
Mobility LungersLungers wait for prey and
pounce (grouper)Mainly white muscle tissue
CruisersCruisers actively seek prey (tuna)Mostly red muscle tissue
Adaptations for finding prey Swimming speed
Speed generally proportional to sizeCan move very fast for short time (mainly to
avoid predation)
http://images.inmagine.com/img/imagezoo/iz125/iz125022.jpg http://chemistry.csudh.edu/faculty/jim/cozmay06best/barracuda.jpg
Adaptations to finding prey Most fish cold-
blooded but some are warm-bloodedHomeothermic-
body temperature above sea water temperature
Modifications in circulatory system
Mainly in fast-swimming fish
http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/2005/10/051031133653.jpg
Adaptations of deep-water nekton
Mainly fish that consume detritus or each other Lack of abundant food Bioluminescence
○ http://www.ted.com/talks/edith_widder_glowing_life_in_an_underwater_world.html
Fishing lures Large, sensitive eyes
http://www.lifesci.ucsb.edu/~biolum/organism/pictures/myctophid1.jpg
Lanternfish
http://www.antoranz.net/CURIOSA/ZBIOR2/C0301
Anglerfish w/ males
Adaptations of deep-water nekton
Large sharp teeth
Expandable bodies
Hinged jaws
http://www.floranimal.ru/pages/animal/b
Adaptations to avoid predation
SchoolingSchooling “Safety in numbers”School may appear
as single larger unitSchooling maneuvers
confuse predator
http://www.oceanbrite.com/gallery/d/811-2/Fish_School.jpg
Some taxonomy……
FishKingdom Animalia○ Phylum Chordata
Class Chondrichtyes – cartilaginous fish- Sharks, rays
Class Osteichthyes – bony fish
Chondrichthyes
Cartilaginous Fish
Osteichthyes
Very diverse group!
Marine Mammals Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata○ Class Mammalia
Order Carnivora- Sea otters- Polar Bears- Pinnipeds – Family Odobenidae (walrus), Family
Otariidae (Sea lions), Family Phocidae (seals)Order Sirenia- Manatees and dugongs
Order Cetacea- Whales
Whales Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata○ Class Mammalia
Order Cetacea- Suborder Odontoceti (toothed whales –
dolphins, orcas, sperm whales)- Suborder Mysticeti (baleen whales – blue
whale, gray whale)
Marine mammals
Land-dwelling ancestors Warm-blooded Breathe air Hair/fur Bear live young Mammary glands for milk
http://www.colonialzone-dr.com/images/manatee%20mother%20and%20calf.jpg
http://images.aad.gov.au/img.py/8bb.jpg
Marine mammals CarnivoraCarnivora
Prominent canine teeth
Sea ottersSea ottersPolar bearsPolar bears
http://www.gaszappers.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/3-lazy-polar-bears.jpg
http://www.birdsasart.com/Sea-Otter-w-pup-_T9J9119-Cordova,-AK.jpg
Marine mammals CarnivoraCarnivora
PinnepedsPinnepeds○ WalrusesWalruses
Eat crustaceans with tusks
○ SealsSeals
http://images.livescience.com/images/071008-walrus-04.jpg
http://www.cambriarealty.com/images/seal_pic1.jpg
Marine mammals
CarnivoraCarnivoraPinnepedsPinnepeds○ Sea lionsSea lions○ Fur sealsFur seals
http://www.naturetrek.co.uk/newsletter/images/200796947570.Galapagos-Sea-lion-and-pup.jpg
http://neilshedden.com/africa/images/animals/seals3.jpg
Marine mammals
SireniaSirenia Herbivores
ManateesManatees○ Coastal areas of
tropical Atlantic Ocean
DugongsDugongs ○ Coastal areas of
Indian and western Pacific Oceans
http://www.nepa.gov.jm/yourenv/biodiversity/Species/gifs/manatee.jpg
http://www.cnsweb.org/digestvertebrates/Photos/Dugong%20CL25_1b.jpg
Marine mammals
Cetacea Cetacea Stream-lined bodies for fast swimming Specialized skin (dermal ridges) structure
for fast swimming Whales
Toothed - carnivoresBaleen – filter feeders
Cetacea
Marine mammals Dolphins vs. porpoises Dolphins (Delphinidae)
○ 35 species○ Beaks○ melon (fatty organ in forehead)○ Prominent, curved dorsal fin○ conical, undifferentiated teeth○ Range in size from 1.5 m
Hector's dolphin to 9 m killer whales
Porpoises (Phocoenidae) ○ 6 species○ Lack prominent beak ○ laterally compressed teeth○ More triangular dorsal finhttp://www-heb.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/community/
education/images/harbourporpoise/teeth2_small.gifhttp://cache.eb.com/eb/image?id=94551&rendTypeId=4
Harbor porpois
e
Bottlenose dolphin
http://www.flheritage.com/facts/symbols/images/symbols/porpoise.jpg
Cetacea Adaptations for deep diving
Use oxygen efficiently○ Able to absorb 90% of
oxygen inhaled○ Able to store large
quantities of oxygen – high levels of myoglobin and hemoglobin
○ Able to reduce oxygen required for noncritical organs
○ Slowed cardiac rate Muscles insensitive to
buildup of CO2
Collapsible lungshttp://www.freewebs.com/cetaceanrc/SpermWhale1.jpg
Cetacea Suborder OdontocetiOdontoceti
(toothed)Dolphins, porpoises,
killer whale, sperm whale
Echolocation to determine distance and direction to objects○ Clicks produced in nasal
air sacs are focused by the melon
○ Echos received thru lower jaw middle ear
Determine shape, size of objects
http://hearingresearch.net/pix/FultonCaldwell.gif
Cetacea
Baleen whales Blue whale, finback whale,
humpback whale, gray whale, right whale
Fibrous plates of baleenbaleen sieve prey items
Vocalized sounds for various purposes
Suborder Mysticeti Fig. 14.23
http://www.coastalstudies.org/what-we-do/right-whales/fieldnotes.htm
Right whale baleen
Marine reptiles○ Sea turtlesSea turtles
Prey depends on speciesGreensGreens eat
seagrass (gut flora digests cellulose)
LoggerheadsLoggerheads eat conch
LeatherbacksLeatherbacks eat jellyfish
Nest on beaches: predation, lights on dunes
Many overexploited
http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/southflorida/everglades/estuarine/images/
Green
○ Marine iguanas Marine iguanas of Galapagos Islands Feed on submerged algae Dive for up to 20 minutes Must surface before they become too cold and
can’t climb out of water
http://www.exzooberance.com/virtual%20zoo/they%20walk/
iguana
http://www.surtrek.com/en/images/Program_pics/photogallery/gps
○ Sea snakes Sea snakes of Pacific Highly poisonous Truly aquatic - reproduce in water - live-
bearers
http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/corp_site/info_services/publications/sotr/1998/photos
http://www.oceanbrite.com/albums/Fiji/
Misconceptions
Florida Sunshine State Standards
Ocean Literacy Principles 3e. - The ocean dominates the Earth’s carbon cycle. Half the primary productivity on Earth takes
place in the sunlit layers of the ocean and the ocean absorbs roughly half of all carbon dioxide added to the atmosphere.
5a. - Ocean life ranges in size from the smallest virus to the largest animal that has lived on Earth, the blue whale.
5b. - Most life in the ocean exists as microbes. Microbes are the most important primary producers in the ocean. Not only are they the most abundant life form in the ocean, they have extremely fast growth rates and life cycles.
5c. - Some major groups are found exclusively in the ocean. The diversity of major groups of organisms is much greater in the ocean than on land.
5d. - Ocean biology provides many unique examples of life cycles, adaptations and important relationships among organisms (symbiosis, predator-prey dynamics and energy transfer) that do not occur on land.
5e. - The ocean is three-dimensional, offering vast living space and diverse habitats from the surface through the water column to the seafloor. Most of the living space on Earth is in the ocean.
5f. - Ocean habitats are defined by environmental factors. Due to interactions of abiotic factors such as salinity, temperature, oxygen, pH, light, nutrients, pressure, substrate and circulation, ocean life is not evenly distributed temporally or spatially, i.e., it is “patchy”. Some regions of the ocean support more diverse and abundant life than anywhere on Earth, while much of the ocean is considered a desert.
5g. - There are deep ocean ecosystems that are independent of energy from sunlight and photosynthetic organisms. Hydrothermal vents, submarine hot springs, methane cold seeps, and whale falls rely only on chemical energy and chemosynthetic organisms to support life.
5h. - Tides, waves and predation cause vertical zonation patterns along the shore, influencing the distribution and diversity of organisms.
5i. - Estuaries provide important and productive nursery areas for many marine and aquatic species.