Intro to Aquatic Ecology

Energy into the earth Of 100% of earth’s energy, how much comes from the sun Of all the sun energy, how much is taken up by photosynthesis on earth? What happens to most of the sun’s energy? Of all of earth’s photosynthesis – how much of it happens in the oceans? 99.99% Less than 1%! (0.6%) Heats up the earth

Ecology of Aquatic Environments: Ecology = The study of relationships between living things and their environment Ecologists seek to explain: how things change over time Where things live and why How material and energy move through the environment.

Trophic levels (trophic = energy) AS you move up the food chain, there is typically fewer and fewer organisms at each “trophic” level Energy: rule of 10 = ? Why? Consumer do not consume (eat) entire organism. Energy lost as heat.

“producers” : Trophic level 1 Producers store the sun’s energy into complex chemicals. They make them using the sun’s energy and raw ingredients provided by the decomposition of dead things by bacteria. On land Producers include: Trees, grass, vegetables, fruit, etc. etc. In Aquatic systems (lakes, rivers, oceans) Algae, seaweed, diatoms, water grasses, etc. “plankton”

“consumers” – Trophic levels 2+ Consumers rely on the sun’s energy too,… passed on to it via the chemicals made by producers. Producers do this: CO2 + H2O + energy  O2 + C6H12O6 Producers AND Consumers do this: O2 + C6H12O6  CO2 + H2O + energy

What is “plankton”? Name means: “Drifters” or “Wanderers” So. . .are they autotrophs or heterotrophs? What other “P-L-A-N” word do you know that is a “drifter” or “wanderer”? (Planets) Copepods are the real “Plankton” on Sponge Bob They can be either one!.. And sometimes both (protists)

Autotrophs vs. Heterotrophs Most autotrophs use sunlight energy to make their food 6 H20 + 6 CO2 +solar energy--> C6H12O6 + 6 O2 Heterotrophs eat autotrophs and other heterotrophs to obtain energy that came from the sun Which are autotrophs and which are heterotrophs in these pictures?

1-4) Dinoflagellates (whoa. Plants with tails 1-4) Dinoflagellates (whoa! Plants with tails!) 5-9) Diatoms Bioluminescence (quick): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGgWYijK_ig&feature=related# “Phytoplankton” = plankton that can do photosynthesis, some are plants, some are bacteria

Diatoms: the main aquatic phytoplankton

Diatoms – single celled green houses Have a “shell” or casing made of glass Have chlorophyll & make food from sunlight The most abundant organisms in the oceans! Take any lake, river or ocean, there is more WEIGHT of these guys than all the fish!

Where would you find Phytoplankton in an aquatic ecosystem? Upper layers of the ocean, also introduce benthos and nekton

Phytoplankton are found in the photic zone – where the light is! pelagic Words to know: Photic Aphotic Pelagic

Zooplankton (= plankton that are consumers. what are they consuming?) Ctenophore 2-3) mollusk pteropods 4) euphausid shrimp 5) amphipod 6) copepod 7) chaetognath http://www.answers.com/topic/plankton

Two important “Zooplankton” out there - Krill - tiny shrimplike things Copepods – tiny one eyed drifting crustaceans

Copepods and other plankton often have “bioluminescence” and can glow

Typical Marine food pyramid: Can you tell which are the Autotrophs and which are the Heterotrophs?

More Vocabulary Plankton can be divided into lifestyles: 1)Meroplankton , which merely spend SOME of their lives as drifters and 2) Holoplankton, which spend their WHOLE lives drifting These photos are krill, copepods, and jellies (all mero). Then what do meroplankton do after their done drifting? Crawl (crabs, sea stars, lobsters, snails), swim (fish), burrow (worms, clams)

Guess what these Meroplankton “Grow Up” to be” and what they do when they’re done with the “drifter” lifestyle Sea star (crawl), Snail veliger larvae (crawl), lobster larvae (crawl) crab zoea larvae (crawl), fish larvae (swim)

Summary: Earth gets its energy from the sun – but very little of the sun’s energy goes into “life” Ecology is the study of the interaction between organisms and the environment. The first two “trophic levels” of aquatic environments are both “plankton” There is more mass of plankton in the ocean than all the whales added together (there has to be) Phytoplankton do photosynthesis, they are T1, and main type to know if “diatoms” Zooplankton are the consumer, T2 and they can be Meroplankton – like larvae of some animals Holoplankton – like copepods and krill