Honors Marine Biology

Module 12Continental Shelf Communities

Part 2February 28, 2013

Class Challenge

Famous Autographs

Field Trip

Our next field trip is scheduled for

Friday, April 19, 2013Hart’s Landing Fishing Tournament

10:00am to Noon

If you are 16 or older Florida Law requires you to have a current Fishing Lisence.

Class Quiz

Define:

1. Benthos

2. Nekton

3. Plankton

Define:

4. Subtitle

5. Infauna

6. Epifauna

7. Meiofauna:

Define and Draw

8. Continental Shelf

1. Benthos: Marine Organisms that live on the sea bottom

2. Nekton: Marine Organisms that swim strongly enough to move against the ocean current.

3. Plankton: Marine organisms that cannot swim strongly enough to move against the ocean current.

4. Subtidal: An area of the ocean that always stays under the water regardless of the tides.

5. Infauna: Organisms that buried in the sediment.

6. Epifauna: Organisms that can be easily seen swimming

7. Meiofauna: The microscopic creatures that dwell in between the sediment particles.

Define and Draw

8. Continental Shelf: is a gently sloping area beginning at a point near land, just below the low-tide mark. It continues out to the shelf break, with is the outer-edge of the continental shelf.

Continental Shelf Communities

In our last class we discussed different kinds of Continental shelf communities. They can be divided into two groups based upon the substrate of the ocean floor.

1. Soft-bottom shelf communities2. Hard-bottom shelf communities

The type of substrate determines what types of organisms can populate the ocean floor.

Hard-Bottom Subtidal Communities

There are two major categories:

1. Rocky Bottomed Communities

2. Kelp Beds

Kelp Beds and Forests

In most of the cold temperate areas of the world, hard-bottom shelf substrates are inhabited by large, brown seaweeds known as kelps.

Kelps can grow quite tall (up to 30 meters) compared to other seaweeds.

Kelp Beds create a third dimension to the hard-bottom communities, in the same way that trees create canopy structures in forests.

Kelp Forests

In Kelp Forests a canopy is formed when the kelp is tall enough to stretch from the bottom of the subtidal community all the way up to the surface.

As a result, most of the kelp is underneath the water, but some of it is on top of the water as well.

Kelp Bed

When kelps are not tall enough to reach the surface and form a canopy, the community they form is called a kelp forest.

Marine Scientists use they terms interchangeably, but really should not.

Kelp

Kelp attach to the substrate by a holdfast instead of true roots.

The trunk-like stipe extends upward from the holdfast and ends in one or more leaf-like blades.

These are hollow floats, called pneumatocytes, located at the base of the blades. This helps keep the blade at the water’s surface instead of sinding to the bottom.

Kelp

Kelp

Kelp do not need roots to absorb their nutrients from the sediment; rather, they directly absorb nutrients from seawater, just like phytoplankton and other algae.

Kelp

As a result, they need constant movement of water flowing past them in order to obtain a regular supply of necessary nutrients.

Kelp

Kelps can grow so large, however, because their leather-like surface keeps them from being fragile like other algae.

They can better survive strong currents that would otherwise tear their long, thin stipes.

Underwater Kelp Forests

http://youtu.be/GcbU4bfkDA4

JEAN-MICHEL COUSTEAU: OCEAN ADVENTURES | Kelp Forest | PBS

(food web)

http://youtu.be/v_aSl3iL7rM

Life In The Kelp Forest

http://youtu.be/CdRVBEaMo34

Lab: Animals and Plants in a Kelp ForestCategorize Plants and Animals as a Producer Consumer Herbivore

carnivore scavenger decomposerSenorita Fish : Preditor, carnivore, ConsumerSea lion- Big Flippers, ear flap :Consumer carnivoreSeals – no ear flap: Consumer carnivoreStone crab : Consumer, herbivore, scavengerSea otter: Consumer, carnivoreNudibranch (Sea Slug): ScavengerKelp: ProducerSea lettuce: ProducerJelly Fish:: Carnivore, Consumer Commorant: Consumer, carnivoreSea urchin: omnivore, scavengersSea Anemone : Consumer, herbivoreCoral: Consumer, omnivoreSponge: Consumer, herbibore, decomposerSea Star: Consumer, carnivoreBacteria: DecomposerFungus: DecomposerHumans: Consumer, OmnivoreShark: Consumer, carnivoreKiller Whale: :Consumer carnivoreAlbatross:Consumer, Consumer, CarnivoreAnnahinga: Consumer, Carnivore

Mapping

• Identify on your map where the major Kelp beds are located.

• See figure 12.11

Dirty Jobs

First Mike gets dirty harvesting kelp to feed abalone. Netflex

Homework

What 2 items found in your kitchen contain Algae

Finish Reading Module 12 to page 303

Answer OYO to 12.13

Answer Study Guide

Class Quiz: Kelp Beds

Class Challenge: Photo of Animal that you took

Notebook Check on March 7th (Module 11)