According to Harrison Eutrophication is the excessive production of algae and higher plants through the enrichment of waters by nitrogen and phosphorus. Phosphorus in the form of phosphate is the limiting nutrient as the amount of biologically available phosphorus is small in relation to the amount needed for algal growth. Harrison states that sources of nutrients can be discrete, (sewage), or diffuse, (farmland fertilizers).
Plankton Activity Postlab 1) Apply 2.5: Use mathematical and/or computational representations to support explanations of factors that affect carrying capacity of ecosystems at different scales. Explain how the abundance of phytoplankton in the pond depends on the abundance of an abiotic resource such as nitrogen. - Phytoplankton are the producers in the pond. Species of organisms in ecosystems have their own carrying capacity relative to other species, and carrying capacities are determined by particular abiotic and biotic resources in an ecosystem. An increase in nitrogen levels in the pond (e.g. from fertilizers) will result in a dramatic increase in phytoplankton levels, but once phytoplankton population reaches its carrying capacity (determined by availability of other resources besides nitrogen, [DO] levels, predation etc.),
In Homer’s Odyssey, translated by Robert Fitzgerald, Eurylokhos is a member of Odysseus’ crew and Amphinomos is one of the suitors intent on winning Odysseus’ wife Penelope while Odysseus is lost at sea. Eurylokhos and Amphinomos both commit good deeds that allow them to distinguish themselves from their groups, yet they each possess fatal flaws that lead to their death and downfall. They both gain Odysseus’ favor despite his knowledge of their fatal crimes. Amphinomos acts as a shadow and lesser version of Eurylokhos because Amphinomos’ actions are of less significance to others. Eurylokhos and Amphinomos each emerge as independent figures that stand out from their respective “mobs” because of their unique deeds and actions.
Red tides or harmful algal blooms happen worldwide, but most have been found on the east coast of Florida and off the coast of North Carolina. 5. Red tides may last weeks or even months and can change daily because of wind conditions and water currents. Onshore winds bring it closer to the shore and offshore winds move it out to sea. 6.
This research is helpful because it will allow business owners and tourists know when a red tide will occur and when to stay away from waterways. Unfortunately, there is not much that can be done about the marine life until they are actually affected by it. The United States is working on creating a building to focus on the prediction of red tides: Its goal is to improve existing models to explain more accurately and then predict the complex progression of a red-tide bloom. Successful forecasts could, for instance, allow fishermen to scoop up shellfish before a bloom takes hold, warn businesses to brace for a drop in beach tourism or alert managers to which environmentally sensitive areas they should be monitoring most closely (Schrope 24).
Loggerhead sea turtles face many dangers including artificial lights, which contribute to their endangerment. The most prevalent way loggerhead sea turtles are being threatened is by human interaction. Humans turn on lights by the beach at night sometimes in turtle nesting season, and this can influence female turtles to avoid the beach, where they need to lay their eggs. (“Please turn your lights off, the turtles are nesting: ensuring that federal, state, and local laws help guide endangered marine turtle hatchlings in Florida to the right source of light”). However, there are some actions humans can take to help prevent endangerment of sea turtle hatchlings.
Effects of Red Tides on Ecosystems Background Info: Harmful algal blooms, or more commonly known as red tides, occur when a dinoflagellate colony grows out of proportion. Dinoflagellates are a type of algae and protist responsible for releasing a chemical that acts as a neurotoxin (called brevetoxins) in many organisms. This results in neurological effects in animals, birds, and other marine life. Red tides are not considered a new phenomenon, as they were first documented in the 1700s in the Gulf of Mexico, and in the 1840s in Florida’s Gulf Coast. These blooms have occurred throughout the U.S. and Mexico Gulf Coasts and the Atlantic Coast to North Carolina, although they are most prevalent along the south-west Florida Coast.
The algal bloom also covers the surface of the water near shorelines and shallow water which is where the manatees are and so when the manatees come up for air they may not be able to or they will ingest the toxic
In fact, the Gulf of Mexico is “the largest hypoxic area in the western Atlantic Ocean”, since it operates as a drainage zone for the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River Basin that is composed of substantial rivers like the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers (Eutrophication in the Gulf of Mexico…, 2012). In addition, an abundance of the nutrient nitrogen causes accelerated algae growth (algae blooms) and a decrease in the quality of a water (Eutrophication in the Gulf of Mexico…,
Phytoplankton are then consumed by the first order consumers and the chain continues on as the first order consumers are then eaten by second order consumer to where the second order consumer become the prey of the third order consumers. The producers and consumers are the both broken down by decomposers and the matter is cycled by decomposing into nutrients for plants. Energy flow of the marine ecosystem starts through phytoplankton and is transferred to the animals who eats
i. Karenia Brevia: responsible for Red Tide in west coast of Florida and shore of Texas ii. Alexandrium fundyense: responsible for red tide along Atlantic coastline from New England to Canada iii. Alexandrium catenella: Responsible for red tide throughout the Pacific ocean. Areas from Mexico to Alaska and coastlines of Japan and Australia, http://www.livescience.com/34461-red-tide.html
Parrotfish use well developed jaws to munch on coral and another organism has evolved a interesting mechanism to erode a different substrate for an interesting reason. Osedax is a genus of polychaete worms that live in the deep ocean. In the case of these worms, their name gives a lot of information about their mechanism for survival. Osedax is Latin in origin and means bone-eating. This description holds true because the worms bore into the bones of carcasses, usually whales, that find their way to the sea floor.
url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/211578605?accountid=10008. In this article Hans Pearl shows that harmful algae has been growing in large bodies of water throughout the world caused by global warming. This algae infests our drinking water and causes fish to become sick as well. NewsRx has been
Recently, this has been the pattern for sea turtles; however, there was a time when this wasn’t the case: “[Sea turtles] have existed for over 100 million years” (Sea Turtle Conservancy, “Why Care?”) without the trouble of pollution on beaches and oceans. Sea turtles are important to the environment—they act as a keystone species, providing other sea life with safe homes away from predators by consuming their primary food source. A sea turtle’s main component of food consists of seagrass which needs to be maintained and kept short because “they provide breeding and developmental grounds for many species of fish, shellfish and crustaceans. Without seagrass beds, many marine species humans harvest would be lost, as would lower levels of the food chain” (Sea Turtle Conservancy, “Why Care?”). Although sea turtles face copious severe problems regarding global warming and pollution, which affect their birthing population, migration patterns, and food sources, many countries are working together for protection and
They are very unique in many different ways and a crucial support for human life. They play also a very important role in the marine life such as giving shelter and food for millions of species including fishes, crabs, or shrimps. They support 33% of marine fish species. They also have specific and certain conditions to be formed, and to survive. They are also known as the “rainforest of the oceans” because of its huge diversity.
