Download Marine Organisms - Northern Highlands

Marine Biology/Physical Oceanography
Course Outline
18 Weeks
Unit 1: The Ocean Environment (Chapters 1-4)
(Sept 1- October 15th; 6 Weeks)
Enduring Understanding: Students will be able to understand the basic relationships between the biotic
and abiotic factors in Marine Ecosystems with a focus on the physical aspects of our oceans that create
this environment such as the development and composition of the sea floor, chemical composition and
properties of sea water (salinity, density, temperature), properties of waves, and importance of tides and
currents in the distribution of heat and nutrients throughout our planet.
Essential questions:
How do biological interactions between living things and their environment determine the success of a
population of organisms?
How do the physical characteristics of the ocean impact the ability of marine organisms to survive and
thrive?
What role do tides and currents play in the global distribution of temperature and nutrients and how
does this affect the global economy, especially in providing resources for human populations.
Chapter 1: Science and the Marine Environment (1 Week)
1-1. Importance of the Ocean and Marine Organisms
Define and explain how the Marine biologist and Oceanographers discover knowledge about the
ocean environment.
1-2. Study of the Sea and its Inhabitants
It is important that we develop an understanding of the marine ecosystem so we can make
knowledgeable decisions about its future and understand its importance. Much of what we know
about the ocean is interpreted by the media and does not always represent the truth of our impact.
MARINE BIOLOGY & the HUMAN CONNECTION: Dead Zones
1-3. Marine Biology: A history of changing perspectives
A brief history of Marine Biology/Oceanography and some of the major landmark discoveries
made along the way
1-4. The Process of Science:
Research and design an experiment affecting a current ocean issue to reinforce the scientific
method and how it applies to marine sciences
MARINE BIOLOGY & the HUMAN CONNECTION: Dead Zones
Chapter 2: Fundamentals of Ecology (2 Weeks)
2-1. The Study of Ecology
Review of basic ecological concepts from Biology
2-2. Ecology and the Physical Environment
How do the interactions of the biotic and abiotic factors in the marine ecosystem effect
the size and distribution of marine organisms, specifically, their ability to maintain
homeostasis. This will specifically focus on the marine ecosystem.
Abiotic Factors such as Sunlight, Temp, salinity (water balance), Pressure, Nutrients,
wastes
2-3. Populations
Population Range and Size: How they are measured
Populations Distribution
Changes in Population Size and survivorship curves
Population Growth
2-4. Communities
Definition of a Niche: Connell’s Barnacles
Biological Interactions: Competition, Predator-Prey, Symbiosis
2-5. Ecosystems
Energy Flow and Nutrient Cycling
Measuring Primary Productivity: Light and Dark Bottle method
Trophic transfer
Representative Marine Food Chains and Food Webs
Nutrient Cycles with Marine Ecosystems
2-6. The Biosphere
Ocean divisions and zones
Chapter 3: Geology of the Ocean (1 week)
3-1. World Ocean
Formation of the ocean and ocean floor
The ocean today (4 Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, and Southern (Antarctic))
3-2. The Changing Sea Floor
Layers of the Earth
Plate tectonics and magma convection currents cause ocean floor features. Mid ocean
ridges, tranches, rift valleys
3-3. Ocean Floor
Continental margins, ocean basin
3-4. Composition of the sea floor
Chemical substances that make up the sea floor
3-5. Finding your way around the ocean
Lat and Long, maps and charts
Chapter 4: Water, Waves and Tides (2 weeks)
4-1. Nature of Water
Brief review of the chemical composition and emergent properties of water
4-2. Salt Water
How the properties of salt water differ from that of fresh water
Composition
Salinity
Gases dissolved in sea water
Biological processes responsible for those gases/cycles
4.3. Ocean Heating and Cooling
How does solar radiation enter and exit the oceans to be distributed globally
4-4. Winds and Currents
How the rotation of the Earth causes predictable global wind patterns. (Coriolis Effect)
Doldrums, Trade winds, prevailing westerlies, polar easterlies
Ocean currents:
Surface/wind driven currents- 6 major currents/Gyres
6 major gyres are subdivided into smaller currents based on characteristics
Ocean conveyor transports temperature and nutrients throughout the globe
Ekman Transport
4-5. Ocean Layers and Ocean Mixing
Characteristics of ocean layers: Thermocline, Halocline, Pycnocline
Horizontal v Vertical mixing
Areas of upwelling and downwelling, deep water circulation
4-6. Waves
Type and propogation of waves: Deepwater v shallow water
Breakers (plungers/spillers)
Tsunamis/ seismic waves
4-7. Tides
Cause of tides: Position of Sun and Moon with regards to Earth
Spring v Neap
High Tide v Low tide ranges: Diurnal, semidiurnal, mixed
Unit 2: Marine Organisms (Chapters 5-12)
(October 15th- December 1; 6 Weeks)
Enduring Understanding: Students will learn the major evolutionary changes and physical
characteristics that make up the major phyla of Marine organisms from Microorganisms (Heterotophs)
and Primary Producers (Autotrophs) that make up the basis of the marine food web, to the multicellular
life that is dependent on these organisms. Students will learn about these organisms and the role they
play in the marine ecosystem, reinforcing the concepts of ecology, evolution, and interdependence.
Essential questions:
How do the basics of Biology, especially Darwin’s theory of evolution apply to the great diversity of
Marine Life?
How are the interactions of the marine ecosystem dependent on the physical variations of individual
species that make up the phyla?
How does the marine ecosystem follow standard food web/chain dynamics in establishing and
maintaining populations?
How are marine organisms classified? Which structures are used to make these classifications?
Common Misconceptions:
The marine ecosystem functions differently or abides by different rules than terrestrial ecosystems.
Primary production and the origin of energy in this ecosystem is through the process of photosynthesis
Heterotrophs use respiration to obtain energy from the food they eat.
Marine organisms are not aerobic because they cannot “breathe” under water.
The oxygen available comes from H2O, not dissolved oxygen (DO) in the ecosystem which is exchanged
constantly with the atmosphere.
Chapter 5: Biological Concepts (Review only)
5-1. Building Blocks of Life
Review of the chemical basis of life: Carbs, Lipids, Proteins, Nucleic Acids
5-2. Cells
All life is made of two types of cells: Prokaryotes v Eukaryotes
Organelle review, especially those directly involved in protein synthesis, energy conversions, and
locomotion
5-3. Evolution and Natural Selection
Darwin’s theory of evolution by means of Natural selection and how it applies to marine
organisms
How sexual reproduction influences genetic variation and evolution
How varying conditions in an ecosystem create new species/biodiversity in the marine
ecosystem
5-4. Classification: Bringing Order to Diversity
Organization and naming of diverse organisms follows a set of rules that has been made more
accurate with advances in DNA technology
Chapter 6: Marine Microbes
6-1. Marine Viruses
Characteristics of Marine Viruses
Viral life cycles
Common viruses and symptoms
6-2 Marine Bacteria
Characteristics of marine bacteria
Cyanobacteria (Blue-green bacteria) and its role in net primary productivity (Photosynthetic
bacteria)
Chemosynthetic bacteria
Heterotrophic Bacteria (decomposers) and their role in the marine ecosystem
Nitrogen Fixing Bacteria
Symbiotic bacteria: reliant on survival relationships with another species
6-3. Archae
Extremophiles that live within a marine ecosystem
Halophiles, hyperthermophiles
6-4. Eukarya (Characteristics and example of..)
Marine Fungi
Stramenopiles
Haptophytes
Alveolates
Choanoflagellates
Amoeboid Protozoans
Chapter 7: Multicellular Primary Producers
7-1. Multicellular Algae
Seaweeds: Type and distribution of dependent on light availability ****
Green algae
Red Algae ****
Brown algae
Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) ****
7-2 Marine Flowering Plants
Seagrasses
Salt Marsh Plants
Mangroves
Chapter 8: Lower Invertebrates
8-1. What are Animals?
Definition of members of the Animal Kingdom
8-2. Sponges ****
Characteristics of members of the Phylum Porifera
Ecological role of Sponges
8-3. Cnidarians: Animals with Stinging Cells ****
Cnidarians: Jellyfish
Types of Jellys: (Scyphozoans v cubozoans) body form, stinging cells
Anthozoans: Sea Anemones, corals, gorgonians
Ecological role of Cnidarians
8-4. Ctenophores (Phylum Ctenophora) ****
Comb Jellies structure
Ecological Role of Comb Jellies
8-5 Bilateral Symmetry
Define: mid sagittal plane, dorsal, ventral, cephalization (Evolutionary importance)
8-6. Flatworms
Types of Flatworms: Tubellarians, Flukes and tapworms
8-7. Ribbon worms
Benthic or deep sea worms with ribbon like bodies
8-8. Lophophorates
Sessile worm-like organisms with ciliated tentacles for feeding
Chapter 9: Higher Invertebrates
9-1. Molluscs ****
Phylum Mollusca: Animals with soft bodies, usually covered by shells.
Body form
Representative species of the different Genus contained in this Phyla.
9-2. Annelids: The segmented worms
Phylum Annelida: the segmented worms
Body form
Representative species of the different Genus contained in this Phyla.
9-3. Nematodes
Phylum Nematoda: the round worms
9-4. Ecological Role of Marine worms
9-5. Arthropods: Animals with Jointed Appendages ****
Phylum Arthropoda:
Representative species of the different sub-Phyla and orders of Arthropods
Horseshoe Crabs, Sea spiders, Decapods, Mantis shrimp, Krill, Copepods, Barnacles
Ecological role of Arthropods
9-6. Arrowworms
Phylum Chetognatha
9-7. Echinoderms: Animals with Spiny Skin ****
Phylum Echinodermata:
Sea stars, Sea Urchins, and sea cucumbers
9-8. Hemichordates
Phylum Hemichordata: Acorn worms
9-9. Invertebrate Chordates
Phylum Chordata:
Tunicates, Cephalochordates
Chapter 10: Marine Fishes
10-1. Fishes and Other Vertebrates
Define Fish
10-2. Jawless Fish
Hagfish
Lampreys
10-3. Cartilaginous Fish ****
Sharks
Skates and Rays
10-4. Lobefins
10-5. Ray-Finned Fishes ****
Most common group: 26,000 different species
10-6. Biology of Fishes ****
Body shape
Coloration and Patterning
Locomotion
Respiration and Osmoregulation
Buoyancy Regulation
Nervous System and Senses
Digestion
Adaptations to extreme Cold
Adaptations to avoid predation
Reproduction
Larval Development
Fish Migrations
Chapter 11: Marine Reptiles and Birds
11-1. Marine Reptiles
Characteristics of Marine Reptiles
Marine Crocodiles
Sea Turtles ***
Marine Iguana
Sea Snakes
11-2. Seabirds
Adaptations for flight
Adapting to life in the sea
Shorebirds
Gulls and their relatives
Pelicans and their Relatives
Chapter 12: Marine Mammals
12-1. Characteristics of Marine Mammals
Define the traits that make up this class of organisms
12-2 Sea Otters
12-3. Polar Bears
12-4. Pinnipeds: ****
Seals, Sea Lions, and Walruses
12-5. Sirens: Manatees and Dugongs
12-6. Cetaceans: Whales and Their Relatives ****
General Characteristics
Adaptations for Diving
Behaviors
Types of Whales
Dolphins and Orcas
Unit 3: Marine Ecosystems (Chapters 13-18)
(December 1-January 1; 4 Weeks)
Enduring Understanding: Students will explore the interactions of the physical and biological
environments that make each ecosystem unique and how these factors influence the number and type of
organism that inhabit a given area.
Essential questions:
What are the different ecosystems in the ocean and how are they defined?
How have living things evolved over time in order to “fit” these environmental boundaries?
How do the biotic and abiotic factors within each community interact to define that ecosystem?
Common Misconceptions:
Because the ocean is one continuous body of water there is only one type of ecosystem present.
All marine ecosystems contain the same organisms with the same interactions and dependencies.
Chapter 13: Intertidal Communities
13-1. Rocky Shores
Adaptations to life on Rocky shores
Rocky shore Zonation: Temperate v tropical
Life and interactions on the Rocky Shore
13-2. Sandy Shore
Waves and sediments and their impact on Sandy shores
Life on the sandy shore
Effect of tides on life
Meiofauna
Sandy Shore Zonation
Chapter 14: Estuaries
14-1. Physical Characteristics of Estuaries
Types of Estuaries
Salinity and mixing patterns
Temperature
14-2. Estuarine Productivity
14-3. Life in an Estuary
Maintaining osmotic balance
Remaining Stationary in a changing Environment
Estuaries as nurseries
14-4. Estuarine Communities
Oyster Reefs
Mud Flats
14-5. Wetlands
Salt Marsh Communities
Mangrove Communities
14-6. Lagoons
Chapter 15: Coral Reef Communities
15-1. Reef corals and the formation of Reefs ****
Coral Colonies
Coral Nutrition
Reproduction in Corals
Reef Formation
15-2. Structure of a Coral Reef
Types of Reefs
Structure of a Reef
15-3. Distribution of Reefs
15-4. Comparison of Atlantic and Indo-Pacific Reefs
15-5. Coral Reef Ecology****
Source of Nutrients
Photosynthesis
Reef Productivity
15-6. Coral Reef Community ****
Competition among Corals
Competition among Reef Fishes
Effect of Grazing
Effect of Predation
Symbiotic Relationships
15-7. Adaptations of Reef Dwellers
Avoiding Predation
Feeding
Protective body covering
Role of Color
15-8. Threat to Coral Reef Communities ****
Importance of Reef communities
Effects of Human Activities
Bleaching and Coral Disease
Chapter 16: Continental Shelves and Neritic Zones
16-1. Continental Shelves
Waves, Currents, and Light
Role of Sediments
16-2. Benthic Communities
Hard-Bottom Communities
Kelp Communities
Rock Reefs
Soft-Bottom Communities
16-3. Neritic Zone
Food Chains in the Neritic Zone
Productivity in the Neritic Zone
Chapter 17: The Open Ocean
17-1. Life in the Open Sea
Classification of Plankton
Patchiness in the Open Ocean
Plankton Migration
Nekton: Invertebrates, Fish, Reptiles, Birds and Mammals
17-2. Survival in the Open Ocean
Competing for limiting resources
Remaining Afloat
Avoiding Predation
17-3. Ecology of the open Ocean
Productivity
Food webs
Chapter 18: Life in the Ocean’s Depths
18-1. Survival in the Deep Sea
Adaptations to cold
Adaptations to Pressure
18-2. Life in the Dark
Color in Deep Sea Organisms
Roles of Bioluminescence
Seeing in the dark
Finding mates
Finding food
18-3. Giants of the Deep
Giant Squid
Unexplored
18-4. Relicts from the Deep
18-5. Life in the Sea Bottom
Benthic Communities
Food Chains
Vent Communities