Algae Eaters

Sargassum is used by larvae to travel to other locations and this allows the ocean to be more diverse. They also produce oxygen since they are photosynthetic. Algae is not a Linnaean classification but they are in kingdom Chromista and Plantae. Algae has three grouping of brown, red, and green algae. Brown algae contain chlorophyll an and c and are in kingdom Chromista. Red algae contain a pigment called phycobilins and only contain chlorophyll and are in kingdom Plantae. They are used as a food additive in ice cream and used in sushi. In their blooms they become known as the red tide and will secrete nerve toxins in the water. Green algae contain chlorophyll a and b and are in kingdom Plantae. Some of the common are dead mans finger, sea lettuce, and mermaids

In this research paper I will talk about how a large decrease in the algae population in the Chesapeake Bay will cause problems for not just fish and other species but the people who fish and make a living off of it. A large decrease in algae population will have a domino effect on the food chain. Having a major decrease in algae will hurt how others species live and protect themselves.

The Eastern Oyster filters water of algae, phytoplankton, sediments, and chemicals to feed while it also keeps the water

To determine the principals of osmoregulation, we sampled two lobsters from each tank and there were three different tanks which the water ranged in salinity. The experiment is to determine whether the six lobsters tested are osmoregulators or osmoconformers, this is done by obtaining a sample of hemolymph. The first step of the lab is to prepare the needle and syringe that will be taking the hemolymph. The syringe size was 1 ml, and the intention is to collect between 0.5 and 1.0 ml of hemolymph. The needle size was 20 gauge, because anything smaller would destroy the hemolymph cells. Then the lobster was picked up with a firm grim around the dorsal celphao-thorax region and flipped over to expose the ventral side. The

Algae blooms have been an issue in the Chesapeake Bay, especially in the Baltimore Inner Harbor. Algae is a natural and critical part of the ecosystem, however in large doses it is harmful to the plants and organisms within the ecosystem. Algae blooms can block out sunlight and kill other plants in the water. Algae depends on various factors such as water, nutrients and carbon dioxide to grow. Eutrophication of the Inner Harbor has lead to algae blooms that have caused large fish kills in the past. When there is an over abundance of certain chemical nutrients eutrophication can occur. Runoff from land and farms is the main cause of excess nutrients into the water. The most common nutrients that are related to algae outbreaks are nitrate nitrogen and phosphate. In addition, a lack of dissolved oxygen can also be an indicator for the process of eutrophication and risk of an algae outbreak. A particular type of algae commonly found in Maryland is known as Prorocentrum minimum. Prorocentrum tends to cause “mahogany tides” causing water to be brown and have an odor. There has been a campaign launched by the Healthy Harbor

The size of this algae ranges from microscopic, to macroalage, which is large, visible pieces of algae that form on the bottom of sediments.Certain types of algae can produce dangerous chemicals which are harmful to humans, wildlife, and aquatic creatures. Although these different algae are harmful, there aren’t enough of them to make a dent in the amount of life there is in the Chesapeake Bay. With such little amounts of toxic algae, much of it becomes a vital food source, which could cause an issue if the amount of it were to drop. Without this algae, many of the animals would begin to die off because there would not be be enough food for all of them. If this does happen, there would be many dead animals floating and decomposing in the water. The main animals that feed off the algae are smaller fish. Which, with these smaller fish dying, the larger fish and other animals would also begin dying off since the smaller fish are their food source.

Daphnia usually eat algae and other small bacteria. They are filter feeders which allow them to eat because they are eating the bacteria that is found in the water as they filter it.

There are several environmental concerns affecting the community of Lusby, Maryland, but of main concern is the cyanobacteria growing in the Chesapeake Bay. The blue-green algae called cyanobacteria is infesting the waterways in and around Lusby causing a hazard to the community. According to National Geographic (n.d.), the Chesapeake Bay was one of the first waterways recognized in the 1970s having overgrowth of cyanobacteria. Cyanobacteria contains both an algae and a bacteria and when growth exceeds space and the algae begins to die, two issues occur: toxins are produced and released which are harmful to both humans and animals and hypoxia follows as oxygen is consumed in excessive creating a dead zone in the water for all other living

Along the coasts of rocky beaches, an intricate ecological community inhabits the ‘rocky intertidal’ areas. The variety of rocks is home to an array of slimy, squishy, and colorful organisms. This intertidal community is comprised of nine species: three different algae, three stationary filter-feeders, and three mobile consumers. The three algae, Nori Seaweed, Black Pine, and Coral Weed, are the community’s producers and inhabit the bottom of the food chain. The next three species are stationary consumers. They are Mussel, Goose Neck Barnacle, and Acorn Barnacle. Because of their consumer status, they are more competitively dominant than algae. The last three components are the mobile consumers: Whelk, Chiton, and Starfish. They

In general, top predators and green plants are common because of the different community organisms such as the Chippewa Natural Forest that is in total disorder. These species come and go as free spirits and their colonization’s possible extinction are not determined by the presence or absence of other species (Wilson, 1992, p. 163). In fact, the amount of biodiversity is considered a random process in which the species fail to coexist except by accident. Secondly, some species are closely independent, that the food web is design so rigid the symbioses is so tightly bound and the community is virtually a super organism (Wilson, 1992, p. 16). Therefore, one species such as the Acadian flycatcher or goblin fern is a super organism, that thousands

As part of our ongoing project on lemon sharks in St Joseph Atoll, we observe captive sharks for a short time to collect baseline data. To do this, we built a tidal pen to hold a single shark for observation. In an afternoon's work, four of us (Minion, the boat, is a crucial member of the team) constructed a 115 m2 pen, which is roughly the size of four American parking spaces. It provides enough space for the shark to comfortably swim and for us to record various changes in speed, direction and depth to later ground truth. Why do we need to observe the captive sharks? Check back in early September for more on baseline data collection for activity trackers on sharks. In the meantime, enjoy the time lapse of an afternoon in the field.

The group of crabs known as fiddler crabs actually encompasses over 90 species and subspecies of the genus Uca that come from a variety of locations. Males and females are quite easily distinguished by their claws - the females have small claws, but the males have one very large claw (see photos of males and females). The largest fiddler crabs only reach a mature size of about 2 inches across their

Diet of Krill: Krill feed on phytoplankton, copepods, zooplankton, and algae. The number of these species would likely increase

Anderson, D. M., Burkholder, J. M., Cochlan, W. P., Glibert, P. M., Gobler, C. J., Heil, C. A., & ... Vargo, G. A. (2008). Harmful algal blooms and eutrophication: Examining linkages from selected coastal regions of the United States. Harmful Algae, 8(HABs and Eutrophication), 39-53. doi:10.1016/j.hal.2008.08.017

To continue, erosion is also a prominent cause that brings contaminants into watercourses[ix]. Other important toxins that can end up in the water cycle and affect water quality, plants and animal[x] are metal sources found in fertilizers, animal feed and manure, such as the nutrients of copper, zinc, manganese and iron.[xi] Finally, high concentration of nutrient waste, such as domestic sewage effluents, can cause cyanobacteria to expand[xii]. Once water contaminants reach a lake in large concentration, cyanobacteria can suddenly develop and “result in safe water bodies becoming a toxic soup[xiii]”.