Bivalves In Burrowing Organisms

Limpets (Patella vulgate) live in algae rich environments on rocky shores. . It has been proposed that in more sheltered areas, limpet shells will grow to be flatter with a larger diameter, while in more exposed areas of coastline, they will grow a taller and narrower shell shape. To find out whether or not the shores of Aberdeen reflected this, samples were taken from two sites (Site A and Site B) along the Aberdeen coastline that varied in their exposure to wave action. The sites were chosen to provide two sample sites with a notable difference in their environment. In the more sheltered site A, limpets were not exposed to harsh waves, while at site B, there was significantly more wave action. Quadrats were used at both sites to provide an area of sampling for the limpets and they were placed around 5 meters from the waterline. The overall results from the study showed that there is a very strong relationship between diameter and height in Limpet shells and that there was an incredibly slight difference in the relationship between the two sites.

The origin of modern day whales, a mystery that has puzzled paleontologists for years, may have just been solved with the discovery of an ankle bone. This discovery might sound simple and unimportant, but the bones of these ancient animals hold many unanswered questions and provide solid proof of origin and behavior. The relationship between whales and other animals has proven to be difficult because whales are warm-blooded, like humans, yet they live in the sea. The fact that they are warm-blooded suggests that they are related to some type of land animal. However, the questions of exactly which animal, and how whales evolved from land to water, have remained unanswered until now.

First, the author asserts that being the kind of creature with so much mass, Brachiosaurus needed long legs to support them on land, yet the buoyancy would help share this burden. In the lecture, however, the professor indicates that Brachiosaurus were able to walk on land with the fossil tracks of such creatures

b) Connell showed that the realized niche of the barnacle semibalanus was the same as its fundamental niche by clearing the upper tidal reach of Cthamalus so

In marine mammal biology a large portion of the study is dedicated towards the study of adaptations to the marine environment. By comparing the anatomy between marine mammals and terrestrial mammals scientists can better understand evolutionary history of how these two categories of mammals diverged from one another. The purpose of this lab was to study the anatomy of different marine and terrestrial mammals and compare their similarities and differences in homologous traits and how adaptations were made specifically for marine mammals to survive the aquatic environment. To accomplish this bones of different species of animals were studied since these structures serve as the basis for comparison across species as well as an indicator of each animal’s individual morphology and physiology. A standard measurement protocol for bones of particular regions of the skeleton was established with emphasis on length versus width ratio as well as it’s overall size relative to its more complex features, i.e. humerus length versus hand length.

Today’s eastern oysters range from 3 to 5 inches in length, sometimes as much as 8 inches, although the oysters present during the colonization of the New World were documented to grow much larger (“Oyster History”). Oysters have many great characteristics in regard to their utility for humans as well as wildlife. The build ups of oyster bars, reefs, and beds provide habitat for many aquatic lifeforms and the filtration capabilities they possess is quite remarkable; as filter feeders, oysters feed on phytoplankton and small organisms while removing nutrients from the waters the inhabit, leaving them clear and pristine; just one oyster can filter more than 50 gallons in a day (“Oyster History”). Alas, it was a palatable constitution that made the eastern oyster so popular, creating an extensive economy based on its harvest. Unfortunately, this considerable popularity would ultimately bring the oyster’s

Elimia virginica is a gilled snail, meaning it breaths underwater. Similar studies have found that gastropods with tracheal gills are positively correlated with dissolved oxygen concentrations in streams and rivers, while obligate air breathers are negatively correlated (Chapman et al. 2004). Dissolved oxygen levels are thus a good indicator of where certain respiratory groups may expect to be found. Low levels of dissolved oxygen may also point to deteriorating water quality (Camara et al. 2012). Though temperatures in both these microhabitats were measured to be the same, typically colder bodies of water have higher dissolved oxygen

<b>Introduction</b><br>Think of a world which existed 290 million years ago. As you look out over the terane in front of you, you think that you are on an alien planet. You see volcanoes spewing ash and lava. Beside them is the ocean which is swarming with many different species of echinoderms, bryozoans and brachiopods. As you look down onto the sea floor you are amazed at the countless number of starfish and urchins. Some animals leave you can't even describe and you have no idea even what phylum they belong to. This is a world at its height in diversity of oceanic species. Millions of wonderous species existed at this time in the ocean and most of them will never appear again in earth's history. In the geologic time scale, a million

One hundred and fifty million years ago, large aquatic species of reptile such as the Plesiosaur dominated the ocean, and were pre-eminent predators of the sea. The branch of now extinct Plesiosaurs, or ‘near lizards', evolved into variant closely related species specialised to take different niches in the food chain. Such species of Plesiosaur include the phenotypically similar Plesiosauroid and Pliosauroid. The physiological adaptations of the long necked variant, the Plesiosauroid, as it relates to deep sea diving, will be addressed in depth.

Lobsters are benthic organisms because they on the ocean bottom (Townsend, 2012). These animals are on the bottom of the seabed and do not swim as much as organisms that never touch the seabed (Townsend, 2012). In this case, epifaunal is a word to characterize that lobsters live on the seabed (Townsend, 2012). Lobsters do not burry themselves into the seabed, but instead hind under rocks for protection from prey (Townsend, 2012). In addition, the mobility of lobsters was designed to catch prey and the mobility of a lobster is used for a survival technique that is heavily influenced based on feeding styles (Townsend, 2012). Furthermore, feeding styles increase growth in a lobster therefore molting and temperature of ocean are also important to study (Townsend, 2012). Studies are trying to find correlations that climate change can be linked to molting patterns, or with more carbon dioxide in the water lobsters carbon shells could be impacted (Townsend, 2012). Surprisingly, after over twenty years of studying many lobsters researcher Dr. Jelle Atema has come up with a detailed explanation for lobster mating behaviour where female lobster does not have a shell (University of Maine, 2016). On the other hand, Dr. Robert Steneck debates technology is best used to understand the lifestyle of a lobster (Gulf of Maine Research

Chelonibia is a genus of acorn barnacles in the family Chelonibiidae of the subphylum Crustacea, which up until 1830’s was considered in the subphylum molluscs because of their calcareous shell and sessile pattern ( source). Chelonibia members are epibionts that fasten themselves to many marine vertebrates such as whales, manatees, crabs, horseshoe crabs and turtles (source). They have also been documented on sea snakes, alligators and inanimate substrates, but are not typically found on classic barnacle habitat such as boats, rocks, or docks (source). These motile substrates enable epibionts to gather nutrients from the water flow and some of these organism support abundant and diverse epibiont communities (source). Five living species of Chelonibia have been described, Chelonibia ramose, Chelonibia careta, Chelonibia manati, and Chelonibia testudinaria, all of whom are obligate commensal with particular hosts- ranging from custaceans and chelicerates to sea turtles and sirenians (sourece). Not one of these barnacle species occur on all documented hosts; though C. testudinaria is found on all species of sea turtles (source).

Pinnotheres pisum resides as a parasite inside of bivalves (i.e., mussels, clams, oysters). The relationship between the pea crab and the bivalve is one of parasitism. The pea crab relies on the host (the bivalve) for protection, nutrients, and oxygen, which is harmful to the host.

Insects that live in water also exchange gases with the environment through the trachea. Air can be carried with the insect or it can diffuse into the tracheal system from the water. An example of this are diving beetles. Diving beetles carry a bubble of air under the elytra (wing covers) or trap the bubble of air against their body by specialised hairs. The bubbles one or more spiracle so that the insect can breathe air from the bubble when submerged in water. The air bubble only provides the diving beetle with a short- term supply of oxygen, therefore the bubble is also able to collect some of the oxygen molecules dissolved in the surrounding water. In effect, the bubble acts as a physical gill as it replenishes its supply of oxygen through

An investigation into the effects of varying seawater concentrations on two marine invertebrates’ osmoregulatory abilities; Carcinus maenas and Arenicola marina.

     Coral animals begin life as free-floating larvae, but settle on the sea floor in sedentary colonies. The term "coral" applies both to these animals and to their skeletons, particularly the skeletons of stone-like corals (Discover 1997).