Sandy Seafloor Research Paper

Moon Jellyfish are in the “Animalia Kingdom, Phylum Cnidarian, Class Scyphozoan, Order Semaeostomeae, Family Ulmaridae, and Genus Aurelia” ( Myers, 2016 ; Espinosa, ; 2016 ; Parr, 2016 ; Jones, 2026 ; Hammond, 2016 ; Dewey, 2016). The morphological description of Cnidarians are corals, sea anemones, jellyfish and hydroids. These cnidarians form a diverse phylum that contains ~9000 species, which live in aquatic (predominantly marine) environments. The phylum-defining trait of Cnidaria is the stinging cell, the nematocyte an extrusive organelle used for predation, adhesion and defense (Holstein, 1981; Lengfeld et al., 2009; Tardent and Holstein, 1982) (Steele and Technau; 2011). Also, this phylum, Cnidarians, are divided into two groups, “Anthozoa (sea anemones, corals and sea pens), which live as

The Ocean is a miraculous place filled to the brim with foreign creatures and wondrous wildlife. From the Great Orcas of the Antarctic waters to the minuscule plankton, these marine life conquer the ocean's depths, but it's not just the creatures that reside here. Coral occupy their fair share of space upon the ocean's floor filling the waters with their glamour and residential charm for those in search of shelter.

Mission beach of Queensland is a popular tourist destination. People come here to enjoy plenty of. It is a small village lies beside the Coral Sea. This location is filled with many enticing elements. Such as- it is surrounded by world heritage rain forest and Great Barrier Reef.

The sandy shores of beaches can be considered as a very harsh environment to live in (Ted Klenk, 1999). Survival in such a habitat requires an organism to withstand strong wave and current action, tidal rise and fall, unstable substrate, heavy predation and wide variations in salinity and temperature (The Otter Island Project). Any organism found in this type of harsh environment is specialized and highly adapted (The Otter Island Project).

Kelp forests are seen as the ultimate ecological engineer in coastal areas. They exist in marine environments spanning in southern California, Aleutian Islands, and the western north Atlantic. Light, latitude, and water temperature and nutrients all play a role in facilitating the growth of kelp forests all around the world, (Bolton). Kelp specifically dominates the shallow rocky coasts of the world‘s cold water marine habitats. Although they look as a free-growing plant, they are in fact primarily of brown algae. These structures provide food and shelter to a huge mix of biota, including crabs, sea urchins, mollusks, and other marine organisms (Steneck). The fronds, or large leaves of the kelp are the distinctive feature that can represent where a specific kelp may be found. The sizes of these organisms can range from the smallest found near California and Alaska at 5m to giant kelp up to 45m in length found on the west coasts of North and South America (Hamilton).

Echinoderms such as starfish, sea cucumbers, and urchins are identified by their symmetry and central mouth. This species is found decorating the coral reefs by their variety of color and sizes. Because some of these animals like to burrow in the sand, they can supply oxygen to some of the depths in the ocean. Echinoderms are a staple food in many sea animals diet.

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

The variations of tidal levels have created different degrees of sun and air exposure that have resulted in three zones, generally, the supra-littoral zone, littoral zone and the sub-littoral zone (See Appendix A, Figure 3). Diverse animal and plant organisms excel at surviving and dealing with different degrees of abiotic and biotic factors and as a result the rocky shore ecosystem is comprised of a series of bands known as vertical, or in this instance, intertidal zonation (See Appendix A, Figure 1). Abiotic stresses such as light intensity and wave action typically set the upper boundaries where as biotic stresses set the lower boundaries and limit the distribution of many organisms to particular strata (See Appendix A, Figure 2). It is due to the species distribution among the different zones that the rocky shore ecosystems cannot be defined as a uniform habitat, rather a dynamic and complex one (Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre, 2013).

global concern, leaving many to question, is there a remedy for the misfortunes that befall with ocean desertification?

Mytilus Californianus are known as California mussels that form dense mussel beds and considered one of the most abundant intertidal organisms. They are found clustered together in the upper-middle zone on the open coast. Mytilus Californianus attach themselves to rocks by byssal threads. They have geographic range from the Aleutian Islands of Alaska to northern Mexico of Baja California (Morris et al. 1980). “It provides habitat, refuge, and provides food for over 300 other species” including human (rust, 2011). For long period of time, human use these mussels as a food source. These mussels can grow up to 130 to 150mm in size but the process usually is attained in three years. Scientists

The intertidal rocky shore of Caloundra Beach is inhabited by diverse range of biodiversity of animals and plants, many of which have developed high levels of adaptations throughout their existence. The very boundary of marine and terrestrial ecosystem, this environment is subjected to extremes of the physical environment such as temperature, desiccation, wave turbulence as well the ecological interactions that commonly occur in biotic communities (e.g. competition, predation). However Rocky intertidal shores are easily accessible by humans and provide an enjoyable opportunity for passive recreation and for science and environmental education as well.

Marine Sediments are the particles of organic or inorganic matter that accumulates in a loose, unconsolidated form. After the continuous raining of sediments, the deep floors have varied from centimeters of thickness per year. When we think of sediment, we think have erosion of minerals that were once on land, remains of living organisms, and chemical reactions that associate with the ocean (terrigenous,biogenic, hydrogenous, and cosmogenic ). This process has helped determine the age of the seafloor and what it may be in the future. Sediments are like the memory of the ocean, due to the recycled tectonic plates, only dates back to 180 million years ago. Although the ocean cannot reveal its early history, sufficient evidence has allowed

Based on our results, our hypothesis that the Aiptasia will adapt to living conditions that are like their control and die in extreme conditions was correct to an extent. The anemones did survive in the salinities that were close to their original salinity of 1.021 sg and died when placed in the two most extreme conditions. However, a few of the tanks slowly started to increase in salinity and got within one ppt of reaching the extreme and the anemones did not die. It was observed that when directly placed in the extreme conditions they will die, but if the salinity is slowly increased the anemones will adapt to it and survive. In order to determine if the anemones adapt to an increase in salinity over time, more studies will need to be done

Beaches are one of the leading places that everyone wants to know, live or travel at least once in their lives. A place where you can relax, do activities and also spend time with friends and family. Beaches are also well-known for their beautiful landscapes at sunset. However, the beaches are currently experiencing some factors that is causing risks not only to the people who live there, but also for the variety of animals that depends from this ecosystem.

One of the organisms I have chosen, the Red Waratah anemone (Actinia tenebrosa) was found in the mid tide zone and the low tide zone. This anemone is the main prey of the predator Grey side-gilled sea slug, which is the other organism I have chosen,