The Ocean 's Unique Creatures

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).

An entire new world, different from our own exists beneath the surface of our oceans. This life is full of color, shapes, sizes, wonder, and even darkness. Much of this life has yet to be explored but we still know that beneath the waves exist the most beautiful creatures and the most bizarre. Magical areas such as the coral reef and mysterious areas such as the depths of the ocean are homes to over 700,000 species that live in the ocean. This includes the eighty percent of the ocean that has yet to be explored. Even though there may be separate oceans on this planet, they are still interconnected by a body of salt water. No area of the ocean is the same, which brings us to the wonderful fact that so many different species are able to flourish

It is a very common photosynthetic dinoflagellate found year round in the Gulf of Mexico. These dinoflagellates have two whip like appendages that enable them to propel themselves through the open water. K. brevis thrive in warm waters with high salinity. The Gulf of Mexico meets these conditions perfectly which is where there is such an abundance of K. brevis in the area. The region where K. brevis blooms the most is along the West Florida Shelf, extending from Key West all the way to the Panhandle coast in the North. In this region, there is discharge from several rivers and coastal upwelling will often occur (Li and Weisberg, 1999). The currents in this area are influenced by win and tides, and the Continental Shelf contributes to the circulation. This zone is a shallow ecosystem that has a wide variety of communities and sections. These include mangroves, seagrass banks, and coral barrier reeds. This area is very diverse and serves the economy in more ways than one. It is important for commercial fishing and for tourism. It is important that the water quality remains in good condition because it is in this area that the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, and the Everglades National Park are located. Blooming season in these regions typically begins around August and will last all the way through to early Spring, around March. More than 80% of K. brevis blooms have taken place in

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

<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

living in their bodies. These plants help feed the corals, soak up their wastes and

While paddle boarding with friends after work, I looked down and saw a silhouette on the ocean floor that I had never seen before. I am a paddleboard instructor and eco-tour guide, so I am familiar with the sea life in my local waterways. This could be something that I’ve never found or seen before and I began to get super excited. I stopped paddling immediately. My friends were now a bit ahead of me as I continued to stare down, but curiosity got the best of me. We were at Stump Pass Beach State Park, and it was mid January. I knew the water was going to be chilly, but I didn’t care. I had to dive in.

The Deep sea ecosystem has been classified as the largest ecosystem compared to all other ecosystems within the world (Martin, 2003). The main characteristics of this ecosystem is that it experiences very low oxygen levels, the water temperature is extremely cold, the pressure within this area is very high and sunlight do not penetrate to these depths. The species that do live within this environment are highly adapted to these harsh conditions such as the Cookie-cutter Shark (Isistius brasiliensis) (Figure 02). This essay will mainly focus on the Cookie-cutter Shark as well as

Kelp forests are “a source of food and habitat for dozens of other coastal species” (qtd. in Soulé et al 1240). Therefore, to maintain the diversity and richness of the coastal marine ecology, kelp forests should be preserved.

Squids are abundant in all oceans around the world, but the Caribbean Reef Squid lives from 2m below water to the deep depths of the ocean. The Reef squid has 10 tentacles; 8 around its mouth for feeding, and 2 long club-like tentacles for grasping

The Kelp has a rich supply of iodine, calcium, sulfur, and silicon in their tissue. Kelp is also a dietary supplement for humans. Another plant species, The Open-Brain Coral, also contributes to the ocean floor. The Open- Brain Coral is found in major coral reefs of the world. This specific type of coral looks like a human brain that was split open. They feed after sunset, and eat many types of small creatures with tentacles. There are also various types of seaweed in many sorts of types of colors. The Red Algae is one of the old types of algae in the ocean. It contains over 7,000 species. There are various different types of animals that lie beneath the ocean floor. Then there are many different types of creatures. The Clownfish is a rare fish that reaches 4.3 inches in length. There are about 30 known species of Clownfish. All are born male, but have the ability to switch their sex, but only to become the dominant female of the group. The Giant Tube Worms reach up to 8 feet in length and 1.6 inches in diameter. They grow rapidly and quickly. They don’t have eyes, mouth, stomach, or legs, so they crawl to get around. They can survive in complete darkness, on dept of 5.280 feet. Tube Worms live in symbiosis, a mutually beneficial

In conclusion marine life is very diverse and strange. They have stunning beauty and amazing defensive mechanisms. They have been around for millions of years but haven’t looked like they do since about 1 million years ago. Marine life has adapted to live in very shallow water or very deep water. Marine life has fascinated humanity for hundreds of

The word plankton originates from the Greek word for “wandering.” Refers to the diverse group of plants and animals that spend some or all of their life cycle drifting in the water of oceans or freshwater lakes. Plankton is abundant and important within the marine environment. Most fo the Earth’s biomass, the mass of living organisms, consist of plankton adrift in the oceans. Ninety-eight percent of marine species are bottom dwelling, but the vast majority of the ocean’s biomass is planktonic. Many of these organisms are capable of locomotion, but are generally unable to move independently of currents and waves. This lack of strong swimming ability separates plankton from nekton, which include organisms that can control their

The surface layer of the ocean is the epipelagic zone. This zone is from the surface of the ocean to about 200 meters down. Since this zone is close to the surface the currents move at a fast speed. These currents carry nutrients throughout the zone. This zone has most of the life in the ocean because the sunlight penetrates the water here. The animals that live here range from whales to small phytoplankton. These phytoplankton use the nutrients in the water and the sunlight to produce their own food. This is how the phytoplankton survived, the phytoplankton themselves were used as food for other animals. Some of these animals that eat the plankton are small fish but not only fish eat them whales also eat them. The temperature of the water ranges from

They have a long, flat mouth in the center of their body. They usually inhabit flat surfaces in the water, and can be found on rubble or soft substrates and can be find at depths from 1 meter to 25 meters underwater. Their tentacles are extended all the time which release a mucus with a toxin that can kill other coral and fish if threatened. The main source of nutrition the coral receives is a symbiotic relationship with bacteria that live in it's mouth but it can kill and digest other animals if needed, their tentacles will help feed the organism by pulling in small morsels of food and bring it to the mouth of the coral. Mushroom coral can reproduce sexually or asexually, if they reproduce sexually, sperm and eggs are released into the water, when the egg is fertilized the larvae will settle on a substrate overnight. if it reproduces asexually then a new polyp will grow off the parent and anchor itself via a stalk which gives the organism its name, when it gets mature enough the stalk will dissolve and the new coral will sink to the bottom of the water and is now mobile, it will now continue to grow and