Transcript unit 3 notes

Lesson 17:
Plankton
Marine Biology
WHAT EXACTLY ARE PLANKTON?
1. Plankton are weakly swimming or drifting organisms
2. “Plankton” is not a single species but a large
group of organisms that fall into two primary categories:
• Phytoplankton (photosynthetic organisms)
• Zooplankton (animals)
3. Many are microscopic, some visible to the naked eye
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WHY ARE PLANKTON IMPORTANT?
 Important part of global carbon cycle
 Food source (basis of the food web)
 Producer of oxygen (photosynthesis)
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PHOTOSYNTHESIS PRIMER
 Recall from biology that autotrophs (aka primary producers) like plants or
algae create carbohydrates (usable energy) from light through
photosynthesis:
CO2 + H2O  C6H12O6 (carbohydrate) + O2(oxygen)
 This energy supplies entire food webs as organisms are eaten up the food
Heterotrophs
Autotrophs
chain
Sun
(primary
producers)
Solar
energy
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(consumers)
Plant/animal
energy sources
(carbohydrates)
PLANKTON ARE AN ENERGY SOURCE FOR
MARINE ECOSYSTEMS

Many plankton are primary producers

Over 90% of marine primary production (energy produced) is from
phytoplankton! The rest is from marine plants and other sources.
Photo: NOAA
This map shows
productivity in the
Oceans
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Red and
yellow are most
productive, followed
by green and blue.
Black is least
productive.
HOW ARE PLANKTON STUDIED?
 Collected with special nets and sampling
bottles
 Underwater cameras
 Microscopes
 Satellites
Bongo nets may be
towed over the side
of the ship to
collect plankton.
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SATELLITES CAN ALSO HELP SCIENTISTS STUDY
PLANKTON
 Satellites equipped with color
scanners measure the concentration
of chlorophyll in the ocean
Maine
 Red and orange indicate higher
concentration of chlorophyll, while
blue and green represent lower
concentrations
 Chlorophyll is an indicator of
plankton and can be used to study
plankton populations
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Satellite image of the Gulf of Maine,
May 2002
DO ORGANISMS SPEND THEIR ENTIRE LIVES AS
PLANKTON?
 Holoplankton spend their
entire life cycle as
plankton
 Examples include
dinoflagellates, diatoms
and krill
Diatom (Unicellular phytoplankton)
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DO ORGANISMS SPEND THEIR ENTIRE LIVES AS
PLANKTON?
 Meroplankton spend only a part of their life cycle drifting
 As they mature they become nekton (free swimmers) or benthic
(crawlers)
 Examples include fish and crab larvae
Crab larva
(zooplankton)
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Phylum: Athropoda
Sub-phylum: Crustacea
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Decapoda (Five pairs
of legs)
SECRET LIFE OF PLANKTON
 https://www.ted.com/talks/the_secret_life_of_plankton
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HOW ARE PHYTOPLANKTON DIFFERENT FROM
ZOOPLANKTON?
Zooplankton
Phytoplankton
 Producers
 Consumers (including
herbivores and carnivores)
 Single cells or chains of cells
including the smallest
plankton – picoplankton (0.2 2 microns)
 Include microscopic and
macroscopic organisms
 Remain near the surface
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 May vertically migrate (to a
depth of 200m) during the day
for protection but resurface at
night to feed
HOW DO SCIENTISTS IDENTIFY PLANKTON?
 Scientists collect samples and carefully observe their
characteristics
 They communicate these observations with sketches and
photographs
 Today, you’re the scientist!
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ACTIVITY: IDENTIFYING PLANKTON
 You will see ten slides depicting specimens you found during a NOAA
expedition.
Note: They are from different tows representing different oceans and
different depths.
 Each slide will be visible for 2 minutes.
 As the slides are shown, observe and, using a pencil, sketch each sample on
your worksheet.
 If there is more than one specimen on the slide, choose one to draw.
 Note body shape, projections, sensory organs, appendages, type of covering
and degree of transparency.
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ACTIVITY: IDENTIFYING PLANKTON
• For each sample, write your hypothesis about the following
two questions:
•Is the organism phytoplankton or zooplankton?
• Is it holoplankton or meroplankton?
• Following the drawing section, use your sketches and
resources to identify the specimens. You may work in teams
of 2-3 for this part.
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PLANKTON OBSERVATION WORKSHEET
Specimen # ___________
Characteristics: Description
Body shape/Tail/flagella/appendages/eyes
Transparency/gills/other features
______________________
______________________
______________________
sketch
Circle one from each category:
Phytoplankton or Zooplankton
Holoplankton or Meroplankton
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EXAMPLES OF PLANKTON
SPECIMEN #1
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SPECIMEN #2
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SPECIMEN #3
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SPECIMEN #4
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SPECIMEN #5
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SPECIMEN #6
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SPECIMEN # 7
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SPECIMEN #8
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SPECIMEN #9
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SPECIMEN #10
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END OF DRAWING SECTION
Now use your drawings to identify your specimens. Use any
resources you have available or view the rest of the slides to
discuss the specific organisms used.
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PLANKTON IDENTIFIED
SPECIMEN #1 MIXED DIATOMS
 Phytoplankton common in
nutrient rich temperate, polar,
coast and open ocean
 Important oxygen producer
 Occur as a single cell or in
chains
Beautiful marine diatoms as seen
through a microscope.
 Covered in shells made of silica
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Image ID: corp2365, NOAA At The Ends of the Earth
Collection
Photographer: Dr. Neil Sullivan, University of Southern
Calif.
SPECIMEN #2 AMPHIPOD
 Simple crustacean with
jointed exoskeleton
 Use enlarged first
antenna to swim
 Among the most
common animals on
Earth (most abundant of
the net zooplankton)
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Zooplankton- hyperid amphipod
(Thermisto pacifica)
Image ID: fish3229, NOAA's Fisheries Collection
Photographer: Matt Wilson/Jay Clark, NOAA NMFS AFSC
SPECIMEN #3 – COPEPOD WITH EGGS
 Bristly appendages act as
paddles and create water
currents that draw individual
phytoplankton cells close to
feed on
 Many feed on zooplankton
using claw like appendages to
grab prey
Zooplankton. Copepod with eggs.
 Eggs are attached to the tail
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Image ID: fish3261, NOAA's Fisheries Collection
Photographer: Matt Wilson/Jay Clark, NOAA NMFS AFSC
SPECIMEN #4 – FISH LARVAE
 Coastal waters are rich in
meroplankton (temporary
members of the plankton)
 Nearly all marine fish have
planktonic larvae
 Fish larvae may change from
herbivores to carnivores as
they grow
Zooplankton. Fish larvae.
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Image ID: fish3363, NOAA's Fisheries Collection
Photographer: Matt Wilson/Jay Clark, NOAA NMFS AFSC
SPECIMEN #5 COPEPODS
Although usually found
near the surface plankton
may also be collected at
all depths even over
hydrothermal vents in
the deep sea
Pacific Ring of Fire Expedition. Some common zooplankton (mostly
copepods) collected near the surface over East Diamante volcano.
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Image ID: expl0102, Voyage To Inner Space - Exploring the Seas With NOAA
Collect
Location: Mariana Arc region, Western Pacific Ocean
Photo Date: 2004 April
Credit: Pacific Ring of Fire 2004 Expedition. NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration;
Dr. Bob Embley, NOAA PMEL, Chief Scientist
SPECIMEN #6 CRAB LARVA
 Some invertebrates have
a whole series of
different larval stages

Charleston Bump Expedition. Zooplankton. Crab larva.
Image ID: expl0215, Voyage To Inner Space - Exploring the Seas With NOAA Collect
Location: Southeast of Charleston, South Carolina
Photo Date: 2003 August 10
Photographer: Jerry Mclelland
Credit: Charleston Bump Expedition 2003. NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration; Dr. George
Sedberry, South Carolina DNR, Principal Investigator
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SPECIMEN # 7 DINOFLAGELLATES
 Unicellular, phytoplankton
 Most have a cell wall (theca) with
plates of cellulose with spines and
pores
 May form blooms that color the
water “Red Tides” or Harmful Algal
Blooms (HABs)
 Produce bioluminescence (light)
 Some dinoflagellates live in
symbiotic relationships with corals,
giant clams, sea anemones. 33
Source: NOAA
SPECIMEN #8 KRILL
 Not as abundant as copepods
they aggregate into huge,
dense schools
 Prefer colder polar waters
 Feed on diatoms and solid
wastes of other zooplankton
 Important food for whales

 Tread water to stay afloat
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Krill
Image ID: sanc0126, NOAA's Sanctuaries Collection
Location: Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary
Photographer: Jamie Hall
SPECIMEN #9 MOON JELLY
 Gelatinous zooplankton
 Common in temperate and
tropical waters
 Stinging cells are not toxic and
don’t sting like other jellyfish
 95% water but serve as food for
many animals including turtles
 Feed by producing a sticky
mucus that traps other plankton
 Reproduce sexually and
asexually
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
Image ID: reef2547, NOAA's Coral Kingdom Collection
Photographer: Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
Staff
Credit: Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
(moon jelly)
SPECIMEN #10 OCTOPUS LARVA
 Temporary members of
the plankton, octopus and
squid become nektonic
(free swimming) and
benthic (crawling)
 Giant squid are the largest
invertebrates in the ocean
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Zooplankton. Octopus larva.
Image ID: fish3612, NOAA's Fisheries Collection
Photographer: Matt Wilson/Jay Clark, NOAA NMFS AFSC
Lesson 18: Invertebrates
Marine Biology
SPINELESS CREATURES
 Invertebrates are animals
that lack a backbone
 You may know many
examples of these creatures
that live in the ocean:
jellyfish, sponges, corals,
crabs
 Can you think of others?
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Classification Overview
Common Invertebrates
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Porifera
Cnidaria
Mollusca
Arthropoda
Echinodermata
SPONGES: PHYLUM PORIFERA
 Phylum: Porifera “Pore Bearer”
The
yellow tube sponge,
Flagellum
purple vase sponge, red
encrusting sponge and
 Collar cells have flagella and draw water into the gray rope sponge
 Simple heterotrophs with two cell types:
sponge’s central cavity (diagram right)
 Epithelial cells line the sponge’s outer surface
 Reproduce asexually by budding or sexually by
release of sex cells (gametes) into the water
 Filter feeders: feed by filtering suspended materials
out of water
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Collar
cell
Photo: NOAA
SPONGES
 Contain a few specialized cells
 Asymmetrical, no symmetry
PHYLUM CNIDARIA: THE STINGING NETTLES
 Cnidarians include corals, anemones, sea
fans, and jellyfish

 Cnidarian characteristics:
 Radial symmetry – they are symmetrical
around a single point, like a clock
 Carnivorous
 Two tissue layers separated by a jelly layer
(mesoglea)
 Nematocysts – structures on their tentacles
that have stinging toxins
Cnidarian
This
purpleTaxonomy
striped jellyfish
Some Common
Classes
(Pelagia
panopyra)
has a
potent sting
Kingdom
Animalia
Photo:
NOAA
Phylum
Cnidaria
Classes
Anthozoa – anemones,
Corals
Scyphozoa – jellyfish
Hydrozoa – fire corals,
Portuguese Man-of-War
CNIDARIANS
 Phylum Cnidaria
 Examples: jellyfishes, sea fans,
sea anemones, hydras, corals
 Polyp and medusa stages of life
SOME SPECIAL CNIDARIAN SPECIES PROFILES
Fire coral
Class: Hydrozoa
Order: Capitata
These are in a different
class than typical hard
corals - you will get a mild
burn if you touch them!
Photo: NOAA
These are in a different
class than jellyfish, they
are colonies – specialized
polyps
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Photo: NOAA
Portuguese Man-of-War
Class: Hydrozoa
Order: Siphonophora
HOW DO JELLYFISH STING?
 http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-does-a-jellyfish-sting-neosha-skashef
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CLASSWORK/HOMEWORK
 Complete the SPONGES AND CNIDARIANS packet in a group.
 Completed? Turn it in.
 Not finished? Finish it tonight but turn it in INDIVIDUALLY
tomorrow.
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WHAT IS AN ARTIFICIAL REEF?
 Let’s find out!
 Blue Planet: Coral Seas next class…
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MOLLUSKS
 Phylum Mollusca
 Examples: snails, slugs, clams, squids, and
octopi
 Soft-bodied animals that have typically
have an internal or external shell
 True coelom, complex organ systems
 Trochophore: free-swimming larvae
PHYLUM MOLLUSCA: THREE DEFINING TRAITS
 Mollusks include oysters, clams,
mussels, conchs, snails, sea slugs,
squid and octopuses
 Most mollusks have three traits
 Mantle: a muscular bag surrounding
the gills and other organs for
circulation
 A muscular foot for movement
 A radula: a rough scraping appendage
for feeding or protection 48
Mollusca Taxonomy
Some Common Classes
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Mollusca
Classes
Gastropoda – snails, sea slugs
Bivalvia – clams, oysters,
scallops, mussels
Cephalopoda – squid, octopus
SOME MOLLUSKS
Photos: NOAA
Foot
Spiny oyster
Class: Bivalvia
Octopus
Class: Cephalopoda
The foot of the octopus is divided into
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eight arms.
Bivalves have two shells and no typical
“head” like other mollusks
A MOLLUSK WALKS UP TO A SEA CUCUMBER. THE SEA
CUCUMBER TURNS TO THE MOLLUSK AND SAYS 'WITH
FRONDS LIKE THESE, WHO NEED ANEMONES?
 Octopus gets off boat
 The Survival Game (15 minutes)
 During class work on the MOLLUSK packet. Turn in individually
at the start of class tomorrow.
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PHYLUM ATHROPODA:
SUPERCLASS/SUBPHYLUM CRUSTACEA
 Arthropods are land and sea “bugs”
 Crustaceans include shrimps, crabs, lobsters,
copepods and barnacles
 About 1 million species exist
Crustacean Taxonomy
Some Common Classes
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Arthropoda
Subphylum
Crustacea
 Crustacean characteristics:
 Two pairs of antennae
 Mandibles for chewing
 Hard exoskeleton
 Jointed legs
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Classes
Cirripedia – barnacles
Copepoda – copepods
Malacostraca – shrimp, lobster,
crabs
CLASSWORK/HOMEWORK
 Turn in the MOLLUSK packet at the start of class for full
credit.
 What is/was the KRAKEN?
 Work on the MUSSEL/CLAM DISSECTION packet. Packets will be
due at the end of class tomorrow (our dissection day!).
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ARTHROPODS
 Phylum Arthropoda
 Examples: spiders, centipedes,
insects, crustaceans
 Segmented bodies, tough
exoskeleton, cephalization, jointed
appendages
SOME COMMON CRUSTACEANS
Photos: NOAA
Rock lobster
Sub-phylum
Crustacea
Class
Malacostraca
Order
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Decapoda
Copepod
Sub-phylum
Crustacea
Class
Copepoda
Order
Harpacticoida
THE SHAPE OF LIFE
 Marine Arthropods: A Successful Design
 Answer the questions during the 9 minute video!
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PHYLUM ECHINODERMATA: THE OCEAN’S STARS
 Include sea stars (starfish), sea
urchins, sand dollars and sea
cucumbers
 Most echinoderms have these traits:
 Tube feet for motion
 Radial symmetry (adults)
 Symmetry around a single point
 A water vascular system that circulates
seawater
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Echinoderm Taxonomy
Some Common Classes
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Echinodermata
Classes
Asteroidea – sea stars
Ophiuroidea – brittle stars
Holothuroidea – sea cucumbers
Echinoidea – sea urchins
ECHINODERMS
 Phylum Echinodermata “spiny skin”
 Examples: sea stars, sea urchins, sand
dollars, brittle stars, sea cucumbers,
sea lilies, and feather stars
 Live in the sea
 Internal skeleton
 Water vascular system with tube feet
 Most adults have 5 part radial
symmetry
SOME ECHINODERMS
Source: NOAA
Sea urchin
Phylum
Echinodermata
Sunflower
star
Phylum
Echinodermata
Class
Asteroidea
Order
Forcipulatida
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Class
Echinoidea
THE SHAPE OF LIFE
 Echinoderms: The Ultimate Animal
 Answer the questions during the 14 minute video!
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CRUSTACEANS SUPPORTING ECOSYSTEMS
 Copepods are tiny crustaceans and one of the most abundant
forms of multicellular life in the ocean
 Why do you think they might be important for marine food
webs?
 They are food for many different types of marine life including
sea birds, small fish and whales
 In this way, they are a very important part of marine
ecosystems, providing a foundation for marine food webs
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SOME OF THE LIFE SUPPORTED BY COPEPODS
Tuna
Photos: NOAA
Whale
Shark
Copepod
Auklet
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Herring
CLASSWORK/HOMEWORK
 Do the ARTHROPODS and ECHINODERMS packet.
 Tomorrow: Life: Creatures of the Deep.
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