Phytoplankton

Other methods of removing CO2 from the atmosphere involve fertilizing thousands of square miles of ocean with iron. Iron enhances the growth of phytoplankton, which absorb tremendous amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere, however the downside is that scientists are still unsure about the externalities associated with plaguing the ocean with phytoplankton, doing such a thing could potentially starve ocean life of oxygen and…

The ocean: a large expanse of salt water that covers two-thirds of our earth’s surface. It is involved in many biospheric processes and the home to many known and unknown organisms. The first few meters of the ocean are an important site for primary production — the conversion of carbon dioxide from a gas into organic carbon. Carbon dioxide plays an important role in determining the pH of ocean water. Over the last hundred years the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have increased,…

therefore contributing to the population burst of COTS. Also, nutrients in water have been proven to improve the survival of the Crown of Thorns starfish. In the wet season, flood plumes bring in nutrients to the Great Barrier Reef, which stimulates phytoplankton blooms and provides food for the starfish. Biotic factors, or things influenced by living components, also have an impact on the Crown of Thorns starfish, including human impacts and coral. COTS numbers have increased due to the fishing…

The great lakes have experienced a rise in the number of harmful Alga blooms (NOAA, n.d.). Quagga and zebra increase the amount of sunlight penetrating at the bottom of the lake which promotes this growth (NOAA, n.d.). Cladophora is responsible for one particular alga bloom which grows at the bottom of the lake (NOAA, n.d.). Large piles of Cladophora can be found washed up on the shores of beaches after it dies (NOAA, n.d.). Harmful bacteria are trapped within these piles which can harm humans…

Ocean acidification is becoming a widespread problem facing many marine ecosystems with the growing emissions of CO2 into the atmosphere. It the coral, shell forming organisms and some phytoplankton in these ecosystems that are of the most concern with rising CO2 levels due the calcium carbonate that forms their exoskeletons and shells. The acidification of the ocean creates inadequate pH levels for the marine ecosystems. It is the coral polyps that are of the highest degree of interest as to…

and estuarine ecosystems influence the way humans are exposed to the microbial pathogens. These pathogens include, marine-indigenous pathogens and pathogens that are introduced via pollution. The pathogens that are found with marine animals are phytoplankton, zooplankton, sediments and detritus. There are environment factors that go into multiplying and keeping the pathogens alive. These factors include: salinity, temperature, nutrients, and…

The biome that my partner, Emerald Hailger, and I chose for our project was the freshwater aquatic biome—rivers/streams. The other types of freshwater ecosystems covered in this chapter are lakes, ponds, wetlands (bogs), water (marshes), wetlands (swamps), and estuaries (salt marshes and mangrove swamps). The freshwater river/streams are different from the other ecosystems because the animals that live here feed off of the plants that grow on the edge of these bodies of water. Since there is not…

regulates the ocean chemistry by taking carbon out of the atmosphere. The ocean has chlorophyll concentrations and this is where organisms live. In areas where there is a cold water current the chlorophyll concentration is higher which stimulates phytoplankton. Cooler temperatures well up the water from way deep in the ocean carrying nutrients that built up over time. Whereas, in Polar Regions nutrients collect on surface waters during the month’s plants do not grow and in warm months the…

Sustainable means creating an ecosystem that it provides a quality of life for the biotic components while renewing the environment and resources for the abiotic components. The biotic components in my glass container consist of 3 seahorses, phytoplankton, and seaweed. The abiotic components in my glass container consist of water, rocks, and…

multiply so rapidly that they extend through the ecosystem quickly. In addition to them rapidly multiplying, the mussel is a threat to the ecosystems food web, these species consume food so quickly that they drive other species to starve, such as the phytoplankton whose numbers have fallen beyond predicted phosphorus levels. Also, with the zebra mussels rapid food consumption this leaves other species with less to consume in order to live a long and healthy…