Invertebrate Diversity Flashcards
figures for diversity?
8.7 million species
more than 85% belong to animal kingdom
1.3 million invertebrates making up 95% animal kingdom dominating every global ecosystem in terms of species richness biomass and ecological function
7 times more species of beetles than all vertebrates
explain how size of invertebrates is beneficial?
can colonise microniches
what is phoresy and how does it benefit invertebrates?
the symbiotic relationship in which one organism travels on the body of the other
- eg ant and beetle - the ant is the niche for the beetle
what is a phoretic?
the organism that travels on the back of the host e.g army ant
what is an ectoparasite?
parasite that lives outside its host - can have a negative effect e.g mites
what is antiquity?
the oldest group - more time to colonise and experience - oldest living vertebrate - clam slow growing live almost forever siphon to filtrate water
why is reproduction beneficial and methods of reproduction?
allows the continuity of a species
asexual - subdivision, fission, fragmentation, budding - parthenogenic (don’t need to be fertilized)
sexual
methods of sexual reproduction?
gonochorism - sexes always separate
hermaphroditic - male and female during lifetime
simultaneous hermaphroditism - male and female at same time
what are protogynous and protandrous types of reproduction?
protogynous - born female and change to male (ftm)
protandrous - born male and change to female (mtf)
what is metamorphosis?
allows colonisation of a different habitat, allowing the organism to endure harsh environmental conditions
what is dispersal?
a method for the organism to colonise a new environment, expand population and increase home range
active - organism can move by itself - spiders
passive - organism cant move so needs help of external vector e.g sponge
example of active diffusion?
box jellyfish
medusa releases gametes and they can swim to find a surface to attach to then become a polyp
example of passive diffusion?
corals
release eggs/sperm into water - once a year!
what are ecosystem services?
function played by an organism that can be quantified and adds value to humans
what are shakers and movers?
the organisms that keep the cycle going
misconception that its vertebrates
extensive pasture depends on natural fertilisers - accumulation of dung can cause problems - space, disease, pests - dung beetles are necessary
- food provision - process dung and release it back into the soil
how are invertebrates helpful?
shakers and movers
mini predators and decomposers
how are invertebrates mini predators and decomposers?
leaf cutter ants - remove 50kg vegetation a day
symbiotic relationship with fungi
soil aerators and creators
35% of worlds food crops - pollinators
how are coral reefs beneficial?
rainforests of the sea
coastal protection, food provision, tourism
why are invertebrates so important?
pollination - need wild pollinators, ladybird pollinates most crops
medical research/innovation
example of invertabrate helpfulness in medicine?
jellyfish - immortal and used in degenerative studies
able to revert to immaturity so never dies
tissue regeneration
possible reasons for invertebrates being overlooked?
cryptic habitat, active at night, small
what is vertebrate bias?
they take up most of the red list - funding
take up 67% invertebrates only take up 2%
how do we sample invertebrates?
come up with question, sample design, data analysis, communicating results
sampling data - extraction, fixation
various tools - van veen grab sampler, beating tray, core manual handler
how do we extract invertebrates?
osmotic shock
anaesthetic
uhligs seawater ice technique
how does osmotic shock work?
sample submerged in fresh water for few seconds
causing organisms to release so that they can be shaken free from the substrate
then filtered out through 45 micrometer mesh and returned to fresh filter seawater
how does anaesthetic work?
sample narcotised by an immersion in a MgCl solution and leave for 15 mins
meiofauna shaken free of substrate and filtered through 45 micrometer mesh and returned to fresh water
what is uhligs seawater ice technique?
irrigating the sample with an ice cold seawater
cold water forces organisms out of the sediment
most effective with samples from temperate and tropical regions
how do we fix organisms?
coagulate and stabilise the proteins so that they don’t distort or deteriorate during preservations, study and storage
70% ethanol - most sclerotised invertebrates
paraformaldehyde - most soft bodied invertebrates
how do invertebrates impact global change?
sentinel species - largest total biomass
domino effect throughout food web
heating oceans - less ice coverage by 30-35%, 83% overall krill habitat decline due to ice and summer chlorophyll
70-80& decline
jellyfish bloom - huge problems
human impact - northern ireland a massive stinger killed 100000 salmon in only salmon farm
japan 2009 a ten tonne trawler capsized when they tried to pull up a net of normura jellies which weigh 440 pounds each
