Key Groups of Marine Organisms Flashcards
Seastars and sea urchins belong to what phylum
echinoderms
Ecological and Economic importance of echinoderms
Keystone species- ex. sea otters which eat sea urchins in a kelp forest, COTS in a reef, sea cucumber in a beach
Positive and negatives- urchins can be source of income, COTS can damage reefs for tourism
name of distinictive larval stage of crustaceans
nauplius
Economic and Ecological importance of crustaceans
eco- recycle minerals, part of many food webs (krill)
Economic importance- larger crustaceans are harvested for human consumptions and krill used in the oil industry
The common features all chordates share
- notochord
- post-anal tail
- dorsal nerual tube
- pharyngeal slits
3 features of bony fish
- gills for gaseous exchange
- operculum that covers the gills
- lateral line is visible
- scales
- fins (pectoral, caudal, pelvic, anal, dorsal)
- swim bladder
Ecological and Ecnonomic Importance of Bony Fish
eco- responsbile for storing significante orgnic nutriensts and can be overharvested
economic - fishing for consumption and non edible parts
features of cartilaginous fish
- denticles (type of scale)
- gill slits
- carilaginous skelton
- non-visable latteral line
Ecological and economic importance of boney fish
- ecological: most are top predator and keep prey populations undercontrol when not overharvest (shark soup)
- economical: overfished as bony pop. dies used for meat and other sources and ecotourism (shark swiming)
Ecological and economical importance of macroalgae
- ecological: most important in interitdal zones have a high rate of groeth and habitat for many species
- economic: harvested for food, cooking, cosmetics, fertilizer
Types and parts of marine plants
Types:
- floating
- emergent
- submergent
Parts:
- root
- rhizomes (reproduction)
- leaf
- Flower
Ecological and econimc importance of marine plants
ecologica: foduntion of aquaitic communities and keystone species for health of coastal ecosystems and a key producer
economic importance- less importance the ones on eath they indirectly support other industries
2 major parts of crustaceans
- cephalothorax: head and thorax
- carapace: exoskelton that protects dorsal side of cephalothorax
