Rich,+L

__Assignment 1__ How does the diversity of species on sediment covered shores compare with that of the rocky shore? Suggest at least one reason why this occurs. -The animals that live on the sediment covered shores are the animals that can't withstand harsh enviroment like the rocky covered shores. The animals on the rocky covered shores have abyssal threads which help them cling to rocks during the harsh tidal waves, and the animals that live on the sediment covered shores are mostly animals that have shells, like the mollusca, which helps them glide through the water during the oceans currents What accounts for the difference in the coasts? 9 Points (Rich, L; 6:42; 1.25.11)
 * 1/20/11 - Due By January 24th**

__Assignment 2__ Observe the chart located below. Pick one organism from each of the four zones indicated in the chart and describe it's ability to live in the zone when taking into account the substrate, means of reproduction, feeding method, exposure to the air, defense mechanism, and the rise and lowering of the tide.
 * 1/31/11 - Due By February 5th**

-The shell of a Periwinkle enables them to live in harsh conditions because the shell is ovate, thick, and sharply pointed except when it's eroded and they also attach themselves to hard surfaces. The Periwinkle reproduces by shedding out eggs into the sea. Females lay 10,000 to 100,000 eggs at a time and they can breed year round depending on the climate. The Periwinkle is a grazer and will eat mostly algae and small invertebrates such as barnacle larvae. They use their radula to scrap off algae from the rocks. For protection, the Periwinkle uses it's hard shell. Also, they have an operculum which is thick and it seals the opening tightly so no predators can reach the soft animal inside.
 * Spray Zone: Periwinkle**

-Limpets use their muscular foot to attach themselves to their substrate and they can also clamp down. Their ability to clamp down also protects them from desiccation during the low tide. Limpets eat by using their radula to eat algae. Reproduction for the Limpets occur once a year, usually during winter, and happens when the seas are rough. That disperses the eggs and sperm.
 * High Zone: Limpet**

-The Hermit Crab is protected by their shell that they find. When they grow bigger they leave the smaller shell and find a bigger one. Hermit Crabs begin their life as part of a plankton mass in the ocean. They reproduce by a mass spawning on the beach, then the eggs are carried out to sea by the tide where they grow and develop in the ocean. Hermit Crabs hide in their shell to prevent desiccation. The Hermit Crabs use their pinchers to cut and grab their move then move it in their mouths. By hiding in their shells they protect themselves by an predators.
 * Middle Zone: Hermit Crab**

-Sea Stars have mesodermal endoskeletons that protect them from the rough waves. The Sea Star eats by wearing out the adductor muscle, then it inserts its stomach onto the organism. The way that Sea Stars reproduce is both the male and female Sea Stars release their gamates into the ocean where it will be fertilized. If Sea Stars are in any danger they have the ability to jettison it's arm and then re-grow it later. 15 Points (Rich, L; 8:16; 2.7.11)
 * Low Zone: Sea Star**

__Assignment 3__ Posted 2/7/11 **Due by February 10th** In which intertidal zone of a steeply sloping, coarse sand beach would you find each of the following organisms: clams, beach hoppers, ghost shrimp, sand crabs, and heart urchins? Include a picture of each of the five species and tell what type of adaptation (structural, behavioral, physiological) it shows and explain why it is that type. -The Clam has strong adductor muscles to close their shells to keep out predators, and prevent dessication this is a structural adaptation -The Beach Hopper burrows under the seaweed to escape the dryness and heat of the day, this is a behavioral adaptation -Sand Crabs has hard exoskeletons so it can dig in the sand, digging in the sand and running away is behavioral this is a structural adaptation -Heart Urchins have sticky tube-feet which pass food to their guy since they burrow in the sand, this is a structural behavior - Ghost Shrimp ????? 15 Points (Rich, L; 9:10; 2.14.11)

__Assignment 4 Blueworldtv The King of Crustaceans__ Posted 2/9/11 **Due by February 9th**

-Olive color; no only when their cooked
 * 1. What color is an American lobster? Is it red in the wild? **

-They have a notch in their tail; it will lay more eggs and keep the species abundant
 * 2. How do lobster fishers make sure that the mature egg-laying females do not get caught? How does this improve the future viability of the species? **

3. What do most lobsters do when they approach a lobster trap underwater? -They walk right by it

4. What are the two claws of a lobster called and how are they different in design? -Pincher and crusher claw; pincher claw is used for grabbing prey and the crusher claw has more stamina and is bigger

5. Internet research: what makes an American lobster different from a Spiny lobster? -Spiny lobsters lack claws while American lobsters have claws 5 Points

__Assignment 6__ **Posted 2/18/11 due 2/22/10** ** Research the Blue crab. We discussed how one can tell the sex by the color of the claws, however it can also be done by looking at the apron. Provide four pictures of the aprons which identify the male crab, the "sally", the "sook", and the "sponge". Explain the difference function of the apron for the three types of females. **

//"Jake"-// male crab

//"Sally"-// immature female crab. The apron is tightly sealed to her body and does not open since she cannot mate or carry eggs

//"Sook"-// mature female crab. The apron is free to open and is not sealed shut



//"Sponge"-// mature female crab that is carrying eggs. They carry fertilized eggs under their abdomen 7 Points (Rich, L; 9:35; 2.23.11)

- 1. They all have walking legs - Jointed Appendages 2. They all have celipeds - Segmented Body 3. They all have an exoskeleton 1 Point
 * __Assignment 5__ **
 * Posted 3/2/11 ** - **Due by March 3rd**
 * Review the pictures posted below of the organisms. As impossible as it seems, all of the species below are found in the same order ( Decapoda). Without doing any research other than viewing the pictures, discuss three possible features which can account for these species being in the same order. **

Assignment 7 Posted 3/4/11 - Due by March 7th Pick three of the following members of class Asteroidea: (Pillow star, Cushion star, Cake Sea star, Crown of Thorns, Bat star, Brisingid, Basket star, Shiny sun star). Provide a picture of each of the stars you opt for. In looking at the pictures, discuss some possible reasons for the vast differences in structure, habitat, feeding, reproduction, defense, color scheme and so forth. Research if you must but remember we are looking for possibilities. -It lives in sandy bottoms of the ocean, coral reefs and rocks. They need to have thick bodies in order to stand the conditions of living on rocks. They are carnivores that eat sponges, clams, etc. Since they live in the soft bottom substrate they need to find prey that lives in their same habitat. To hide from predators they need to match the color of the sandy bottom which is why they are yellowish-orange. If they get hurt they can just regenerate any arm that they lose. In order to reproduce they release their sperm and eggs into the open ocean where they sink down to the ocean floor to grow up -There is not that much information on the Cake Sea Star but they live in the Northern shores and they have stiff bodies, short arms with rounded tips. They come in the colors black, brown, red or green -They live in the Tropical Coral Reefs where they gained notoriety as a threat to the coral reef system. They have spines all over their body and they feed on coral polyps. They come in all different colors and they reproduce by releasing the sperm and eggs into the water and they drift in the oceans currents as they grow up
 * Cushion Star**
 * Cake Sea Star**
 * Crown of Thorns**

0 Points - NOT COMPLETED BY DUE DATE

__Assignment 8 Menhaden__ Read the linked article Meet menhaden.pdf. Once you are done reading the article, answer the following questions. 1. Provide a picture of menhaden 2. Menhaden is a simple filter feeder, just like whales and herring. What makes menhaden different than those other filter feeders? - The Menhaden is a herbivore 3. Provide two reasons why Omega Protein is harvesting Menhaden? - Turns them into poultry feed and fishmeal for farmed salmon 4. What does the name menhaden mean? What was the first use of this fish? - Fertilizer; the Native Americans buried these fish below the corn they planted 5. The U.S. government has spent millions of dollars keeping the menhaden fishing industry functioning for menhaden oil, animal feed, and fertilizer. This has been wasted money and ecologically damaging because those three items have been replaced with what two substitiutes? - Petroleum and soybean substitutes 6. Describe the fishing technique used by OMega Protein. Why is this techniques successful? - More then 30 Omega spotter planes direct a fleet of 61 ships to where the menhaden swim close to the surface 7. Define "forage" fish. - They are fuel for the food web and they keep larger predators higher up on the food chain 8. What is the importance of the role of menhaden in the ocean? - They filter phytoplankton out allowing sunlight to reach the depths where aquatic plants can prosper. That increases oxygen levels which allow shellfish and fish to thrive 9. Define Ocean Dead Zone. - Part of the ocean where there is no sustaining life found due to depleted oxygen levels 10. What will happen if menhaden are eliminated from the ocean? - The other sealife that depends on the menhaden to survive will slowly die off or there will barely be any of them left 4.75 Points
 * Posted 3/21/11 due 3/22/11**

- Tail is used to stun prey
 * __Assignment 9__ **
 * Posted 3/22/11 due 3/24/11**
 * Provide a picture of the Thresher shark, Cookie cutter shark, Chain Catshark, Greenland shark, and the Porbeagle shark. Under each picture, include the name of each shark, an identifiable feature of each shark, one very unique feature of each of the sharks. (Hint: all unique features should somehow be tied to feeding). **
 * Thresher Shark**

- The Cookie Cutter Shark preys on animals much larger then itself. It attaches its sucking mouth to its prey and then twists, slicing it. After it detaches it swims away to digest its meal
 * Cookie Cutter Shark**

- The Chain Catshark is a bottom feeder - Color pattern allows it to blend int
 * Chain Catshark**

-The Greenland Shark will mostly eat anything, but it mostly eats bottom dwelling fish - Bioluminescence
 * Greenland Shark**

- The Porbeagle Shark mainly eats pelagic fish 5.5 Points
 * Porbeagle Shark**

__Assignment 10__ 1. Provide a picture of a squid. 2. Describe the propulsion method of a squid. 3. Look a picture of a snail, clam, and a squid. Provide at least one sound reason on why they can possibly be in the same class. 4. Discuss four means of defense the squid possess and how they can be considered a means of defense. 5. What advantage if any does traveling in a shoal have for squid? 6. Discuss the hectocotyl? 7. What advantage is there to a female squid laying eggs in a packet next to another females? 8 Points
 * Posted 4/4/11 due 4/5/11**
 * - Water is taken into the mantle through the siphon and pushed back out, propelling the animal through the water**
 * - All three of them have soft bodies**
 * 1. The Siphon- it allows the squid to change direction quickly. They can escape predators this way**
 * 2. Camouflage- this helps them hide from predators**
 * 3. Ink- it can discharge ink from their ink sac into the water which can confuse a predator, giving the squid time to escape**
 * 4. Tentacles and Arms- the tentacles and arms are used for catching and holding prey**
 * - Since squid only live for about one year, the survival of the species depends upon producing as many offspring as possible in a short span of time. So if they travel in a shoal they can mate with as many other squid as they want**
 * - One of the eight arms of the male squid has smaller and taller suckers than the other arms. When mating, the male uses the hectocotyl to place a packet of sperm inside the female's mantle**
 * - They can care for themselves because female squid don't care for their young, and many die soon after spawning **

__Assignment 11__ Click on the following [|website] and scroll over the dark black square at the top and locate the hatchet fish and answer questions 1 through 5. Return to the main page and scroll over the black square and locate the gulper eel. Click on it and answer questions 6 through 10. Return the the main page and locate the firefly squid. Click on it and answer questions 1. Provide a picture of the hatchetfish. 2. Define photophores. 3. Provide two **defensive** adaptations the hatchet fish exhibits to survive in the darkest parts of the ocean. 4. What two roles do the photophores play for the hatchetfish. 5. Does the hatchet fish search for food below it or above it? Explain why. 6. Provide a picture of the gulper eel. 7. How does the gulper eel use photophores to survive? 8. Why must it use the photophores? 9. Due to it's huge mouth, the gulper eel can consume prey the size of itself, which would really slow it down, how is this possibly a advantage to this fish? 10. Explain one physiological adaptation gulper eels have that help their species continue to survive. 11. Provide a picture of the firefly squid. 12. What two reasons firefly squids use their ability to make light? 13. Provide one physiological adaptation shown by the firefly squid and its believed purpose. - **Colored vision. Enable the firefly squid to distingush** 13 Points (Rich, L; 4.11.11; 12:27)
 * Posted 4/8/11 due 4/11/11**
 * - Special light producing organs that run along the length of their bodies**
 * - Their colors and they produce bioluminescence**
 * - Hide the fish from predators, and mating**
 * - Above it because they have large, tubular eyes that point upward**
 * - They use the light on their tail as a fishing lure to attract fish and other creatures into its mouth**
 * - It is not built for chasing prey**
 * - It allows the eel to eat a wider variety of prey when food is scarce**
 * - Males have olfactory organs that are responsible for the sense of smell, and degeneration of teeth and jaws**
 * - Used to communicate with potential mates or rivals, and disguise the squid's shape and confuse predators**

__Assignment 12__ - Blueworldtv.com Episode 7 - Shark wreck Mystery
 * Posted 4/15/11 due 4/15/11**

1. Why do sharks sometimes lose teeth when they mate? 2. What possible reasons might explain why the sharks seemed to be doing nothing when the divers were filming? 3. Why might the sharks have still done nothing when the remote cameras were operating? (hint: think about the senses of a shark, particularly the ampullae of Lorenzini) 4. What might have affected the behavior of the sharks at night? 5. What makes the Sand Tiger shark teeth special? 5 Points
 * - Because the male bites onto the female when mating**
 * - The sharks aren't used to divers being there so they didn't do anything**
 * - They probably sensed the camera's were there because they have good senses**
 * - The light from the camera and the divers**
 * - They keep growing back whenever they lose them**

__Assignment 14__ - Blueworldtv.com Episode 6
 * Posted 4/20/11 due 4/20/11**

1. What are Thresher sharks doing at the seamount? 2. Why would a shark want to allow itself to be cleaned by a fish? What’s in it for the fish? 3. Why did Jonathan use a rebreather instead of normal scuba gear? 4. Do the sharks feed at the seamount? 5. Do manta rays feed at the seamount? How do the mantas feed? 6. Describe a seamount. 7. What do biologists think Threshers do with their long tail? **7 Points**
 * - they are being cleaned by smaller fish**
 * - the sharks get cleaned by the fish and the fish gets a meal**
 * - makes him quieter underwater**
 * - no**
 * - yes; their gills**
 * - underwater mountain that doesnt reach the surface**
 * - they use it like a whip to stun their prey**

__Assignment 16__ 1. How do the sharks react to the divers in the water? Do they see them as a threat? A competitor for food? 2. Do sharks attack each other in competition for food? What is a “feeding frenzy?” 3. In your opinion, did the sharks exhibit a “feeding frenzy?” 4. What happened after all the food was gone? 5. Why do the shark lose teeth? Is it a bad thing? 6. Internet research: what makes Gray reef sharks somewhat unique in how they hunt? **6 Points**
 * Posted 5/4/11**
 * - They get bored and move on; no; no**
 * - No; a group of sharks that attack their prey aggressively**
 * - No**
 * - All the sharks returned to normal**
 * - When they feed; they have a never ending supply of teeth so it's not a bad thing**
 * - They hunt individually or in groups**

__Assignment 17__ Posted 5/6/11 1. What six senses do sharks have? 2. Discuss how each of the shark’s six senses function in their search for prey. 3. Different species of sharks have unique attributes that allow them to survive in their specific habitat. Explain the usefulness of some (5) of the adaptations. Characteristics to consider are the shark’s eyes, teeth, diet, body patterns, and tails. **10 Points**
 * -They have the same five senses as humans like smell, sight, taste, touch, hearing. They also have electroreception**
 * -Smell: A sharks sense of smell is many times stronger then humans. They use their nostrils only for smelling. Since water flows through the nostrils anything in the water that they like triggers a signal and is sent to the brain. They can detect the scent of prey several hundred yards away**
 * -Sight: They have excellent vision. They can see their prey when their 70 to 100 feet away.**
 * -Taste: A sharks mouth is lined with taste buds. If they don't like their prey their food they will reject it, but for them to use the taste sense the prey has to be close enough for them to take a bit**
 * -Touch: A shark senses its prey by the water movements in the water made by fish or other animals. They use their lateral line to detect these movements. They can detect them when their 3 to 10 feet away**
 * -Hearing: Sharks can hear sounds up to 0.6 miles away. They are sensitive to low frequency sounds made by sick or wounded fish which makes them an easy target for food**
 * -Electroreception: They can detect electrical fields given off by prey up to 3 feet away. They use this to find fish hidden under sand by detecting its heartbeat**
 * -Eyes: They have keen eyesight. Sharks eyes allow them to see in different lights**
 * -Teeth: Sharks have a lot of teeth and are arranged in layers. When one tooth falls out another grows back in it's place**
 * -Diet: They feed on the ill, weak, dying or injured because it is easier for them to catch**
 * -Body Patterns: Some have coloring that camoflauges the sharks**
 * -Tails: Sharks use their tails for speed and acceleration. Some sharks use their tail to stun their prey**

__Assignment 18 - Blueworldtv.com "Swimming with Jaws"__

1. How do Great White sharks attack seals and sea lions? 2. How do the sharks react to divers? 3. Do Great White sharks seem aggressive towards people? 4. How many shark attacks are there in an average year? (Check the internet for some stats). How many sharks are killed by people? Which species is more dangerous? 5. What is one of the common theories on why Great Whites sometimes accidentally bite humans? (involves outside research). 6. How do researchers tell Great White sharks apart at Guadalupe Island? 7. Do Great Whites attack their prey from below or from the same level? Why? **7 Points**
 * - They don't**
 * - They don't really do anything because they are more interested in the fish**
 * - No**
 * - 50-70 shark attacks per year; 100 million; Great White Shark**
 * - Mistaken identity and also curiosity**
 * - Their coloration, what is on their bodies. No two sharks are alike**
 * - From below so they can suprise attack their prey7**

1. What are some synonyms for the word gyre? How does plastic and trash accumulate in gyres? 2. According to the article, “scientists speculate that toxic chemicals are leaching into fish tissue from the plastic they eat.” What does the word speculate tell you about this claim? 3. Why do scientists think this is true and what further studies need to be conducted? 4. How do PCBs, DDT and other toxic chemicals accumulate in the tissues of organisms and predators in a food chain? 5. What, if anything, should be done about the garbage patch? Why? **Needs to be stopped on the land.** **8 Points**
 * __Assignment 19 - A Float in the Ocean, Expanding Islands of Trash__**
 * __Posted 5/23/11__**
 * - Ring or circle; people throw away their trash in the ocean and don't recycle. It all gets accumulated in the ocean due to the current of the water**
 * - That the fish are becoming toxic due to the plastic that is consumed by the fish that is thrown into the ocean**
 * - Researchers say that when a larger fish or person eats the fish that eats the plastic they are transferring those toxins to whatever is eating them, and if the toxins come from multiple food sources then it accumulates in the body**
 * - They cannot dissolve in water, but the plastic absorbs them like a sponge. The fish then ingest those tiny particles**
 * - I think that at least every couple of years we should clean it all up because if they do then it will be less pollution in the ocean. Due to the less amount of pollution in the ocean, species wouldn't be dieing off. Also everything that eats the toxinated fish, like humans, wouldnt get sick and possibly die**

Assignment 20 - Mearns Rock Posted 5/31/11 1. Create a graph showing how the barnacles, mussels, and fucus were affected by the exxon valdez oil spill. 2. Create a data table showing your estimated data. 3. Has Prince William Sound recovered from the oil spill? Your opinion, that of a fisherman from Kodiak, a villager from valdez, an engineer from exxon, and a NOAA biologist. 4. How did the Exxon Valdez Oil spill affect the abundance of life on Mearns Rock? **13 Points**
 * - I dont think it has because there is still oil out there in the ocean. The oil that is still drifting in the ocean is as toxic as it was when the oil spill first happened and is still killing animals What would the fisherman, the villager, the engineer, and the biologist say **
 * - Overall the abundance of life, I think, decreased but not by that much. There was eventually no mussels found on the rock at one point**