Marine Biology

Marine Biology

Marine Biology

Introduction

Algae are very simple chlorophyll-containing organisms. In general, simple organisms composed of one cell, or grouped together in colonies, or as organisms with many cells, sometimes collaborating together as simple tissues. Phytoplankton is a form of algae and it is known to provide food for fish, this phytoplankton grows in vast numbers in both fresh and marine waters. Algae are extremely important for releasing oxygen formed during the process of photosynthesis. In areas where there are a lot of brown algae, the plants are ground and used to fertilize the soil.

Some algae are used in special foods and it is also produced commercially to provide a source of protein for both humans and domestic animals. The largest forms of algae are seaweeds that can be 100 m from the ocean bottom to the water's surface. Although most algae grow in fresh water or seawater, they also grow on soil, trees, and animals, and even under or inside porous rocks, such as sandstone and limestone. Algae tolerate a wide range of temperatures and weather conditions such as; in hot springs, on snow banks, or deep inside polar ice.

2. Analysis of field data from Kames Bay sandy shore

TOTAL NUMBERS OF SPECIES FOUND PER METRE SQUARED AT EACH STATION SANDY SHORE

HIGH SHORE

LOW SHORE

Species

Station 1

Station 2

Station 3

Station 4

Station 5

Station 6

Station 7

TOTAL

Haustauria arenarius

30

2

0

10

8

5

0

55

Scololepis squamata

2

7

3

2

0

0

0

14

Nereis diversicolor

5

5

0

0

0

0

0

10

Macoma balthica

0

0

31

30

44

38

43

186

Nephthys hombergi

0

0

0

15

18

15

15

63

Magelona mirabilis

0

0

5

0

0

0

2

7

Bathyporeia pilosa

0

0

0

2

0

0

0

2

Urothoe brevicornis

0

0

0

2

0

0

0

2

Unidentified Isopod

0

0

0

2

0

0

0

2

Unidentified Amphipod

3

0

5

3

2

2

0

15

Totals

40

14

44

66

72

60

60

356

Bar chart of the species' numbers m-2

There are vast ranges of beautiful marine and salt water organisms. The array of colors, behaviors, adaptations, and symbiosis are unique to each species. The Amphiprion percula, known as the True Clown Anemonefish, is distinctive for its symbiotic relationship with anemones and as a protoandrous sequential hermaphrodite. The percula clownfish is merely one of 28 known species of anemonefish that has a symbiotic relationship with 10 species of anemones (Elliott, 1997). The clown anemonefish (Amphiprion percula) is a familiar study species in the marine biology field due to its distinguishing characteristics. It is perhaps the most common and well-known of the genus Amphiprion.

However, it is readily mistaken for Amphiprion oscellaris, the False Percula Clown Anemonefish, in which the only difference lies in the number of dorsal spines. The true Percula clown may possess nine to ten dorsal spines, while the False Percula Clown will have eleven. As a member of the kingdom Animalia within the phylum Chordata, the percula clownfish is in the family Pomacentridae within the Actinopterygiian class. As a relative of the damselfish, the percula clownfish is easily identified, as it was popularized by the Disney film, “Finding Nemo”. A. percula can grow up to 13 cm in length and is often distinguished by three white vertical bars on a bright orange body that are bordered by black lines; the anterior white bar behind the eye, the middle projecting bar bisects the fish, and the posterior bar occurs near the caudal fin (Lee, 2003). The marine fish possesses an omnivorous diet; it feeds on zooplankton such as copepods and larval tunicates, ...