Deep Sea Lights

What deep-sea organisms are capable of bioluminescence, and how does this ability benefit these organisms?

Deep-sea organisms that are capable are the Anglerfish, and it uses it to lure prey, and micro organisms use it to signal distress.  Bioluminescence is the production and emission of light by a living animal.  It's a form of chemiuminescence.  It benefits deep sea organisms for many different reasons.  For some creatures, if an animal is in trouble, it will draw attention to them so that another fish can come save them.  Another example is for luring prey in.

The organism I chose is the Anglerfish.  The fish is named for its characteristic mode of predation, where a glow shows from the head to lure other fish in.  They are members of the Lophiiformes.  The Angler fish might possibly be the ugliest creature on the planet.  There are more than 200 species of Angler Fish, and they live in the murky depths of the Atlantic and Antarctic Oceans.  Only females wear a piece of dorsal spine that protrudes above their mouths like a fishing pole.  The lure is of luminescences.  The Angler Fish uses its bioluminescences to lure in other fish as prey so that it can survive.

1. First exhibit i stopped at was the penguins. I saw them swimming around and some standing on the rocks. I also saw one of the rockhopper penguins trying to sing or make noise but it couldn't. It reminded me of happy feet of that one guy who had to learn to sing. It was cute. Next i walked up the ramp to the top of the tank and saw all the fish swimming around in circles. I saw he sea turtle laying down for like 10 minutes to take a nap i think. I also saw a school of fish who just swim around and around all day and night. Then i went to touch the starfish who just laid around and let me pet it. Lastly i went to the stingray and shark petting tank and i didn't touch a shark but i touched a lot of the stingrays and they were soft and slimy and gave me high fives.

2. Marine conservation is very important. The workers tried their best to explain how important it is. They want to make sure that they keep the animals as wild as possible. Like in the sea lion tank they have toys for the sea lions own entertainment but they don't domesticate them by putting on shows and making them play with them on their noses and stuff. Another part of marine conservation was the man groves. they are special to the animals and building seaside hotels and things are ruining habitats and things.

http://www.neaq.org/index.php

the field trip made me realize that every animal is different. They feel different and act different and they have different ways of defense

Ocean Seaweeds

Seaweeds are assigned to the Protista rather than the Plantae because even though they have plant like features they are algae and not a true vascular plant. They are neither plant nor animal. Seaweeds do not have roots, but they instead have whats called holdfasts. Holdfasts keep them on the sea floor. It is used as an anchor, but is not needed for water and nutrient uptake. Holdfasts are made up of things called haptera, which are fingerlike projections. The stipe is the stem of the seaweed, which supports the rest of the plant. The structure can vary from stiff, solid, very long, etc. The blades of seaweed are the leaves of it. The blades provide a large surface for the absorption of sunlight. Some seaweeds only have one, but others have many. There are a lot of seaweeds that have floats, which helps to keep the photosynthetic structure of seaweed " buoyant." The word thallus refers to the whole plant. The most important ecological role filled by seaweed is as a food source for marine animals like sea urchins and fish. Seaweed also provides shelter and home for fish, birds, etc. Large groups of seaweed form "kelp forests."  

Kelp Forest

 Some environmental types of stress seaweeds encounter are mechanical stress, and stresses that have to do with exposure to air and weather conditions. Mechanical stress is a result of constant motion of the ocean water . Seaweed can reproduce sexually by the joining of specialized male and female reproductive cells, which are caller gametes. They can also reproduce asexually. They do this by a process called fragmentation or division, which is when parts of the plant break off and and develop into new plants. Seaweed are classified into three groups. One of those groups are green algae ( Chlorophyta). Another is brown algae (Phaeophyta), and the third group is red algae( Rhodophyta). They are put into these groups based on their color and pigment. Some other features that are used to clqssify algae are cell wall composition, reproductive  characteristics, and chemical nature. Further classifications are based on shape, structure, and form. Human benefits are that it is full of vitamins, minerals, fibers, and is tasty. Seaweeds can contain anti-inflammitories and anti-microbial agents, and seaweeds of sorts contain canger-fighting agents. Seaweeds also contribute to economic growth. They are in things like toothpaste. 

Examples of New England Seaweeds

 “Red seaweed Chondrus crispus, photo from New England Hiker” 

“Head Dump, photo from Panoramio” 

" Cystoseira tamariscifolia (Stackhouse) Papenfuss""Brown seaweed, photo from The Seaweed Site”

Photosynthesis of Seaweed

In the lab done in class we explored the rate of photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is the process in which plants take carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, add water, and use the energy of sunlight to produce sugar.  The chemical equation is 6CO₂ + 6H₂O ------> C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O_{2 where} CO₂ = carbon dioxide ^_, H₂O = water, Light energy is required, C₆H₁₂O₆ = glucose, and O₂ = oxygen. 

For this lab each set up relies on counting the oxygen produced during the reaction. Baking soda was added to the tat tube to improve results. We cut the stems and put the plant into the beaker. The water in the beaker was meant to absorb the heat from sunlight. Variables that effect the experiment are temp. of water, amount of baking soda, whether the stem was up or down, etc. My hypothesis is that design two will work the best because the air pockets can be well seen. After experimenting, I found that in fact this is a good way to test the rate of photosynthesis. Phenol red is used as an indicator for a base. With extra carbon dioxide the solution turns acidic and the red turns yellow, but when carbon dioxide is removed the solution turns back to red. 

Loggerhead Island Report

1. What special considerations did you have to make for the nesting sea turtle sites located on the barrier island?
Our group made it cirtain that all of the activites taken place by humans that can either pollute or harm nature are attracted to the complete other side of the island to ensure the safety of these creatures.

2. What special considerations had to be made when determining a good site for the proposed fishing pier?
A fishing pier attracts a lot of people, because of this, questions were formed as where to put this? we decided to put this pier as far away from the endagered land as possible, while also trying to keep it as close to the road as possible. this way, extra land would not need to be developed for humans to walk on.

3. What could be some of the potential problems that might arise from the proposed golf course? Propose some of the ways in which the impacts can be reduced.
Golf balls hit too hard or in the wrong direction may introduce a fatal flaw toward the endangered species of this island. because of this, we put the golf coarse in a location where most of its perimeter was adjacent to the ocean. we also took into consideration the size. we wanted to ensure maximum space efficiency in order to use as little land as possible.

4. What are the economic benefits to the community of Loggerhead County if the development was done with the least amount of environmental impact?
If this were the case, then little efforts would need to be made later on inlife to preserve or restore what was once a natural habitat. these processes can often be pricy, so it is only right to do it correct int the first place.

5. Describe three ways in which humans negatively impact coastal ecosystems such as the one you are working on with Loggerhead Barrier Island.
a. pollution of the water
b. destruction of ocean banks
c. beastiality (haha)

6. How can maintaining natural vegetation help us to reduce the damage caused by oceanic events such as hurricanes, tsunami and continued beach erosion?
Vegetation plays a huge role in keeping the rigidity of the sand dunes, ocean banks, and even the drainage systems. without these plants and trees, everything would be sand!

7. After listening to the other groups make their presentations, were there any ideas they had you would have used if you had though about it before-hand? You should list at least three different ideas and indicate why their idea is actually better for the environment than yours.
Nobody's ideas are better than mine because i am perfect.

Sand Reflection

There are different types of sand found around the world. Sand is a basic component found in Earth and is naturally occuring granular material. The most common form of sand is silica. Silica usually takes the form of quartz and is found in continental areas as well as non-tropical coastland. This type of sand is very weather resistant being able to withstand the elements.
The composition of sand can vary. Sand can be different sizes and contain varying minerals and rock. Arkrose is another type of sand. It is high in granite and feldspar content. When their is a mix of glauconite, chlorite and basalt green sand is formed.Colors of sand can also vary in a range of colors including yellow sand. 
Yellow sand is found in many areas of Southern Europe.Black sand contains magnatite in it's composition. Other minerals found in sand can include gypsum and volcanic obsidian.Sand can have different texture size. Size can range from very fine, fine, medium and course. Sand particles can range from 0.0625 millimeters to 64 millimeters in size.

Which Way the Winds Blow

Earth, as we scientists know, is heated unevenly.  This is due to the fact that the Earth is a sphere. Also, Earth is tilted about 23 degrees.  Therefore, light rays are hitting different places at different strengths.  Near the equator, the temperature is very warm and humid, but at the poles, the weather is mostly frigid cold.  This is due to light rays. 

 Angled light rays are weaker rays that their paths are changed because of clouds and also being reflected off of Earth.  However, straight light rays are stronger and they make places warmer.  What I learned from the "Global Wind Patterns" activity is that light rays are affected due to clouds and the Earth reflecting light.

Earth's rotation affects the movement of air and water masses.  This happens because of the Coriolis affect.  The Coriolis affect is the deflection of moving objects.  We did an activity where we placed water on a spinner and as it spun, the water spun off the paper and made a spiral design.  It showed me that the Coriolis affect makes the water displace to different locations.

Global wind patterns are divided into several sections.  Polar easterlies are at about 60-90 degrees, and they blow irregularly from the east and the north.  Westerlies are at about 30-60 degrees and they blow from the north and from the west.  Horse Latitudes are where the westerlies meet trade winds at about 30 degrees.  This region has a lot of high pressure and it is extra dry.  Lastly, trade winds are about 30 degrees south and they blow from the northeast towards the equator.

How Science is Important to Me

I am hoping to get a lot out of this coarse this semester. Being someone who has spent years out on the ocean either fishing, diving or surfing, I have always wanted to understand how it all works under and on the surface. One key subject I would like to know more about are the waves. This is simply because I spend a huge portion of my life surfing and I feel as if it will help me become a better surfer in the end. Anyways, I am looking forward to getting a better understanding of the ocean out of this class.