Marine MEGA POSTER
Intro:
For this assignment we were asked to make a mega poster with 40 animals that we previously learned about. I really enjoyed reflecting on all the animals from this year and remembering how amazing the ocean really is.
Content
Archaea
Halobacterium Salinarum
Fun Fact: It is found in salted fish, hides, hypersaline lakes, and salterns.
Fun Fact: They are single celled and rod shaped!
Ecological Niche: Halobacteria burn carbon compounds as an energy source and also harvest energy from sunlight. They reside naturally in salt lakes and salt marshes. They reproduce by cell division which can be both sexual and asexual.
Metnenobrevibacte
Fun Fact: They are strictly anaerobic archaea that produce methane, for the most part through the reduction of carbon dioxide via hydrogen
Fun Fact: Methanobrevibacter is a genus of the Methanobacteriaceae.
Ecological Niche: Methanogens thrive on carbon dioxide gas and electrons. They are found in swamps and marshes. They reproduce asexually by “unzipping” from the main parent.
Marine Bacteria
Alteromonas Macleodii
Fun Fact: This is a marine gammaproteobacterium with widespread distribution in temperate or tropical waters.
Fun Fact: These bacteria attach to small particles.
Ecological Niche: Some of these gammaproteobacterium feed on methane. They can be found in extreme environments such as hydrothermal vents. They reproduce by cell division which can be both sexual and asexual.
Pseudoalteromonas Haloplanktis
Fun Fact: It was initially called Alteromonas tetraodonis.
Fun Fact: They have 2 circular chromosomes.
Ecological Niche: Some of these gammaproteobacterium feed on methane. They can be found in extreme environments such as hydrothermal vents. They reproduce by cell division which can be both sexual and asexual.
Unicellular Algae
Diatom (Bacillariophyceae)
Fun Fact: Diatoms are algae that live in houses made of glass.
Fun Fact: They are the only organism on the planet with cell walls composed of transparent, opaline silica.
Ecological Niche: Diatoms eat organic wastes like nitrates (NO3-) and phosphates (PO4) out of the water column.they are found in almost every aquatic environment including fresh and marine waters, soils, in fact almost anywhere moist.Diatoms reproduce asexually by cell division
Wakame (Undaria pinnatifida)
Fun Fact: Usually found on the northwest Pacific Ocean.
Fun Fact: Wakame is a seaweed.
Ecological Niche: Seaweed uses sunlight, carbon dioxide and water to create food. It can be found in small amounts along the south coast in marinas, off pontoons and in estuaries. They reproduce sexually, by the joining of specialized male and female reproductive cells, called gametes.
Protozoans
Giardia Duodenalis
Fun Fact: a flagellated parasitic microorganism that colonizes and reproduces in the small intestine, causing a diarrheal condition known as giardiasis.
Fun Fact: This reproduces via binary fission.
Ecological Niche: Giardia mainly feed on sources that contain glucose. Giardia is found on surfaces or in soil, food, or water that has been contaminated with feces (poop) from infected people or animals. GIardia multiply by splitting in two in a process called longitudinal binary fission,
Entamoeba Histolytica
Fun Fact: The parasite’s cysts are present in the feces of infected people.
Fun Fact: This intestinal parasite is more common in developing countries with poor sanitary conditions.
Ecological Niche: Entamoeba feed on dead cells. They are found in the human intestine. They reproduce by simple binary fission.
Unicellular Fungi
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae
Fun Fact: Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a type of yeast, a single-celled organism. It is commonly used in the bread-making industry.
Fun Fact: In length and contains 6,692 genes.
Ecological Niche: Yeasts feed on sugars and starches. Yeasts are naturally found floating in air and on just about every surface on Earth.
Claviceps Eureurea
Fun Fact: The first record of the disease is possibly from ancient Greece and the most recent outbreak occurred in France in 1957.
Fun Fact: the mystery disease baffled doctors and terrorized the town of Pont-St.-Esprit for weeks.
Ecological Niche: Claviceps purpurea is a fungus that infects rye, producing a structure on grains called a sclerotium, or ergot, that contains large amounts of alkaloids, like lysergic acid diethylamide
Marine Worms
Flatworms (Platyhelminthes)
Fun Fact: There are over 20,000 species of flatworms.
Fun Fact: They are found in every ocean & they are beautifully colored.
Ecological Niche: Flatworms feed on bacteria, protozoans, other small invertebrates, and other available animal matter. Most freshwater flatworms are free-living and can be found in ponds, lakes, streams, ditches, and temporary puddles. They typically reproduce both sexually and asexually.
Tape Worms (cestoda)
Fun Fact: The condition of being infected with tapeworms is called taeniasis.
Fun Fact: Although illegal, people intentionally sell tapeworms for weight loss.
Ecological Niche: Tapeworms feed on food already digested by another animal. They live in the intestines of some animals. Tapeworms are hermaphroditic; each segment has two sets of male and female reproductive organs
Bivalves
Oysters (Ostreidae)
Fun Fact: A serving of 3 Pacific oysters (approximately 85 grams) provides 69 calories.
Fun Fact: Oysters change their gender.
Ecological Niche: Oysters feed by extracting algae and other food particles from the water. Oysters live in salty or brackish coastal waters, clustering on older shells, rock, piers, or any hard, submerged surface. A male oyster releases hundreds of thousands of sperm balls, each containing approximately 2,000 sperm. Females then bring the sperm into their shells through respiratory action and fertilize their eggs internally.
2. Clams (Bivalvia)
Fun Fact: March 31st is National Clams on the Half Shell Day.
Fun Fact: A normal clam can live till it is about 33 to 36 years old.
Ecological Niche: Clams eat plankton, algae, and other organic matter. Clams and mussels can be found in almost all types of freshwater habitats, but are very common in large rivers and streams. Male clams produce sperm and release it into the water, while females produce eggs that are retained internally.
Gastropods
Sea Snails (Liparis)
Fun Fact: A sea snail has a soft body that is usually protected by a shell.
Fun Fact: Sea snails are widely known to be one of the slowest living animals.
Ecological Niche: Many of the sea snails found on the shore are herbivores, which eat plants only. Sea snails live in oceans and seas all over the world. Snails reproduce by copulation.
Abalone (Haliotis)
Fun Fact: Red Abalone Are the Biggest and Most Prized.
Fun Fact: They Can Spawn Millions of Eggs at Once.
Ecological Niche: Adults abalone eat different types of algae. The majority of abalone species are found in cold waters, such as off the coasts of New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, Western North America, and Japan. Abalone reproduce by broadcast spawning—releasing their eggs and sperm into the water.
Cephalopods
Octopus (Octopoda)
Fun Fact: An octopus is a mollusk that has eight limbs and is a member of the Octopoda order.
Fun Fact: Octopuses are carnivores that eat meat. Common prey includes fish, crabs, crayfish, shrimp and other mollusks.
Ecological Niche: Their prey includes gastropods, like snails and sea slugs; bivalves, like clams and mussels; crustaceans, like lobsters and crabs; and fish. Octopuses are found in every ocean of the world and along every coast of the United States. Octopus vulgaris has individuals of both sexes. During mating, the male approaches the female, who fends him off for a while, but then accepts him. He sits next to her or mounts her, inserting the hectocotylus in her mantle cavity to pass the spermatophores. They may copulate for several hours.
2. Squid (Teuthida)
Fun Fact: Squid have 8 arms and only the tentacles have suckers.
Fun Fact: Squid have three hearts.
Ecological Niche: Squid mainly eat fish and crustaceans. Squid are found in oceans all around the world. Squids reproduce sexually with females producing eggs and males producing sperm.
Arthropods
Lobster (Nephropidae)
Fun Fact: Lobsters inhabit fresh and brackish water.
Fun Fact: Lobsters can be divided into two groups: clawed and spiny.
Ecological Niche: Lobsters eat fish, crabs, clams, mussels, sea urchins, and sometimes even other lobsters. Lobsters live at the bottom of the ocean. Lobsters reproduce sexually by laying lobster eggs.
Crab (Brachyura)
Fun Fact: There are more than 4,500 species of crabs.
Fun Fact: Crabs can live on land as long as they can keep their gills moist.
Ecological Niche: Crabs eat fish, crustaceans, shrimp, and other small animals. Crabs are found in all of the world's oceans, as well as in fresh water and on land, particularly in tropical regions. Crabs mate sexually but can also reproduce asexually.
Echinoderms
Starfish (Asteroidea)
Fun Fact: They have no brain and no blood.
Fun Fact: The average lifespan of a sea star is 35 years.
Ecological Niche: Sea stars are mostly carnivorous and prey on mollusks—including clams, mussels and oysters. Starfish species inhabit all of the world's oceans. Sea stars are broadcast spawners. Males release sperm into the water and females release eggs.
Sea Cucumber (Holothuroidea)
Fun Fact: Sea cucumbers belong to the group of animals called echinoderms.
Fun Fact: Their closest relatives are starfish and sea urchins.
Ecological Niche: Algae, aquatic invertebrates, and waste particles make up their diet. Sea cucumbers are found in virtually all marine environments throughout the world, from shallow to deep-sea environments. Sea cucumbers spawn by releasing eggs and sperm into the water, where the eggs are fertilized.
Jawless Fish
Lampreys (Petromyzontiformes)
Fun Fact: During reproduction, males wrap their bodies around females to squeeze out eggs.
Fun Fact: Its mouth contains 11 or 12 rows of teeth.
Ecological Niche: Adults in the parasitic stage attach themselves to other fish and suck blood using a hard, tongue-like structure in the middle of the mouth disc. Sea lampreys live in marine environments but spawn in freshwater rivers and streams. A typical lamprey mating involves the release of gametes
Hagfish (Myxini)
Fun Fact: They can absorb nutrients through their skin.
Fun Fact: They can absorb nutrients through their skin.
Ecological Niche: hagfish mostly feed on dead and dying creatures on the seafloor. These fish live close to the sea floor. It has been observed that some hagfish species are actually hermaphroditic, which means that they are both male and female. Females will lay up to 30 tough, yolky eggs. These eggs tend to stick together due to velcro-like attachments on the ends.
Cartilaginous Fish
Goblin Shark (Mitsukurina owstoni)
Fun Fact: The Goblin Shark shrinks when it gets older.
Fun Fact: With so many teeth, the Goblin Shark has different types that perform different tasks.
Ecological Niche: The goblin shark feeds mainly on teleost fishes such as rat tails and dragonfishes. Goblin sharks live in the depths of the ocean. Goblin sharks mate via internal fertilization and give live birth to a small number of relatively large young.
Stingray (Myliobatoidei)
Fun Fact: The largest species of stingray measure 6.5 feet in length and can weigh up to 790 pounds
Fun Fact: Their long tails usually have a spine and venom.
Ecological Niche: Stingrays eat clams, shrimp, and mussels. Stingrays are commonly found in the shallow coastal waters of temperate seas. Freshwater stingrays reproduce through internal fertilization.
Bony Fish
Tuna (Thunnini)
Fun Fact: Atlantic bluefin can reach ten feet in length and weigh as much as 2000 pounds
Fun Fact: Tuna can swim as fast as 43 miles per hour.
Ecological Niche: Tuna feed on smaller fish, crustaceans, squid, and eels. Tuna species are found throughout the world's oceans. Tuna are believed to release their gametes near the surface of the water and since the eggs and sperm are released outside of the tuna's body
Salmon (Salmo salar)
Fun Fact: A female spring Chinook salmon can carry more than 4,000 eggs.
Fun Fact: The oldest salmon fossil found is 50 million years old.
Ecological Niche: Salmon eat other fish, squid, eels and shrimp. They are born in streams and rivers, migrate out to the open sea, and then return to freshwater again to reproduce. Female salmon lay eggs in riverbed depressions that they create using their tails; the male comes along behind her and fertilizes the eggs.
Baleen Whales
Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)
Fun Fact: Humpback whales can live for 80 to 90 years.
Fun Fact: Humpback whales have some of the longest migrations of any mammal with some populations swimming 5,000 miles.
Ecological Niche: Humpback whales feed on shrimp-like crustaceans (krill) and small fish. Humpback whales live along the coasts of all oceans, occasionally swimming close to shore, even into harbours and rivers. Whales fertilize internally so the male will deposit his sperm in the female fertilizing one egg.
Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus)
Fun Fact: Blue whales are the largest animals ever known to have lived on Earth.
Fun Fact: Their tongues alone can weigh as much as an elephant.
Ecological Niche: They feed almost exclusively on krill. Blue whales are found in all oceans except the Arctic. Blue whales reproduce via sexual meiosis.
Toothed Whales
Orca (Orcinus orca)
Fun Fact: Orcas are the largest member of the dolphin family.
Fun Fact: A male orca can be nearly 33 feet (10 meters) in length and weigh around 22,000 pounds (10,000kg).
Ecological Niche: They feed on fish and squid but will also target seals, sea birds and even whale species far bigger than themselves. Killer whales are found in all oceans. Killer whales are a polygamous species, and they may have multiple partners in a single season.
Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus)
Fun Fact: Sperm whales are the largest of all toothed whales and can grow to a maximum length of 52 feet.
Fun Fact: Sperm whales live for up to 60 years.
Ecological Niche: Sperm whales eat squid, sharks, skates, and fish. They are found in all deep oceans. Sperm whales mate sexually to reproduce
Macroalgae
Maiden’s Hair (Adiantum capillus-veneris)
Fun Fact: Maidens Hair is also called Turtle Grass
Fun Fact: It is a green filamentous marine plant whose appearance is similar to thin tufts of hair.
Ecological Niche: feeds on the waste materials produced by decomposing materials and the waste of marine animals. Algae are a group of plants that are usually found in water. Many small algae reproduce asexually by ordinary cell division or by fragmentation, whereas larger algae reproduce by spores.
Sea Lettuce (Ulva)
Fun Fact: Seaweeds, including sea lettuce, are good sources of iodine which helps stimulate and maintain the proper functioning of the thyroid gland.
Fun Fact: Sea lettuce is good for the endocrine system.
Ecological Niche: feeds on the waste materials produced by decomposing materials and the waste of marine animals. Algae are a group of plants that are usually found in water. Many small algae reproduce asexually by ordinary cell division or by fragmentation, whereas larger algae reproduce by spores.
Porifera
Glass Sponge (Hexactinellida)
Fun Fact: Glass sponges do not have eyes or a mouth or stomach.
Fun Fact: Adult glass sponges are “sessile”, meaning they do not move
Ecological Niche: Most glass sponges live attached to hard surfaces and consume small bacteria and plankton that they filter from the surrounding water. These animals are common only in the deep ocean. Sponges reproduce by both asexual and sexual means.
Demosponge (Demospongiae)
Fun Fact: Demospongians can range in size from a few millimeters to over 2 meters in largest dimension
Fun Fact: They can form thin encrustations, lumps, finger-like growths, or urn shapes.
Ecological Niche: Most sponges feed on plankton, which is microscopic plant and animal organisms floating in the water. These animals are common only in the deep ocean. Sponges reproduce by both asexual and sexual means.
Cnidaria
Sea Anemone (Actiniaria)
Fun Fact: Fish, and shrimps, can often be found hiding from predators inside the floating tentacles of anemones.
Fun Fact: The mouth of sea anemones is also their bottom!
Ecological Niche: Anemones are carnivorous, feeding on tiny plankton or fish. Sea anemones are found throughout the world's oceans. Most anemones can reproduce asexually through budding.
Moon Jelly (Aurelia aurita)
Fun Fact: This jelly is named for its translucent, moonlike bell
Fun Fact: Moon Jellyfish travel in Social Groups.
Ecological Niche: Moon Jellies are carnivorous. They eat tiny zooplankton, mollusk larvae, crustaceans, and small fishes. Moon jellyfish are found in oceans around the world. These adults reproduce via external fertilization.
Comb Jellies
Nuda
Fun Fact:They are distinguished from other comb jellies by the complete absence of tentacles
Fun Fact: They are found in all the world's oceans and seas and are free-swimmers
Ecological Niche: They actively hunt for prey, which they usually devour whole. Ctenophores live all over the world, from the tropics to the poles and from the ocean surface down to its depths. Comb jellies are not found in freshwater. Comb jellies have both male and female reproductive organs and can fertilize themselves.
Tentacolata
Fun Fact: Known as a sea walnut.
Fun Fact: It is brilliantly luminescent.
Ecological Niche: They actively hunt for prey, which they usually devour whole. Ctenophores live all over the world, from the tropics to the poles and from the ocean surface down to its depths. Comb jellies are not found in freshwater. Comb jellies have both male and female reproductive organs and can fertilize themselves.