Marine Ecosystem
Marine Ecosystem - Related Videos
01:17
What is an Ecosystem?
0 Views •
2019
Overview An ecosystem is the interaction between all abiotic and biotic factors in an environment and can be classified as terrestrial or aquatic. Terrestrial ecosystems are categorized based on the climate, including annual temperature, rainfall, and seasonality. Aquatic ecosystems are separated further into freshwater and marine, and then by depth, which influences water temperature and the amount of sunlight that penetrates the water. Terrestrial Ecosystems Terrestrial ecosystems are...
10:48
Nutrients in Aquatic Ecosystems
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2023
Source: Laboratories of Margaret Workman and Kimberly Frye - Depaul University Nitrogen and phosphorus are essential plant nutrients found in aquatic ecosystems and both are monitored as a part of water quality testing because in excess amounts they can cause significant water quality problems. Nitrogen in water is measured as the common form nitrate (NO3-) that is dissolved in water and readily absorbed by photosynthesizers such as algae. The common form of phosphorus measured is phosphate...
13:51
Analyzing Gene Expression from Marine Microbial Communities using Environmental Transcriptomics
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Cited by 60 •
2009
We present a method for generating cDNA from environmental mRNA. In general, total RNA is first collected from the environment, rRNA is selectively removed, mRNA is selectively amplified, and cDNA synthesized from the enriched mRNA pool is sequenced. Recovered sequences can be annotated using standard bioinformatics techniques to identify the expressed genes.
11:26
Ecotoxicological Method with Marine Bacteria Vibrio anguillarum to Evaluate the Acute Toxicity of Environmental Contaminants
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Cited by 10 •
2017
This work describes a new protocol to assess the ecotoxicity of pollutants, including emerging contaminants such as nanomaterials, using the marine bacterium Vibrio anguillarum. This method allows for the determination of the LC50, or mortality, the concentration that causes a 50% decrease in bacteria culturability, after a 6 h exposure.
16:03
A Fish-feeding Laboratory Bioassay to Assess the Antipredatory Activity of Secondary Metabolites from the Tissues of Marine Organisms
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Cited by 6 •
2015
This bioassay employs a model predatory fish to assess the presence of feeding-deterrent metabolites from organic extracts of the tissues of marine organisms at natural concentrations using a nutritionally comparable food matrix.
FAQs
Energy usually enters through photosynthesis by phytoplankton, which serve as primary producers. It then passes to consumers through feeding relationships, creating food webs rather than a single linear chain. The amount and distribution of this energy influence productivity, consumer populations, and the organization of communities across coastal waters, the open ocean, and other marine habitats.
Phytoplankton convert light energy into organic matter through photosynthesis, providing the initial energy source for many marine food webs. Their activity links light availability with biological productivity, so changes in environmental conditions can affect how much energy becomes available to consumers. This relationship is central to understanding marine populations, food-web structure, and ecosystem change.
Decomposers break down organic matter and help recycle nutrients within marine ecosystems. Their activity connects the remains and waste of organisms with the resources available for future biological production. Along with physical processes that redistribute oxygen and organic matter, decomposition helps maintain ecosystem functioning and influences carbon cycling in seawater and sediments.
These conditions influence where organisms can live, how productive communities become, and how organic matter is distributed. Light supports photosynthesis, while temperature and oxygen affect environmental suitability; sediments provide another important setting for biological interactions and decomposition. Their combined effects help distinguish habitats such as coral reefs, estuaries, open-ocean regions, and the deep sea.
A study can examine organisms, their interactions, and surrounding conditions such as seawater, sediments, light, and temperature. Researchers then relate these observations to productivity, food-web structure, nutrient recycling, oxygen distribution, and carbon cycling. Comparing these features across habitats or changing conditions helps reveal how environmental pressures influence biodiversity and ecosystem stability.
Assessments are useful when decision-makers need to understand biodiversity, productivity, and ecosystem stability. Examining food webs and environmental conditions can reveal how changes affect species and the resources that support fisheries. The resulting ecological information contributes to biodiversity conservation and sustainable fisheries by connecting biological patterns with conditions in oceans and coastal waters.
Marine ecosystems contribute to climate research by showing how environmental change affects productivity, carbon cycling, species, and ecosystem stability. Investigations of phytoplankton, consumers, decomposers, seawater, sediments, and oxygen distribution can connect biological activity with the movement and recycling of organic matter. This perspective helps researchers evaluate marine responses to changing conditions.