Transcript Marine Producers

Marine Producers
Phytoplankton
Phyto (plant) planktos (wandering)
Microscopic plants that live in the ocean
 Over 10,000 species of phytoplankton
 Foundation of the marine food chain
 2/3 of all the photosynthesis that takes place
is in the oceans
Diatoms
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Marine producers
Are unicellular
Enclosed by cell walls made largely of silica
Aggregate into chains or star-like groups
Algae
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Simple aquatic organisms
Eukaryotic
Photosynthetic
Photosynthesis vs. Respiration
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Photosynthesis
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Occurs in chloroplasts
Solar energy captured by chlorophyll
Oxygen by-product
Sunlight + CO2 + H2O ----> O2 + Sugars
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Respiration
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Occurs in mitochondria
Release of energy from breaking down sugars
Carried out by both autotrophs and heterotrophs
Sugars + O2 ----> CO2 + H2O + chemical energy
http://www.cellsalive.com/cells/plntcell_archive.htm
Macroalgae a.k.a. macrophytes
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Popular name- seaweed
Multicellular
Eukaryotic
Lots of variation in structure and appearance
Three types of seaweed
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Green algae
Brown algae
Red algae
General Structure
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No true leaves, stems, or roots
Thallus- Body structure
Blades- leaf like structure
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Pneumatocysts
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Gas filled bladders which help keep blades near sea surface
maximizing exposure to sun
Stipe
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Main photosynthetic regions
Stem-like structure which provides support
Holdfast
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Root-like structure which attaches thallus to the bottom
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Do not penetrate through the sand or mud
Do not play a significant role in absorption of water and nutrients
Macroalgae Structure
Chlorophyta- Green algae
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Occur in both Freshwater and Marine
environments
Bright green in color because chlorophyll is
not masked by other pigments
Ulva- Sea lettuce
Codium fragile- Dead man’s fingers
Over 8,000 species
90% are freshwater / 10% saltwater
Genus Ulva- Sea Lettuce
Kingdom: Protista
Phylum: Chlorophyta
Class: Ulvophyceae
Order: Ulvales
Family: Ulvaceae
Genus: Ulva
Species: Lactuca
Ulva Lactuca
Codium fragile- Dead man’s fingers
Kingdom: Protista
Division: Chlorophyta
Class:
Bryopsidophyceae
Order: Codiales
Family: Codiaceae
Genus: Codium
species: fragile
Phaeophyta- Brown Algae
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1500 species
Predominantly marine
Range in color from olive to dark
Common in rocky shores
Brown due to yellow-brown pigments
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Fucoxanthin
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Pigment in brown algae that dominates over chlorophyll
Phaeophyta
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Rockweeds and Kelps
Kelp forests play an important role in marine
ecology by providing food and shelter for
marine organisms
Some species grow very large
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Nereocystis- Bull Kelp’s stipe can be up to 30
meters long
Macrocystis- Stipes can be up to 100 meters long
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These giant kelp are estimated to grow 50cm per day!!!!
Phaeophyta
Kelp Forest
Temperate Rain Forest
Rhodophyta: Red Algae
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More species than of other two types
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Red pigments: phycobilins
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4,000 species
Only a few fresh water species
These pigments mask chlorophyll
Common in rocky shorelines
Coralline Algae
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These species deposit calcium carbonate within their cell
walls
Are actively involved in the formation of coral reefs
Rhodophyta
Reproduction In Algae
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Asexual reproduction is common
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Vegetative reproduction
Fragments of thallus can grow into new organisms
Some reproduce by spores which disperse to new locations
Sexual reproduction
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Production of gametes
Spores and Gametes are produced by meiosis
Economic Importance
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Used as a food sources in China, Japan, and Korea
Used as fertilizers, and in animal feeds
Phycocolloids are used in food processing for their
ability to form viscous suspensions
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Algin- a phycocolloid that is used in ice cream, cheese, and
baked goods. Also used in shampoos, paints, and
cosmetics
Carrageenan- used as an emulsifier. Gives body to dairy
products and pudding
Agar- Used to form jellies as a thickening agent. Also used
as a medium to grow bacteria and molds.
Marine Flowering Plants
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Kingdom Plantae
Angiosperms: aka flowering plants
Dominant land plants
Few species live in marine environments
Have true roots, stems, and leaves
All have flower as dominant reproductive
organ
Seagrasses
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Resemble grasses, but are not grasses at all
Pollen for reproduction is carried by water
currents
Eelgrass
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50-60 species
Found in shallow coastal waters
Have ribbon-like leaves
Common in oxygen poor sediments
Turtlegrass
Eelgrass
Salt-Marsh Plants
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Cordgrasses
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Live on land, but are salt
tolerant
Not completely submerged
Become submerged during
high tidal periods
Mangroves
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Trees and shrubs living on tropical shores
Land plants that tolerate salt
Grow in mud bottom estuaries, and coastal
lagoons
Arched roots trap sediment and cause more
land to build up expanding the colony toward
the sea
Red Mangrove