My Semester in Marine Bio

           This semester in Marine Bio, I have learned quite a bit. It has been unlike any other class that I have been  in. All of the labs that we participated in were very interesting. In contrast to oceanography, I liked this class much more.I enjoyed learning about the various species of the oceans and what the different species needed to survive. I have always had an interest in marine biology and for a while even considered it as a potential college major. After going through this course, I have realized that it would not be the right major for me, however, it is still very interesting.
          The only negatives that I could get out of the class were of my own accord. One would be getting a screw driver through my thumb. The other would be getting a mean sunburn on the whale watch as a result of falling asleep on the way home

Relationships among Marine Organisms

Marine Food Webs

My role in the marine food web was that of Phytoplankton. Phytoplankton was the second smallest organism on the food web and was a primary food source for various other organisms. Whales, fish and varying invertebrates eat Phytoplankton. Phytoplankton use photosynthesis for nutrition. They are a key component in the food web because so many different organisms eat it. If it were to disappear, other organisms may disappear as a result of lack of food which in turn could cause even more animals to disappear. Every ocean in the world would be affected because phytoplankton are such an important food to so many organisms. The class activity really demonstrated how important the lower level animals to those with no predators. Organisms such as phytoplankton and krill are very small however, they feed many different organisms. Without them as a staple food for the food web, many other animals may not exist.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Phytoplankton_-_the_foundation_of_the_oceanic_food_chain.jpg 

Phytoplankton

They are a key component in the food web because so many different organisms eat it. If it were to disappear, other organisms may disappear as a result of lack of food which in turn could cause even more animals to disappear. Every ocean in the world would be affected because phytoplankton are such an important food to so many organisms. Phytoplankton lives in the neuston ecosystem. 71% of the worlds oceans are covered with this neuston layer.

Energy Flow

The amount of energy that is passed on from one organism to another is not very much. Typically, only 10% of the nutrients from the animal that is being consumed goes to the consumer. 

Human Impacts

Humans are at the top of every food web simply because we have the ability to kill everything and in mass quantities. If humans did not have the technology of weapons then it would be a different story. Humans can completely eradicate a species which in turn can cause other species damage.