Predicting the Most Intriguing Marine Animal Diversity and Feeding Strategies
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Added on 2021-08-10
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PRACTICAL 1 Marine Animal Diversity & Feeding Strategies – Online Version 3 Aug 2020 OBJECTIVES • View and appreciate the vast diversity of marine animals through “reef cams” or other live streamed underwater cameras recording marine ecosystems in real time. ReefCam, Georgia Aquarium, USA • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9bQQ_sQQ&feature=youtu.be ReefCam, California Aquarium, USA • https://www.youtube.com/
Predicting the Most Intriguing Marine Animal Diversity and Feeding Strategies
2 BackgroundInformation Marineecosystemsarevastlycomplexwithextraordinaryanimaldiversity.Oftheseanimals, invertebrates(animalslackingabackbone)areamajorcomponentofoceanlifeandrepresent more than 97% of described animals. The first vertebrates (animals with a backbone) were fishes,comprisingmorethanhalfthetotalnumberofvertebratespecies.Fishesareanextremely diversegroupastheyhaveevolvedawiderangeofcharacteristicsandabilitiesallowingthem tosurviveinnearlyallmarineenvironments.Theevolutionoflobe---finnedfishesresultedin marine reptiles, mammals and sea birds; after first evolving to live terrestrially, they again evolvedtoreturntotheocean.WhileitisnotpossibletohaverepresentativesofALLmarine animals in this practical session, our intention is to bring a wide variety of animals and informationforyoutoexamineandtoseehowthesemarineorganismshavefoundsometruly uniquewaysofadaptingandsurvivinginsometrulywondrousmarineenvironments. Asdiverseasthemarineanimalsare,soaretheiradaptedfeedingstrategiesanddiets.Thereare depositfeedersthatpassmud,sandorothersedimentintotheirmouthstofeedondetritus– afinelayerofbacteriaandorganicremainsofotheranimalsandplants.Manydepositfeeders havespecialadaptationsforeatinginthismanner,suchasspecialfeedingappendagesshaped asspoonstoshovelsedimenttotheirmouth.Anothercommonfeedingstrategyissuspension feeding,inwhichanimalshavedevelopedawidearrayofmechanismsforcatchingplankton and organic matter from the water, such as trapping it in mucous or developing brush---like combs. Filterfeedersactively filter suspended organic material from thewater bypumping waterthroughfiltrationstructures.Inaddition,therearenumerouspredators.Somepredators cancamouflageandwaitforpreytocometothem,haveadaptedtomovequicklyorhavespecial venomorbodyparts(tentacles,teeth,hooks,stingersetc.)toincapacitatetheirprey.Thereare alsomarineherbivoresthatfeedonplants,suchasthedugongwhicheatseagrassesandother aquaticplants. Please use the following links to view a variety of marine life from a variety of marine ecosystems.Somewillbeinaquaria,andsomeareunderwatercameras‘livestreaming’from the ocean. Be mindful some cameras only operate during their local daylight times and may requireyoutocheckbackintheearlymorningorlateintheeveningifyou’rehereinAustralia. Othercamerasshowhighlightfootageduring‘offscreen’time.Manyofthemalsohaveonline fieldguidestohelpyouidentifytheanimalsobservedinthefootage: 1.TheNatureConservancyAustralia–ReefCaminPortPhillipBay,Victoria,Australia https://www.natureaustralia.org.au/what-we-do/our-priorities/oceans/ocean- stories/reef-cam-underwater/ 2.TheMontereyBayAquarium–CoralReefCam,California,USA https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals/live-cams/coral-reef-cam 3.CaliforniaAcademyofScience–ReefLagoonCamandFieldGuide,California,USA https://www.calacademy.org/explore-science/reef-lagoon-field-guide
4 YourTask 1.Thispracticalisdesignedforstudentstoperusefootageofvariousmarineanimalgroups atyourownpace.Thereisnosetorder,timeordayinwhichyoumustvisiteachsite,but checkbackfrequently.Besuretowatchanyhighlightfootageofferedforspecialcritter appearancesontheliveoceancams. 2.Ateachwebsite,theremaybeguidesandinformationsheets,videos,pictures,andhints &tipsofthingstolookatordo.Makesureyougothrougheverythingandenjoyexploring! 3.Be sure to have this practical guide with you while viewing the underwater camera streams.Ifyoucompletethequestionsheetsbyhand,theywillneedtobescannedand uploadedforcredittowardsyourpracticalreport.Ifyoudon’thaveaccesstoascanner, manysmartphonescantakeclearimagesandconverttheminto.pdfswiththeuse of(free)apps. 4.After visiting all the underwater camera streams (and any others of your choosing), selectoneoftheanimalsthatintriguesyoumostanddrawitscientificallyonaseparate pieceofpaper(seeguideforhowtodoascientificdrawingbelow).Youwillneedthisto completeQuestions2and3below. Assessment:PracticalReport(5%) YoumustsubmitapracticalreportthroughSafeAssignbymidnightMondayAugust10. Yourreportshouldconsistthefollowing: 1.Adigitalcopyofyourquestionsheets(9marks). 2.Scientificdrawingwithobservations(3marks)oftheanimalthatintriguesyou.Writea paragraphaboutwhatyoufoundmostinterestingabouttheanimal(3-4sentences;3 marks). 3.Researchintothespecificfeedingmechanismsoftheanimalyouchosetodrawfor question2(8-10sentenceswithproperreferencingandAPAformatting:10marks). Note:Plagiarismisnotaccepted.Pleaseciteyourstatementsusingprimaryliterature, includingscholarlybooksandjournalarticles,andwhenpossibleavoidwebsitescompletely.
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