AICE MS AS

4.1 Classification & 4.2 Key Groups of Marine

Organisms
Objectives: Students will ……
• 4.1 The Classification of Marine Ecosystems
• Understand the Classification of species ad binomial
nomenclature system
• Construct and use simple dichotomous keys and
make biological observations and drawings
• 4.2 Key Groups of Marine Organisms
• Understand the role of phytoplankton as producers
and zooplankton as consumers
• State the main features of typical adult echinoderms,
crustaceans, bony fish, cartilaginous fish, macroalgae,
and marine plants
• Understand the ecological and economic importance
of these marine organisms, including named
examples
• Explain and identify biotic and abiotic factors in
marine ecosystems
Classification of Marine Organisms
• Taxonomy hierarchy - system that classifies organisms by
features, relationships, & evolutionary relationships they share
• 3 domains: Bacteria, Archaea (extremophile bacteria),
Eukarya (multicellular organisms)
• Taxonomy hierarchy: from broadest to specific
• Kingdom
• Phylum
• Class
• Order
• Family
• Genus
• Species
Binomial Nomenclature
• Scientific names are made up of the
organism's genus (first) and species
(second)
• The genus is ALWAYS Write the scientific names below
correctly in your PPT Notes.
CAPITALIZED, and the species is
not
• If it is typed, you MUST
ITALICIZE it
• If it is handwritten, you MUST
UNDERLINE it
Dichotomy
• a division of organisms into two groups,
typically based on a characteristic
present in one group and absent in the
other
• Dichotomous Key - a method used to
identify a species based on contrasting
physical characteristics that have two
possible outcomes

• ALWAYS start at the beginning of the

Dichotomous Key when identifying an
organism
Identifying Features used with the Dichotomous Key
• qualitative
factors:
• physical attributes
• Size
• Color
• Shape
• Etc.
• quantitative
factors:
• #of fins,
• weight,
• height
• Etc.
Coursebook Reading WKSHT: draw a
clownfish and label the external features that
could help you identify it using a dichotomous
key – google it
 Dichotomous
Key Practice

Complete this exercise

in your Coursebook
Reading Activity
4.2 Key Groups of Marine Organisms
• Marine organism range from the smallest virus to the
biggest blue whale
• We will compare the characteristics of 8 major groups
of marine organisms
• Phytoplankton
• Zooplankton
• Crustaceans
• Bony fish
• Cartilaginous fish
• Macroalgae
• Marine grasses

• We will explore ecological and economic importance of

each group – including:
• Crown-of-thorns starfish COTS
• Antarctic krill
• Peruvian anchoveta
• Blue shark
• The abundance & distribution of these
keystone species determine the health of its
ecosystem and man’s impact on the marine
environment
 Keystone Species
• Keystone species – consumers that
effect biodiversity to a greater extent than
would be expected from their population
numbers.
• Occur near the top of the food chain
• Control other species by predation and competition
• May physically modify the habitat
• Important in conservation programs
• EX: Starfish (not top predator) helps control the
population of sea urchins and mussels from destroying
coral reefs/kelp forests.
• helps promote biodiversity because increase populations of
sea urchins and mussels would drive out organisms that would
compete for space on the coral reef and/or destroy kelp forests

Conservation programs protect the keystone species

in a habitat b/c it protects all the other organisms as
well
Plankton

• Microscopic organisms with

limited mobility – they go
where the currents takes them
TWO GROUPS:
• Phytoplankton – producers
• Zooplankton - consumers
VIDEO: Phytoplankton

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUnktLpa8PI
Phytoplankton – producer(wide variety)

• Divided into 3 groups depending

on size
• Picoplankton (0.2 – 2 μm)
• Nanoplankton (2 – 20 μm)
• Microplankton (20 – 200 μm)

• Further divided into:

• Diatoms
• Dinoflagellates
DIATOMS
• Unicellular
• Found at the ocean’s surface
• Cell walls of silica
• Reproduce rapidly with optimum conditions
• Blooms seen in spring – more light intensity,
warmer temps, & with upwelling replenishing
nutrients
• Blooms do not last long due to consumption by
zooplankton and deletion of minerals
• Remove large amounts of CO2 from the
atmosphere
• Form the base of many food chains/webs
DINOFLAGELLATES
• Unicellular protoctists w/o a silica cell wall
• Live on surface of the ocean
• Can reproduce rapidly in optimal
conditions and form blooms
• Some species produce toxins – kill fish
or can accumulate in shellfish
• Toxic bloom are called harmful algal
blooms (HABs) that include Red Tides
• Runoff caring pollutants (N & P) is the
source of HABs
• HABs are increasing in durations and
occurrences
• Some are bioluminescent – a defense
mechanism
Zooplankton - consumer
• Important consumers that include:
• Larvae
• Copepods
• Jellyfish
• Krill
• Diel Vertical Migration - migrate vertically daily
to feed on phytoplankton
• Link b/w the primary producers and larger
consumers
• Sensitive to environmental changes like:
• Pollution
• Microplastics
• Acidification
• Increase water temps
Zooplankton - Larvae
• Larvae include the planktonic stage
of development b/w the egg and he
juvenile stages
• Found in many fish and invertebrate
species
• Float in the ocean and are moved by
tides or currents
• Some have oil globules for added
buoyancy
Zooplankton - Copepods
• Herbivores that feed on diatoms
• Bodies are divided into 3 sections
• Head Copepod eating microplastic
• Thorax
• Abdomen
• They have antennas that aid in swimming
• 2 to 4 appendages extend form the thorax
• CaCO3 skeleton with spikes for protection
& increase surface area (better flotation)
Zooplankton - Jellyfish
• Belong to the Cnidarian group like the
corals and sea anemones
• Made of two parts:
• Medusa - a transparent bell (pulsing
provides limited mobility)
• Tentacles – dangling form the medusa
• Remain planktonic throughout their
whole life
• Predators – stinging cells (nematocysts)
in tentacles kill other plankton and larval
fish
Zooplankton - Krill
• Shrimp like carnivores
• Feed off other zooplanktons
and phytoplankton
• Important food source for
birds, fish, seals, and baleen
whales

Baleen
Video: The Secret Life of Plankton

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFQ_fO2D7f0
Echinoderms
• Over 7000 species – includes
• Brittle stars
• Sea Lilies
• Seastars (Starfish)
• Sea cucumbers
• Sea urchins
• Distributed from intertidal to benthic zones (sea
floor)
• Corals reefs
• Kelp forests
• Sandy & Rocky shores
• Planktonic larvae develop into adults with
pentaradial symmetry – 5 arms radiating form
a central body cavity containing the mouth & anus
• Move via water-filled tube system that increase &
decreases hydraulic pressure in the tube feet
arranged in grooves under each arm
Seastars –anatomy
• Thin layer of “spiny skin” over a hard CaCO3 skeleton
• Water filled tubes increase and decrease the hydraulic
pressure
• Ampulla - pouch or sack-like part of the sea star's
water vascular system that expands and contracts to
move water up and down each tube foot
• Tube feet are for:
• Movement
• Feeding
• Respiration
• Sticking to the seafloor
• Stomach is inverted through the mouth (underside)
releases digestive enzymes then the nutrients are
absorbed
• Egestion is through the anus (upper side)
• Tubed feet also aid in gaseous exchange for
respiration (O2 in & CO2 out)
Ecological Importance of Echinoderms
CORAL REEFS
• Crown-of-thorn (COTS) eats fast growing coral
therefore supporting the colonization of slower
growing corals
• Provides more niches
• increases biodiversity
• COTS removal from the ecosystem can lead to
an over-growth of fast-growing coral
• COTS outbreak in the ecosystem can destroy
too much of an area that will have a negative
affect on its biodiversity
Ecological Importance of Echinoderms
Sea Urchins & Kelp
• Sea urchins are predators for the kelp
• Sea urchins are prey to sea otters
• When the P-P relationship is not balanced
ecosystems are damaged
• EX:
• Too many urchins will decimate the kelp
forest
• Too little urchins can have overgrown kelp
forests
• Few otters – urchin population grows = less
kelp
Overharvesting the urchins and or hunting the
otters can have a negative impact on the kelp
forest ecosystems
Ecological Importance of Echinoderms
Sandy Shores
• Sea cucumbers filter sea water and
burrow into the substrate
increasing the oxygen content for
other infauna species
• Their larvae stage is an important
food source for plankton eating
fish
• They ingest sand with their food
and their nitrogenous waste
product put back needed nutrients
Economic Importance of Echinoderms
on coastal economies
POSTIVE: NEGATIVE:
• Sea cucumber & urchins can be used in • Outbreak of COTS can destroy coral
agriculture, fishing, food, & scientific reefs / kelp forests and hurt the fishing
industries and tourism industry
• Sea cucumbers & urchins are eaten in parts of • Overharvesting of any species can cause
the world the ecosystem to change and lose
• Sea cucumbers are also used in the biodiversity
pharmaceutical industry as they inhibit the
growth of certain cancers
• Urchin exoskeleton can be used to raise soil
pH for crops
• Urchins used to study developmental biology
Crustaceans • Outer exoskeleton provides
protection form predator &
• Adapted to live in fresh, brackish, water loss
and salt water
• Inner portion of exoskeleton
• Include: provides support and muscle
• Crab attachment
• Crayfish
• Lobster • Exoskeleton is divided into two
• Krill parts:
• Shrimp • Cephalothorax (head & thorax)
• Prawns • Segmented abdomen
• Barnacles
• Copepods
• Amphipods
• Fish lice

• Planktonic larval form called a

nauplius
• Hard exoskeleton made of Ca and
chitin (polysaccharide)
External Anatomy of a Crustacean
• Cephalothorax – Head & Thorax - contains
the heart, the gills, & the stomach
• Protected by the carapace
• Two pairs of antennae – the shorter pair
is called antennules
• Head has 2 compound eyes & 3 pairs of
mouthparts (used for feeding and
defense) – Mandible & 2 pairs of maxillae
• at least 5 pairs of joint legs (decapods)
with 2-part limbs
• Pereiopods - claws (chela) & walking
legs called also used to gather food
• Pleopods -Segmented abdomen with
swimmerets - swimming legs & aids in
reproduction by passing the sperm to
the eggs
• Abdomen ends in a fan shaped tail – telson
and uropod
Ecological Importance of Crustaceans
• Integrate part of many marine
ecosystems
• Scavengers – recycle nutrients &
occupy a niche of detritivores
• Breaking down detritus they speed up
the conversion from organic to
inorganic phases of nutrients
• Others consume algae and maintain
a balance within ecosystems
• Food source for many marine
organisms, birds, & mammals
Krill – Important Crustacean
• Form a biomass of 110 billion kg in the
Southern Ocean – VITAL to the
Antarctic food chains
• 80different species – Antarctic krill is
most import in polar waters
• High reproductivity rate – female can
lay up to 10000 eggs
• During summer massive increase in
phytoplankton occur feeding the krill
• Global warming & commercial
fisheries has decreased krill
populations
• Can result in harmful algal blooms and the
extinction of krill dependent organism such as
the Antarctic squid
Economic Importance of Crustaceans
on coastal economies
POSTIVE: NEGATIVE:
• Food source for humans as well as other • Copepods and fish lice can hurt the growth
marine organisms rates of mollusks being grown in aquatic
agriculture farms as they are parasites
• Zooplankton crustaceans such as copepods
and krill form the largest animal biomass on • Pea-crabs are also a type of parasitic
Earth crustacean that enters their oyster host as
a larvae and remain there as they feed and
• They link trophic levels to sustain the marine grow
foods eaten by humans
• Contains Omega-3 fatty acids and
antioxidants that is sold as a dietary
supplement to lower blood lipids and alleviate
arthritic pain
Bony-Fish
• 96 % of fish have bony skeleton in the Class:
Osteichthyes
• Their external structure:
• GILLS: delicate pink membranous structure that
provides a large surface area for O2 and CO2 exchange
b/w the water and their blood
• Supported by a structure called gill arches
• OPERCULUM: Thin bony flap that covers the gills
• Opens & closes to allow water to pass through the
gills for gaseous exchange
• LATERAL LINE: canal from the head down the side
of the fish
• Contains sense organs – detects electrical signals &
vibrations in the water
• Assists in shoaling behavior, navigation, & detecting
prey
Bony-Fish (cont.)
• Scales: made of bone covered by skin &
mucous
• Increase hydrodynamic efficiency
(reduces drag)
• Overlapping flexible scales either:
• Cycloid – smooth edge
• Ctenoid – toothed edges
• Ganoid – heavier thicker scales
• Grow like tree rings – thickness & # of rings
help determine age & growth rate
• Fins: protrude from the body – aids in
movement, stabilizing position, reproduction
& protection
Bony-Fish: Fin Types
• Pectoral Fin: pairs on both sides of the fish
behind the operculum
• Used for turning, balance, stopping, & swimming
• Some fish have special adaptations for the fins – Red
Handfish / Flying fish

• Caudal Fin: at the tail of the fish

• Main source of power and propulsion
5 types – aids in speed
1. Rounded– fish swim slower but for longer periods of
time
2. Truncated – good for ambushing prey sudden move of
direction & quick acceleration
3. Forked – continuous swimmer
4. Lunated – maintain fast speeds for long periods
5. Heterocercal – Cartilaginous fish) – fastest swimmers
Bony-Fish: Fins (cont.)
• Pelvic fin: (ventral fins) found in pairs
one on each side of the front of the fish
• Aids in stability
• Adaptation may include use for walking or
sticking to benthic substrate

• Anal Fin: on the ventral surface behind

the anus/cloaca
• Aids in stabilization while swimming

• Dorsal Fin: on the back surface of the fish

– can have up to 3
• Assist in steering & balance
• Protection form rolling
• Enables sudden stops & turns
• May have spines for protection
• Adaptation: spines may be used to attract prey
Bony-Fish Adaptations

Internal Anatomy
• Jaw & skeleton made of bone & cartilage
• Swim bladder – specialized buoyancy
organ
• Adding & releasing gas b/w the swim
bladder and blood allows to stay in mid-
water (buoyant) and not have to
continuously swim
Bony Fish Anatomy
Ecological Importance of Bony Fish
• Bony fish found in rivers & oceans are
responsible for significant storage of
nutrients in their tissues
• Link the nutrient cycles withing their
habitats
• Their excreting provide the N, P needed by
primary producers
• Food source for many land and ocean
organisms
• EX: bear & salmon
• Reduction of salmon populations will hurt
other organisms that depend on them for
sustainability
• Salmon is a keystone species
Economic Importance of Bony Fish
POSTIVE:

• Food source for humans as well as other marine organisms

NEGATIVE:
• Fish is important source of protein and 5 amino acids that
• ???????
humans can not make
• Fish are rich in iodine, Vit A, & Vit D
• Non-edible parts of fish provide nutrients (N, CaPO4) used for
animal feed & fertilizers
• Fish parts are also used to make:
• Oil – soap, candle, varnish, paints
• Skin – lanterns and glue
• Air-bladder – wines and beer (isinglass powder)
• Scales – jewelry

• Support the fishing & tourism industry

• Pets
Cartilaginous Fish
Class Chondrichthyes
• Subclass Elasmobranchii (rays, sharks, &
skates)
• Subclass Holocephali (chimaeras)
• Includes:
• Chimaeras
• Rays
• Sharks
• Skates
• Their jaws and skeleton are made of cartilage
• Less Ca so more flexible & softer
Characteristics of Elasmobranchs

• Placoid scales (dermal denticles – tooth like)

all in one direction (rubbed the wrong way feels like
sandpaper)
• Provides protections and streamlining for swimming
efficiency
• Lateral line is under the skin – not visible
• Five to seven gill openings on each side
• Spiracles (modified gill slit) to aid in breathing
(behind the eye)
• Water is taken in via the mouth – then over the gills –
and out via the gill slit
• Rigid dorsal fins (and spines if present)
• Elasmobranchs have several rows of teeth which
are continually replaced.
• They don't have swim bladders, but instead
their large livers are full of oil to provide buoyancy-
many must continuously swim
Chimaera, Ray Shark, & Skate Anatomy
(external)
Ecological Importance of Cartilaginous Fish
• Biological niche – top predator
• Inhabit many marine ecosystems (some are
filter feeder or scavengers)
• Maintains ecological balance – mainly
interspecific competition
• w/o the top predator their prey #s would
increase causing a decline on what they
prey – ecosystems can be decimated
• Sharks have a greater ecological impact
• Promote biodiversity by maintain the balance b/w P-
P
• Remove weak and diseased individuals for a
population
• Control of invasive species
Economic Importance of Cartilaginous Fish
POSTIVE:
NEGATIVE:
• Fishing – provides sport dollars and food
• Killing sharks for just their fins
• Tourism – scuba, snorkeling, photography
• Negative impacts on ecosystems
• Liver oils – high in Vit A, preserving leather & wood, as it disrupts the P-P equilibrium
lubricant, cosmetics, medicinal purposes (arthritis
to cancer)
• Denticles (scales) provide an abrasive purpose
• Skin of sharks can be used to make boots, belts,
rope, & wallets
• Teeth makes jewelry
Phylum - Chordata
• Bony Fish & Cartilaginous fish belong to the PHYLUM –
Chordata
• They share common features at some point of their
development
• Notochord – flexible rod-shaped organ that extends the length of the body
• Allows the body bend during muscle contractions
• Dorsal Neural Tube – tube shaped organ that extends the length of the
body
• During development – the anterior end becomes the brain, and the posterior
end becomes the spinal cord
• Pharyngeal Slits – links to the mouth cavity & the digestive system
• Primitive chordates – allows the release of water taken in by the mouth for filter
feeding
• Bony & cartilaginous fish develop into gill arches that support ventilation across the
gills
• In most marine mammals and birds, the pharyngeal slits are only present during
embryonic development that later develop into the jaws and inner ear bone
• Post-anal Tail – located at the rear
• mainly used for swimming
VIDEO: How are SHARKS and FISH different? What makes SHARKS so unique from most other fish in
the OCEAN!?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pv0BoP6c3cQ
Macroalgae - Producer
Marine photoautotrophs that include:
Kelp Seaweed Seagrass
MOST have similar structures for shallow seas & oceans
• Thallus – whole body of macroalgae - 3 parts
• Holdfast – tough, strong, root –like structure that anchors the kelp to the seabed
(substrate)
• Prevents the macroalgae from being moved in strong currents or storms NOT for nutrient
absorption
• Stipe – long, rough, vertical stalk
• Extends form the holdfast to the blades
• Tough to prevent breakage
• Blades – broad leaf-like structures that “hang” in the water
• Large surface areas for better sunlight & mineral absorption

• Gas Bladders – some (kelp) have these bubble-like structures found under the blades or
near the stripe
• Acts as flotation devices to keep the blades closer to the surface for more sunlight
• Contain other pigments to absorb additional wavelengths of light( Xanthophyll & Fucoxanthin)
Ecological Importance of Macroalgae
• Important in the littoral and sublittoral
coastal habitats
• Kelp forest proliferate on continental shelf
and provide a diverse range of fauna
• They increase the productivity of the
nearshore ecosystems by generating much
detritus – allowing for recycling of nutrients
• Base of many food chains generating high
biodiversity
Economic Importance of Macroalgae
POSTIVE: NEGATIVE:
• Food source for human as well as other marine organisms
• Over-harvesting – reduces
• Harvesting can be done: biodiversity and loss of habitats
• Attached to a substrate
• Free-floating
• Washed up on shore

• Demand exceed supply – many countries are farming it

(marineculture)
• Uses for Seaweed:
• Cooking – low in fat / rich in proteins, vitamins, mineral salts,
iodine
• Food industry – emulsifiers / solid gels
• Alginate – forms gelatinous substance
• Agar – make vegetarian jellies / used in microbiology
to grow bacteria cultures
• Carrageenan - foods with different textures including chocolate mils
• Cosmetics – moisturizing creams and herbal remedies
• Fertilizer – adds rich sources of nutrients to the soil
• Aquaculture – used to feed abalone (fish) in aquaculture farms
Video: Marine Algae

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVATZyyg9Bk
 Marine Plants - Producers
• Aquatic producers (fresh and salt environments)
– 3 types:
1. Floating – water cabbage – floating herb
2. Emergent - rooted to a substrate &
project above the water’s surface –
mangrove forests and herbs/shrubs found
in saltmarshes
3. Submergent – rooted in the substrate &
remain beneath the waterline – seagrasses
(most common marine plant)
• Found in meadows along shallow continental
shelfs
Seagrass World Distribution
• Seagrass are flowering
marine plants
• Form meadows in shallow
waters ranging from 4 °C
to 24 °C
• Not found in subpolar
regions
• Are under threat of global
warming
Features of Seagrass DO NOT CONFUSE SEAGRASS WITH
MACROALGAE
• Well developed root systems with thick
horizontal rhizomes
• Rhizomes can lie up to 25 cm deep in the substrate
• The rhizomes allow the plants to reproduce asexually
• Roots anchor the seagrass on the seabed – keeps
them stationary from wave action and storms

• The leaf has an epidermis layer with

chloroplast to maximize photosynthesis – no
stomata – thin cuticle layer
• Nutrients are obtained straight form the water – few
vascular bundles as H2O and nutrients do not need to
be transported
• Leaves are flexible and adapted to not lose water
through osmosis
• Specialized tissue of “air cells” called aerenchyma –
delivers oxygenated air to all submerged plant areas
Video: Adaptations in aquatic plants

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgnF9__MDfI
Ecological Importance of Marine Plants
• Sensitive to water quality – keystone
species for coastal ecosystems
• Dominant producers in estuaries and the
base of food chains
• Massive destruction will cause a huge
energy loss for consumers in their
ecosystem
• Organisms that depend on seagrass:
• Manatees, turtles, herbivorous fish
• Dead seagrass: worms, sea cucumbers,
echinoderms, and sea anemones
• Shelter: seahorses, lizardfish, certain fish
• Nursery: for larval and juvenile stages
• Feeding ground: bottlenose dolphins
Seagrass Conservation

Damaged seagrass areas need a holistic

restoration program to protect these
natural refuges by combining”
• Turtle breeding and nesting protection
• A ban on shark fishing
• Restricted fishing, aquaculture, and
coastal land use practices
 Economic Importance of Marine Plants
Measured by the industry they support indirectly:
• Nursery grounds for marine vertebrates &
invertebrates
• Biotic cornerstone for the next generation of
commercial and recreational fishing
• Physical protection of coastal communities
from weathering, erosion,
and flooding during storms
• Mangroves have provided
wood and seagrass is used
to make furniture
• Tourism for snorkeling
and manatee sightings
VIDEO: The Climate Crisis & Seagrass

https://youtu.be/zY2WCPwkmog
VIDEO: Inside the Mangrove Forest

https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/plants-algae/inside-mangrove-forest
4.3 & 4.4 awaits – Lets GO!