...that the big threat to marine species is their natural predators, in reality a more silent and deadly killer threatens to wipe out thousands of marine animals: ocean pollution. Ocean pollution kills thousands of birds, fish, and sea mammals alike every year, by toxic particles released in the water and being strangled by plastic alike. How many species have been killed off by pollution, let alone ocean pollution, may never be known. To preserve all of the planet’s species, action must be taken. Ocean and beach pollution must be stopped to prevent the destruction of...
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...From figure 1, we can see that the flow of invasive alien species is between developed countries. A possible reason for this may be that developed countries tend to have more marine trade between other developed countries. This means that species around the world can be easily transported between countries, and thus leading to invasive species in many ecosystems. There are number of ways that species can be transported around the world, as these are marine species, one likely method they can be transportation through ships. Animals such as mussels are able to cling to the hulls of ships and thus they are easily transported to different areas within the world and away from their native habitat. Another possible way marine species can be transported around the world would be through ballast water from ships. Marine animals can also be introduced in to native ecosystems deliberately due to scientific reasons. A reason why invasive may be not shown in the figure between poorest countries might be due the fact that poorer countries have minimal marine trade links between countries thus restricting the movement of invasive species. There is significant damage that can occur from non-native species when they intrude ecosystems. This is because invasive alien species are well adapted to live in many habitats and therefore they can easily spread in to many ecosystems. As they are well adapted to live in habitats they are also able to reproduce in habitats that are not originally theirs...
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...aquarium look very pretty? Don’t let this plants pretty color fool you; it is an invasive species in the wrong habitat. An invasive species is essentially an invasion altogether. In terms of ecology an invasive species is when either a plant or animal is introduced to a different area from their natural habitat and cause environmental or economical harm. Giving this definition I will discuss Caulerpa Taxifolia. Caulerpa Taxifolia is a macro algae invader that is a multicellular plant native to warm saltwater. It is one of the most invasive green alga in the seas. It is considered invasive because it has the ability to spread over large areas in the ocean while forming dense mats, causing ecological and economic issues such destroying sea weed, sea grasses, fishes, commercial fishing, boating. Caulerpa is a salt-water plant with structures that look jut like roots, stems and leaves. The roots of Caulerpa are called rhizoids, which grow into the ocean floor to absorb water and nutrients. Caulerpa have leaf like structures that stick up called fronds, which are a bright green color and are photosynthetic. The stems of Caulerpa are called stolon, which grow above the ocean floor; the stolon when fragmented grows a new Caulerpa plant. Its normal habitat is in tropical waters around the world such as the Indian Ocean. Caulerpa taxifolia is not invasive in its native habitat and reproduces sexually. Grazing marine predators that co-evolved with the alga controls its rapid growth in its native...
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...into the Gulf of Mexico. These oil companies discovered they are far from being equipped for accidents such as this. Even though, this killed copious amounts of marine life. In addition, boats and other water vessels powered by fossil fuels kill more marine life each year with the chemicals they dump in the water. Why not stop using oil? Money would be the deciding factor. Organic pollution ingested by the bottom of the food chain is another issue, since it moves up the food chain. They are discovering high levels of these contaminants in the Bottlenose Dolphins. In addition, the dolphin’s first offspring are dying at disturbing rates. Mercury is producing similar...
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...Marine Main article: Marine ecosystem Marine ecosystems cover approximately 71% of the Earth's surface and contain approximately 97% of the planet's water. They generate 32% of the world's net primary production.[1] They are distinguished from freshwater ecosystems by the presence of dissolved compounds, especially salts, in the water. Approximately 85% of the dissolved materials in seawater are sodium and chlorine. Seawater has an average salinity of 35 parts per thousand (ppt) of water. Actual salinity varies among different marine ecosystems.[2] Marine ecosystems can be divided into the following zones: oceanic (the open part of the ocean where animals such as whales, sharks, and tuna live); profundal (bottom or deep water); benthic (bottom substrates); intertidal (the area between high and low tides); estuaries; salt marshes; coral reefs; and hydrothermal vents (where chemosynthetic sulfur bacteria form the food base).[1] Classes of organisms found in marine ecosystems include brown algae, dinoflagellates, corals, cephalopods, echinoderms, and sharks. Fishes caught in marine ecosystems are the biggest source of commercial foods obtained from wild populations.[1] Environmental problems concerning marine ecosystems include unsustainable exploitation of marine resources (for example overfishing of certain species), marine pollution, climate change, and building on coastal areas.[1] Freshwater Freshwater ecosystem. Main article: Freshwater ecosystem Freshwater ecosystems...
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...UK invasive species top facts * Invasive non-native species are thought to be one of the biggest threats to global biodiversity, second only to habitat loss. * There are almost 2,000 established non-native species in Great Britain. * Invasive non-native species cost Great Britain around £1.7 billion annually. * Invasive species have been introduced to the United Kingdom from every continent in the world apart from Antarctica. What is an invasive species? An invasive species is a species which has been introduced to an area outside its natural range and can cause a multitude of ecological, economic and public health problems within the new habitat as its population grows. Invasive species may belong to any taxonomic group, with mammals, reptiles, birds, amphibians, plants, invertebrates, fish and viruses all having invasive populations around the world. The extinctions of numerous species around the world can be attributed to the negative effects of invasive species. When a species is taken out of its natural range and placed into a new habitat it is removed from its natural predators and any pathogens which help to control its population. Without these, population growth may become out of control and the invader can rapidly colonise its new habitat. The characteristics which enable an invasive species to outcompete native species include fast growth, a short life cycle and the ability to tolerate a wide range of habitat types and environmental conditions. Successful...
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...a contributing factor to this impact. Propellers disturb the sea bed, increasing water turbidity and creating noise. Anchors also disturb the sea bed, creating furrows in the sand. Increasing water turbidity affects light dependent species such as coral and seagrass, the producers upon which the ecosystem relies. This changes the feeding behaviours...
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... Introduction Globalization of the world economy has substantially increased the rate of biological invasions, as most harmful species arrive as hitchhikers on the vectors of international trade (2). To make it worst, the advances in world-wide shipping and transportation have accelerated the rate of biological invasions, through ocean-going vessel that regularly transit between continents, resulting in up to hundreds of thousands of gallons of plankton-laden ballast water introduced into new environment unintentionally each time (3). In another word, as international trade expands the rate of unintentional introduction of non-native species increases as well. Many of the deliberate introduced species often do not cause any problem as humans knowingly choose a suitable environment to fill an open ecological niche (3). However, on average, those unintentional introduced species often become pest by spreading widely or quickly, and cause harm to the environment, human health, other valued resources or the economy (2). As many of the accidental introduced species lack all or most their native, presumably coevolved, natural competitor or predator to control their growth proportion (3, 8). An example of the many accidental introduced pest species brought about by human activity in coastal zones worldwide which led to the disturbances of marine and estuarine ecosystem in Australia is Asterias amurensis, commonly known as Northern Pacific seastar, and it has been declared as...
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...opinion there is no doubt that marine animals should not be held in captivity. Marine mammals are a part of nature and should not be bought, sold or thrown in an aquarium. I believe that they have the right to be kept in their natural environment. There are many convincing reasons to support this opinion. Captivity causes many health problems in marine mammals. Many tanks have water full of chemicals and bacteria; these results in blindness and many skin problems in dolphins and other marine mammals. Marine mammals in captivity die from pneumonia, ulcers and other stress related diseases. Most of these helpless creatures suffer from boredom. Dolphins in the wild can swim from 40-100 miles per day but in pools they go around swimming in repetitive patterns. Due to boredom and limited space many dolphins abuse themselves; they often bang their heads against tank and aquarium walls. Some of these poor innocent creatures face abusive treatment by their caretakers, thus shortening their lifespan. In fact Keiko, the killer whale, the star of Free Willy, was a victim of this type of abuse. Marine mammals breed very poorly in captivity with very high infant death rates. For this reason, when a baby dolphin is born into captivity its birth is usually kept a secret from its mother until it shows signs of survival. Marine mammals do breed in captivity, but the birth rate in captivity is not as successful as in the wild. Many people think that marine mammals should remain in captivity...
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...and wetlands are an example of freshwater ecosystems. Naturally, these bodies of waters are important for reducing pollution, controlling floods and the homes for aquatic life (National Geographic, n.d.). Since human population is rising any number of current negative uses such as the overuse of fossil fuels has a negative impact on freshwater ecosystems. Acid rain is a result of high amounts of nitric and sulfuric acid released into the air. Emissions from cars and power plants contribute to the rise of the acids released in the air. Acid rain affects the pH balance of freshwaters and depending on the body of water it may not be able to neutralize the acid. Therefore the acid becomes toxic to many aquatic species eventually making the species extinct altogether (Effects of Acid Rain, 2012). Humans can be affected as well since many...
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...climates, which is measured by weather statics generally over a thirty-year time span, but changes in just one-decade can give researches an idea of how the ocean’s climate will look in the future. The world’s ocean surfaces have experienced a warmer climate in the last century and current hot spots, which are volcanic regions underneath the earths crust, have even raised two to three times the global average. These areas put off a large amount of heat from volcanic eruptions. Marine researchers have been able to examine the effects of greenhouse gases and global warming in the oceans with a wide array of fish species. All species have thermal tolerance ranges in which they can live; as a result, a vast number of fish species are predicted to become extinct when suitable habits become nonexistent. Increasing oceanic climates is shown to have an effect on the migration movements towards the poles, depth levels, and range expansion or contractions in which fish species can tolerate. Though marine species are constantly moving between habitats, the changes in climates are increasing the magnitude and speed of these distributions (pole ward and depth migrations) in all latitude zones of the world’s oceans. In relation to oceans covering majority of the world’s surface area, it also absorb a far greater majority of the heat from the sun’s rays than the atmosphere. Humans greatly influence these climate changes by land-use emissions, agriculture, industrial, and fossil fuels 1...
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...rate than atoll subsidence, and the atoll will sink below the surface. The good news is that the coral growth at Kure is faster currently than the subsidence. However, further north are the Emperor seamounts, showing a grim future for Kure atoll, where the water is too deep and cold for coral growth. The atoll is extremely important, because its home for dozens of nesting birds, sea turtles and the endemic Hawaiian monk seal. Along with the many endemic species inhabit the atoll, human...
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...and 84.2 degrees Fahrenheit (23 to 29 degrees Celsius). Coral reefs survive best in the waters between 30 degrees north and 30 degrees south of the equator, mostly in the Pacific and Indian oceans. They also thrive in clear waters with little or no floating particles that can filter out or block direct sunlight. Shallow-water coral grows approximately 3.9 inches (9.9 centimeters) per year, given these optimal conditions. For example, the coasts alongside Oman are an ideal place for coral growth. While tropical shallow-water coral reefs have been studied much more extensively, there are also species of coral that live in deep-water conditions, from about 50 to 2,000 meters (about 165 to 6,560 feet) below the surface, where the water is cold, the pressure is high and the local fauna is quite different. The world's shallow-water coral reefs are threatened by the manifold effects of climate change, destructive fishing method, and pollution. Climate change impacts have been identified as one of the greatest global threats to coral reef...
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...Human History of Fishery Exploitation and Marine Trophic Dynamics The World's Oceans cover approximately 70% of the Earth's surface; and has been an integral part of human history and development (Brett, Clausen). These large bodies of water are filled with marine life, and provide mankind with food as well as various ecological services. The vast resources and value of the world's oceans have been depended on by the human race virtually since its origin. In early history, marine vegetation and fish were harvested on a subsistence level. As mankind progressed, and populations increased, the nature of there relationship with marine environments shifted from a subsistence based practice to that of a commercial nature. Fish were no longer harvested on a level relative to the individuals and families it provided for, but became an industry tethered to supply and demand. This change altered the dynamics between man and the oceans when commercial fishing effectively became a "commodities market" (Brett, Clausen). Certain species carried higher values than others and fishing practices became exploitive as the supply was thought to be endless within the huge bodies of water. However, at the time marine ecology was little understood and thus sustainable fishing practices were ignored as well as the not yet realized affects the commercial fishing industry had on trophic dynamics. As commercial fishing developed and spread along with population increase, intensive extraction...
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...Sylvia Earle’s early observations upon Caribbean reefs describe a forgotten world. Caribbean coral reefs have suffered massive losses of corals since the early 1980s due to a wide range of human impacts including explosive human population growth, overfishing, coastal pollution, global warming, and invasive species. The consequences include widespread collapse of coral populations, increases in large seaweeds (macroalgae), outbreaks of coral bleaching and disease, and failure of corals to recover from natural disturbances such as hurricanes. Alarm bells were set off by the 2003 publication in the journal Science that live coral cover had been reduced from more than 50% in the 1970s to just 10% today. This dramatic decline was closely followed by widespread and severe coral bleaching in 2005, which was in turn followed by high coral mortality due to disease at many reef locations. Healthy corals are increasingly rare on the intensively studied reefs of the Florida reef tract, US Virgin Islands, and Jamaica. Moreover, two of the formerly most abundant species, the elkhorn coral Acropora palmata and staghorn coral Acropora cervicornis, have been added to the United States Endangered Species List. Concerns have mounted to the point that many NGOs have given up on Caribbean reefs and moved their attentions elsewhere. It was against this gloomy backdrop that this study was undertaken to assess more rigorously than before the extent to which coral reef ecosystems throughout the wider Caribbean...
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