Next Week:
Marine reproduction and larval ecology
More inverts in lab - Porifera, Cnidaria, Annelida and Mollusca

Blogging assignment guidelines

Purchase the Marine Biology Coloring Book

Assignments

For Thur Feb 9th
Read Bertness pages 102-122 and take notes on the following thought questions:

  1. How can larval behavior influence horizontal movement in the ocean even when the larva is planktonic?
  2. Why does Point Conception in California produce a biogeographical barrier to species with planktonic larvae, but not to those with direct developing larvae?
  3. Is the distribution of marine species primarily due to the differential mortality of larvae that settle widely, or due to larvae choosing to settle in specific habitats?
  4. What is the difference between random larval settlement and passive larval deposition?
  5. How would you describe the current view of the controls on larval settlement? How was this view tested by the Butman et al. study presented in figure 3.41
  6. What is a “point of no return” for marine larvae?

For Tue Feb 7th
Read Bertness pages 86-102 and take notes on the following questions:
  1. Mark Bertness seems to like the term “decoupled”. What does he mean when he says that the growth and success of local populations is often “decoupled” from larval recruitment? What is meant by the term recruitment in this situation? What is the most important factor determining the size and location of populations?
  2. How does water flow impact the efficiency of external fertilization?
  3. What are the challenges of external fertilization, and what are some strategies species use to increase fertilization success?
  4. What are the pros and cons of direct development? Likewise, what are the pros and cons of having a planktotrophic or lecithotrophic larva?
  5. Be ready to discuss figures 3.14, 3.15 and 3.16.
  6. What types of food do planktonic larvae eat, and what happens when food levels are low?
Read the Introduction of Moran and Manahan (2006). This is a good review of the feeding requirements and energy physiology of planktotrophic larvae

For Tue Jan 31st
Be prepared to discuss the Behrenfeld (2011) paper:
-- What is the microbial loop, how does it impact primary production and how is it altered by temperature?
Read Bertness pages 66-70 and take notes on the following:
  1. Be ready to discuss the data in figure 2.31 on optimal foraging strategy in the green crab.
  2. How do the data in figure 2.34 demonstrate the principles of optimal foraging theory?

For Jan 26th
Complete Tuesday’s thought questions 4-6. Be sure to review your notes on “decoupling”.
Read the Boss and Behrenfeld (2010) and Behrenfeld (2011) papers handed out in class and be prepared to discuss:
-- How these papers challenge the Sverdrup critical depth hypothesis.
Read the Behrenfeld (2011) news and views article thoroughly and be ready to discuss all of it. Take notes of questions you have or portions that you do not understand. Skim the Boss and Behrenfeld (2010) paper to review what we have discussed about critical depth and take notes on how their findings challenge this paradigm in phytoplankton research.
Review for online weekend quiz

For Jan 24th
- Review material covered so far for a non-graded review quiz
- Review how seasonal changes in stratification, light and nutrient levels affect primary production; review examples of bottom-up control
- To prepare for lab use the new weblinks to plankton resources in the right sidebar (and any other resources you want) to find images and basic information on the following groups. Be ready to share a few interesting facts about each and get a sense of what they look like: diatoms, dinoflagellates, foraminiferans, radiolarians, copepods, ostracods, amphipods, isopods, types of larvae (nauplii, zoea, megalops).
- Read Bertness pages 53-67 and take notes on the following thought questions:
  1. What is the difference between the ecological and evolutionary effects of top-down forces?
  2. Why would lack of "redundancy in trophic roles" make it easier to study top-down than bottom-up control in intertidal communities?
  3. What are some examples of top-down controls that have been studied?
  4. Figure 2.18 illustrates some of the complex relationships that can occur between different trophic levels. For example, bottom-up forces can increase the strength of top-down control by leading to greater numbers of consumers. What is meant by "flow-driven, bottom up forces”, and how can they decouple the connection between bottom-up and top-down effects?
  5. Look over the four different feeding strategies described in this chapter. Try to determine the phylum of each type of animal mentioned in this section.
  6. Which of these feeding types would be prone to the "decoupling" effects asked about in question 4?

For Jan 19th
Read this article from Nature on northern hemisphere climate and ocean currents. Take notes on the following thought questions:
  1. Prior to this new research being reported, what was the hypothesis for why mid-northern latitudes in Europe were warmer than those in North America?
  2. Use the handouts you received this past week to review the location of the relevant ocean currents in this paper - the gulf stream and kuroshio.
  3. According to this article, would Europe get colder if global warming reduced the movement of warm, tropical water into the North Atlantic (the “Day after Tomorrow” effect)?
  4. The article mentions two causes for water movement - density-driven circulation and wind-driven currents. Which force produces the gulf stream?
  5. How can warm tropical water in the gulf stream cool the eastern coast of North America? What role do Rossby waves play in this mechanism?
  6. Kaspi and Schneider use computer modeling to test their hypothesis of the role Rossby waves play in determining the temperature of eastern North America. Did their modeling support their hypothesis? What was a problem with their model?

Read Bertness pages 36-53, take notes on the meanings for the following terms: littoral, benthic, euphotic, upwelling, trophic dynamics, eutrophication, oligotrophic
Answers to these thought questions will be due in Angel by 2 am on 1/19:
  1. What are the different groups of autotrophs found in nearshore areas?
  2. What is compensation depth, and why is it shallower in nearshore areas compared to the open ocean?
  3. How does water depth affect photosynthesis? How do autotrophs adapt to photosynthesis at different depths and water conditions?
  4. According to page 47, how do light levels, nutrient levels and stratification of the water column affect the primary production of phytoplankton?
  5. What is meant by “bottom-up control” of marine communities? Be ready to discuss one example.

For Jan 17th
1. Read Hatteras Journal Ch. 8 - Hurricane
2. Read this New York Times article on ocean currents - Be ready to discuss the current understanding of ocean currents
3. Some reading and videos on ocean currents and the Great Ocean Conveyer Belt for your reference

For Jan 12th
Bertness pages 1-8
Be ready to discuss your lab exercise on chlorophyl levels and the last two questions of the lab.