Favorite Aquatic Critters

Phytoplankton

This is Pediastrum
Pediastrum reproduces asexually by producing autocolonies.  During asexual reproduction the cell contents divide and form motile spores that arrange themselves into colonies before being liberated. Sexual reproduction is by motile gametes.  Apparently, these things can reproduce at an extreme rate.

Zooplankton

This is Krill
These are found in all oceans of the world.  In Japan and Russia, krill is also used for human consumption and is known as okiami in Japan.  The order Euphasiacea comprises two families. The more abundant Euphausiidae contains ten different genera with a total of 85 species.  Of these, the genus Euphausia is the largest, with 31 species.  The lesser known family, the Bentheeuphausiidae, has only one species, Bentheuphausia amblyops, a bathypelagic krill living in deep waters below 1,000 metres (3,300 ft). It is considered the most primitive living species of all krill.

Aquatic Macrophyte


This is Nelumbo Nucifera
These are all around beautiful flowers. Nelumbo nucifera, known by a number of names including Indian Lotus, Sacred Lotus, Bean of India, or simply Lotus, is a plant in the Nelumbonaceae family.  Be careful not to confuse this with something different.  A common misconception is referring to the lotus as a waterlily, an entirely different plant as can be seen from the center of the flower, which clearly lacks the structure that goes on to form the distinctive circular seed pod in the Nelumbo nucifera.  Waterlilies come in various colors, whereas the lotus has flowers only in hues of pink, or white.


Fish

This is a tarpon

This is a weird choice but I have always liked this fish.  The tarpon to me is like a dinosaur.  Megalops grow to about 5–8 ft. long and weigh 80-280 lbs. They have dorsal and anal soft rays and have a bluish or greenish back. They possess distinctive lateral lines and have shiny silvery scales that cover most of the organism except for the head. They possess large eyes with adipose eyelids and a broad mouth with a prominent lower jaw that juts out farther than the rest of the face.  These things are awesome.

Crustacean

This is a lobster

These things are delicious and every one like them.  If you dont like lobster then your missing out. 

Lobsters are invertebrates, with a hard protective exoskeleton. Like most arthropods, lobsters must molt in order to grow, which leaves them vulnerable. During the molting process, several species change color. Lobsters have 10 walking legs; the front two adapted to claws. Although, like most other arthropods, lobsters are largelybilaterally symmetrical,  they often possess unequal, specialized claws, like the king crab.

Mammal

The dolphin
Dolphins are the coolest mammals in the ocean.  They have personalities and just all around lovable creatures.  Dolphins are marine mammals that are closely related towhales and porpoises.  There are almost forty species of dolphin in seventeen genera.  They vary in size from 4 ft and 90 lbs, up to 30 ft, the Orca or Killer Whale. They are found worldwide, mostly in the shallower seas of the contential shelves, and are carnivores, mostly eating fish and squid.

My favorite biome

Deciduous Forest

Deciduous forests can be found in the eastern half of North America, and the middle of Europe. There are many deciduous forests in Asia. Some of the major areas that they are in are southwest Russia, Japan, and eastern China. South America has two big areas of deciduous forests in southern Chile and Middle East coast of Paraguay. There are deciduous forests located in New Zealand, and southeastern Australia also.
The average annual temperature in a deciduous forest is 50° F. The average rainfall is 30 to 60 inches a year.
In deciduous forests there are five different zones. The first zone is the Tree Stratum zone. The Tree Stratum zone contains such trees as oak, beech, maple, chestnut hickory, elm, basswood, linden, walnut, and sweet gum trees. This zone has height ranges between 60 feet and 100 feet.
The small tree and sapling zone is the second zone. This zone has young, and short trees. The third zone is called the shrub zone. Some of the shrubs in this zone are rhododendrons, azaleas, mountain laurel, and huckleberries. The Herb zone is the fourth zone. It contains short plants such as herbal plants. The final zone is the Ground zone. It contains lichen, club mosses, and true mosses.
The deciduous forest has four distinct seasons, spring, summer, autumn, and winter. In the autumn the leaves change color. During the winter months the trees lose their leaves.
The animals adapt to the climate by hibernating in the winter and living off the land in the other three seasons. The animals have adapted to the land by trying the plants in the forest to see if they are good to eat for a good supply of food. Also the trees provide shelter for them. Animal use the trees for food and a water sources. Most of the animals are camouflaged to look like the ground.
The plants have adapted to the forests by leaning toward the sun. Soaking up the nutrients in the ground is also a way of adaptation.
A lot of deciduous forests have lost land to farms and towns. Although people are trying to protect the forests some poachers are trying to kill the animals in the forests. The animals are losing their homes because of people building their homes.

http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/deciduous_forest.htm

Ecological Niche of my Favorite Organism

Indian Wild Dog

This may not be my favorite species just because of the randomness, however I find it really entertaining.  The Indian Wild Dog is also known as a DHole.  Dholes are classed as endangered, due to ongoing habitat loss, depletion of prey base, competition from other predators, persecution and possibly diseases from domestic and feral dogs.  Dholes are highly social animals, living in large clans which occasionally split up into small packs to hunt. Though fearful of humans, dhole packs are bold enough to attack large and dangerous animals such as wild boar, water buffalo and tigers.  Yes thats right, they kill tigers and buffalos. hahaha unbelievable.  They have a hard time living from disease which is to bad.

Mitochondrial Eve

Mitochondrial Eve is generally estimated to have lived around 200,000 years ago, most likely in East Africa, when Homo Sapiens were developing as a species separate from other human species.  Basically, the orgins of people have changed to tho their geographical area over time.  such as the folowing:


African


Irish


Native American


India


Japanese

Woods hole marine biological lab

Woods Hole, Massachusetts


They were established in 1975. Director Hugh Ducklow heads the direction of the research.  They are concerned with ecosystems and how they function.  The annual operating budget of The Ecosystems Center for 2009 was $9,894,000. Approximately 77% of the income of the center comes from grants for basic research from government agencies, including the National Science Foundation, NASA, the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency. The other 23%comes from gifts and grants from private foundations, including support for the Semester in Environmental Science, as well as from institutional support for administration and income from the center’s reserve and endowment funds.


here is there mission statement
http://ecosystems.mbl.edu/mission.html

the butterfly effect

The butterfly effect is a simple concept with a bigger outcome.  This is basically saying that if something happens on a smaller scale, it impacts things on the large scale.  For example, if you are at a red light and slow down to make the car behind you miss it, you have made an impact on the future.  This is really out there but what anything does effects the outcome to some degree.

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