Chapter 1: The Invisible Crowd
One member of the zooplankton family is the foraminifera. It lives within the photic zone because some have dinoflagellates that perform photosynthesis. The foraminifera is found floating through the ocean, and there are actually many different species of foraminifera, some even reside on the sea floor. The foraminifera grows by creating more space in their limestone shells. They’re only about the size of one grain of sand. The foraminifera can obtain energy by expanding its gooey arms out of the limestone encasing to trap smaller organisms.
The mutualistic symbiotic dinoflagellates increase primary productivity. This is done by the foraminifera moving the algae onto the arms of goo, …show more content…
They can live broadly throughout the ocean on the sea floor from shallow to deep and can live in virtually all terrains: mua, sana, rock, and coral reefs. They resemble the commonly known garden cucumber, as they’re tube-shaped and can be tan, green, black, although they can also be bright blue, purple, or red. The sea cucumber uses its tube feet to slowly transport itself, with a hydraulic system internally working with water. Some filter feed their food while others use tentacles to catch their prey. Sea cucumbers can also physically change their shape to hide from predators, or look less appetizing. It is also able to spit out its organs to slow down their predators and can regenerate them in 3-5 …show more content…
The conch is also a common decoration and used as instruments, tools, and ornate jewelry. The conch is also harvested by humans as a source of protein from their meat, and sold as souvenirs to tourists. The conch begins its life as platonic larvae until it settles on the seafloor, similar to coral’s planula stage.
Chapter 4: The Riddle of the Reef
A large carnivorous predator that is found swimming through coral reefs is the barracuda. This large fish is a widely feared species and has the features of an apex predator. It has a large mouth, a missile-like body, and spikes. They also tend to scare divers by following them, but they are just extremely territorial, trying to protect their home.
Barracudas may be apex predators within coral reefs, but humans will always beat that. Southeast Asia is a main place where coral reef fishes are eaten, including barracudas. The barracuda prevents overpopulation of organisms by consuming them. The barracuda’s main competition is sharks.
Chapter 5: Armed and