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The principal marine primary producers are cyanobacteria, algae and marine plants. The oxygen released as a by-product of photosynthesis is needed by nearly all living things to carry out cellular respiration. In addition, primary producers are influential in the global carbon and water cycles. They stabilize coastal areas and can provide ...
5 Primary producers. ... Tardigrades (water bears), about 0.5 mm long, ... There are about 10,000 living species of foraminiferans [219]
Keystone species are species that have large effects, disproportionate to their numbers, within ecosystem food webs. [157] An ecosystem may experience a dramatic shift if a keystone species is removed, even though that species was a small part of the ecosystem by measures of biomass or productivity . [ 158 ]
Autotrophic organisms are producers that generate organic compounds from inorganic material. Algae use solar energy to generate biomass from carbon dioxide and are possibly the most important autotrophic organisms in aquatic environments. [22] The more shallow the water, the greater the biomass contribution from rooted and floating vascular plants.
The species sometimes forms aggregations of thousands along slicks in surface waters. The yellow-bellied sea snake is the world's most widely distributed snake species. [citation needed] Many species of sea turtles spend the first years of their lives in the pelagic zone, moving closer to shore as they reach maturity. [citation needed]
Invasive species have been introduced to lentic systems through both purposeful events (e.g. stocking game and food species) as well as unintentional events (e.g. in ballast water). These organisms can affect natives via competition for prey or habitat, predation, habitat alteration, hybridization , or the introduction of harmful diseases and ...
Some species are endosymbionts of marine animals and other protists, and play an important part in the biology of coral reefs. Others predate other protozoa, and a few forms are parasitic. Many dinoflagellates are mixotrophic and could also be classified as phytoplankton. The toxic dinoflagellate Dinophysis acuta acquire chloroplasts from its prey.
There are many species of emergent plants, among them, the reed , Cyperus papyrus, Typha species, flowering rush and wild rice species. Some species, such as purple loosestrife , may grow in water as emergent plants but they are capable of flourishing in fens or simply in damp ground.