Sharks are apex predators and they play an important role in the ecosystem by maintaining the species below them in the food chain and serving as an indicator of ocean health. Sharks are involved in balancing ocean life, they remove the weak and the sick as well as ensuring species diversity by keeping the equilibrium with competitors. Sharks change the spatial habitat of their prey as predators, altering the feeding strategy and diets of other species. They indirectly maintain seagrass and coral reef habitats through spatial controls and abundance. The loss of sharks has previously resulted in the loss of coral reefs, seagrass beds and commercial fishing. Sharks are classified as keystone species, because without them the entire ecosystem (affecting not just ocean life but humans as well) can be destroyed. The display portrays a Tiger shark, another species of a shark, and a turtle swimming in one ocean. The sharks also seem to be following its prey, the turtle.
2) Adaptation: Find a display depicting an adaptation in a particular species. How might have natural selection produced this adaptation? What would be a non-adaptive explanation for the presence of this trait?
• Ray-Finned fish, Early Ray-Finned Fishes display at the Hall of Vertebrate Origins
The life structures of Ray- finned fish indicates a considerable lot of the qualities basic to all chordates: pharyngeal cuts, a nerve cord, and body wall muscles organized in myotomes, or segmented blocks. They also have several distinctive anatomical features, one of them being a lateral line that propose adjustment for ocean life. The lateral line is also found in sharks and in oceanic and larval amphibians. This is a long channel running down each side of the body, inside which are discovered specific tactile organs that distinguish water developments and flows. Another factor is the swim bladder which is homologous to the lungs of tetrapods. It enables them to maintain buoyancy as they move up or down. Mutations would be a non- adaptive explanation for the presence of these traits.
3) Find a display that shows a symbiotic relationship. What is a symbiosis? What kind of symbiosis is being shown? What is the positive or negative effect each species has on the other?
• Clownfish and Sea Anemone, Cities in the Sea Display at Ocean Life Hall
A symbiosis is any type of close and long-term biological relationship or interaction between two different biological organisms. There are three types of symbiotic relationships: mutualistic, communalistic, or parasitic. The clownfish and sea anemone represent a mutualistic symbiosis, in which both organisms benefit from each other. The anemone protects the clown fish by hiding it within its poisonous arms. Since clown fishes are coated in mucus they are protected and are invulnerable to the anemone’s stinging nematocysts or poisonous arms. Anemones also leave remainders of its meals for the clownfish to consume. The clownfish in return rids the anemones of parasites, wards away predators and even offer nutrients through its excrement.
4) Extinction Risk: Find a display that portrays an extant (i.e. “still living”) species at risk of extinction. What are the causes of this extinction risk? What makes this species particularly vulnerable to extinction?
• Carcharhiniformes – Tiger Sharks, display at Ocean Life Hall
Carcharhiniformes, commonly referred to as ground sharks, one of their species include tiger sharks. The tiger shark is endangered because of their commercial and recreational overfishing. They are used for food, pills and other goods. They are harvested for their fins and skin as well as used to make vitamin oil as they contain high levels of vitamin A. They are also hunted for sport. Tiger sharks are particularly vulnerable to extinction as their fins are used to make fin soup, and then their dead carcass is thrown back into the sea. This is extremely dangerous for sharks as it takes them years to reproduce, and their growth is slow which makes them vulnerable to overfishing. Some other contributing favors in the decline and endangerment of this particular species include: garbage being dumped in the ocean, as sharks mistake the garbage as a food source and accidentally consume it which destroys their internal organs causing several health problems and ultimately death. Chemical pollution is another issue; chemicals, oil spills are extremely toxic for any marine life. Habitat loss is also another reason for the decline in tiger sharks. As human populations grow and expand, sharks are losing their natural habitat. Losing their habitats not only interferes in their hunting grounds but also interferes in their mating and nursing grounds which causes their reproductive numbers to drop along with their population numbers.
5) Biome: Find a display that shows a biome. What biome is this, and how is this biome matched to the climate where it is found? What are some of the anthropogenic (i.e. “made by humans”) threats faced by this biome?
• Global Environmental Change – Coastal Pollution: Red Tide, Transformation of the Biosphere Wall at the Hall of Biodiversity
The biome that is displayed is the coastal biome which is a combination of ecosystems that exists along the coast which includes, beaches, islands, rocky shores, corals reefs, bays etc. This biome is suffering because of the agricultural and industrial chemicals, nutrients, and wastes applied to the land. Coastal ecosystems are hit extremely hard. There is a lot of coastal pollution due to algal blooms, a phenomenon known as red tide. The algae develop in such large numbers that change the color of coastal waters, hence the name. The algal blooms not only discolor water, but also reduce oxygen in the water and release toxins that may harm humans and animals. Humans have a direct effect on the global environment. Carbon dioxide and other gases from agriculture and industry accumulate in the atmosphere, contributing to a rise in global temperature. This global warming could cause worldwide alteration in the distribution of species habitats and of agricultural zones. Chlorofluorocarbons from aerosols cans and cooling systems have created holes in the protective ozone layer, allowing increased ultraviolet radiation to reach the earth and raising the incidence of human skin cancer and cataracts. Acid rain, a side effect of industrial pollution, has damaged entire forests and many aquatic habitats in North America and Europe. These impacts of human negligence on the earth’s atmosphere, soils, waters not only harm ecosystems and species; they degrade the quality of human life as well.