Hello! My name is Nate and I am a Junior/Political Science Major. I will be reporting on the Zooplankton section of this blog. Personally, I found the Ctenophore to be extremely interesting. These tiny carnivorous hermaphrodites are everywhere in the ocean. They are most abundant in coastal regions and can live up to 4 KM below the surface. The contributions to their ecosystems are immeasurable.
Basic Information
Classification
-Phylum Ctenophora
Description Body Type
-Mass of Jelly
-Single Layer of Cells
-Small Cilia used for swimming
Size
2mm-1.5m
Area in which it lives
Worldwide Marine Waters
Diet
Microscopic larvae and Small crustaceans
Relatives
Cnidarians
Geological Interaction
ReplyDelete-They live in EVERY part of the ocean
-Their presence tightly controls the effect of Phytoplankton
Chemical Interaction
-The chemical interaction allows Ctenophores the use of bio-luminescence(as seen in the above colorful image)
Physical Interaction
-Metamorphose into adult form
-Most abundantly populate the ocean during the summer season
My information came from the following websites:
-http://www.tafi.org.au/zooplankton/imagekey/ctenophora/
-http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/cnidaria/ctenophora.html
-http://faculty.washington.edu/cemills/Ctenophores.html
-http://jellieszone.com/ctenophores.htm