Marine Biology, Research Paper Example

Marine Ecosystem Structure and Function Linked to: Agriculture

The theme I have selected for my project is Marine Ecosystem structure and function. There has been an increasing needof understanding and managing the ecosystems as a whole rather than just small units or species of habitat. This is an important principle concerning the ecosystem approach. In order to fully, manage the ecosystem, we should understandthe role of structural features in the ecosystem. The marine ecosystem is designed in a way that it can sustain variousliving things. The living things in the ecosystem include plants and various types of animals.

The marine ecosystem has different features and factors, which enables it to sustain all the living things in it without anyproblem (Félix-Hackradt 229). This is because animals and plant will depend on each other in various ways for them to sustain the environment they are living in. The plants will be benefiting from the carbon dioxide released by animals. Theplants will use the products in the process of photosynthesis. This is a process where the plants manufacture their food. On the other hand, the animals will be benefiting from oxygen, which is released by plants in the process of photosynthesis. Animals are using the product in their breathing process. Some animals are also feeding on plants as their food. This is another way, which the animals depend on plants. The animals also depend on plants when escaping their predators. This is through camouflaging whereby the animals will hide by the plants, which have the same color. Becauseof this camouflaging, it will be difficult for the predators to identify the animals in the marine ecosystem.

This theme has much significant to me because my profession is about environmental conservation. I will apply theknowledge and skills from the project in the field when teaching people how to conserve their environment. I enjoyed theproject as it deals with my field of study. I will be able to advice them in which plants they should keep in the marine suchthat the animals living in the marine are not affected. For example, in most of the oceans all over the world have beeninvaded by water hyacinth (DJ Crisp 172). This has affected most people who are practicing fishing in the oceans. Suchsituation is where I will apply my knowledge and skills from the project. Another field that this project will be significant, is fish farming. I will apply the learning opportunities I acquired from the project when teaching fish farmers how theycan feed and keep their fish out of predators. The farmers should be educated and well informed on the plants, which can be allowed in their fishponds. This will assist the fish to feed on these types of plants. The plants will be a beneficiary to animals in that they can escape their predators using the plants. The project will have assisted the most that I will not strain looking for materials that I will be using when educating the farmers.

The discipline that I am linking to my theme is agriculture. This is because I practice fish farming and the linkage will assist me in many ways when handling my fish farming. The knowledge that I acquired from the project will enable me to keep the plants that the fish will eat in the fishpond. This will be an important benefit to me as I will reduce the funds I use to feed fish when there are enough plants for the fish to feed on. Plants act as a defensive mechanism for the fish. Thisis because the plants will help the fish camouflage from their predators. The predators include birds and even humanbeings. The fish will hide under the floating plants or event stay in between leaves of plants having almost the samecolour (Félix-Hackradt 63). This will have assisted me to reduce the losses, which I could incur when the fish were eatenby the predators. This is because my returns would reduce due to reducing products that I could supply in the market. Predators are a great problem in fish farming. This is because the fishpond in build in an open environment, which will be free for the predators to enter especially, birds.

From the project, I learn the importance of the relationship between marine plants and animals. This is where they can interact through the exchange of products like gases. Plants remove oxygen, which will be used by the animals in their breathing system. On the other hand, animals are removing carbon dioxide from their bodies, which will be used by theplants in the manufacture of their food. This is a process, which enables animals to manufacture their food. Anotherlesson that I acquired from the project is how the aquatic animals specifically fish can depend on plants as their foodsometimes. This assisted me in increasing the number of plants, which are fed on by the fish in my fishpond. The sameplants depend on fish and other animals as a source of manure and nutrients. The plants to absorb the nutrients, which they will use for various functions and processes, will use the fish through their waste products released from their bodies.

From the project, I learned that the animals in the marine depend on the plants for protection against their predators (DJ Crisp 193). Birds are the most serious predators who feed in the aquatic animals especially fish. The plants in the oceanand the fishponds help the animals and even fish to hide from the predators. One of the ways the plants can protect theanimals is through hiding under the leaves or trees themselves. The other one is camouflaging where the animals will hidein between or by the plants. This is where their predators especially the birds on the sky cannot notice them. All lessonsthat I acquired from the project assisted in my personal duties in my workplace and at my home. In my work place, I could apply the knowledge and skills in teaching people about how to preserve the environment. On the other hand, in my home I could apply the skills in my agriculture especially fish farming.

The questions, which I could ask, include; is there any development to improve the interaction between aquatic plants andanimals? Researches should be conducted in the field of marine on how the interaction between plants and animals can be improved in future. This will enable fish farmers and the nation to know how to rear aquatic animals like fish togetherwith aquatic plants, which interact together in various ways. Another question is how to remove the hyacinth plant from the ocean and fishponds. This is because hyacinth prevents the aquatic animals from accessing the source of light from thesun. The hyacinth will also affect the people who depend on fishing as a source to earn a living in the ocean. The hyacinth also will hinder smooth movement of people in the ocean using boats and ships. This is because other people are usingboats to cross short distances in the oceans and lakes all over the world. The hyacinth can also affect the movement of ships in the oceans. Measures should be taken to remove or even kill the plant before it spreads all over the ocean (Dupont 158).

Another question is how can fish farming be improved and spread all over the world. To improve fish farming peoplefrom different places accessing the source of water should be educated and encouraged to practice fish farming. This is because fish farming is the easiest way of earning a living without spending much. This can be achieved conductingresearches in various market places to determine the demand and supply of fish. This will enable the people to know thelevel of demand in the market such that they can venture in the activity. In this regard, people will know how to improvebiological methods of interaction between marine plants and animals. This is another question, which should be addressedby the scientists all over the world. This will increase the aquatic plants and animals in the marine ecosystem. This is because when the interaction between plants and animals is devised and improved, the population of the plants and animals will automatically increase. This is because they will depend on each other in breathing, food, and even security.

Another discipline apart from marine biology is the interaction between plants and animals on the terrestrial lands. This is an interaction, which occurs on the land. Plants and animals on the land depend on each other in many ways. Many plantsdepend on animals when it comes to pollination. The human and animal activities, which occur n the daily duties, help theplants to pollinate. The plants benefit from the animals because they use the manure to have nutrients. This is due to thewaste products released by the animals after digestion in their bodies. Human beings use the manure to plants their crops, which are plants in nature, and this is another in which plants depend on animals. On the other hand, the animals depend on the plants as their food. This is because most of the animals grace on different kinds of plants on earth. That is whyserious drought affects animals mostly. Naturally, many animals get medication from leaves, fruits, and roots of the plants (Rees 243). This contributes to the ways animals depend on the plants. The animals especially birds depend on the plantsas their habitats. This is because many plants construct their nests or live on the trees. Some animals like monkeys live on the trees as their habitat. From the project, it has come to my understanding that plants and animals interact in variousecosystems.

Works Cited

DJ Crisp, ed. Fourth European Marine Biology Symposium. Cambridge University Press, 2011.

Dupont, S. “Long-term and trans-life-cycle effects of exposure to ocean acidification in the green sea urchin Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis.” Marine biology 160.8 (2013): 1835-1843.

Félix-Hackradt, F. C. “Temporal patterns of settlement, recruitment and post-settlement losses in a rocky reef fish assemblage in the South-Western Mediterranean Sea.” Marine biology 160.9 (2013): 2337-2352.

Rees, ALan F. “Ecology of loggerhead marine turtles Caretta caretta in a neritic foraging habitat: movements, sex ratios and growth rates.” Marine biology 160.3 (2013): 519-529.