What is the relationship between CO2 and O2 with kelp?
Despite their short lives by plant standards, kelps siphon huge amounts of carbon from the atmosphere—what scientists call “primary productivity.” They take carbon dioxide from the air and turn it into sugar fuel with the help of sunlight and water, releasing oxygen back into the air.
What is the relationship between CO2 and O2 for urchins?
Carbon dioxide (waste) is released through the anus. The Purple Sea Urchin obtains oxygen through diffusion only (the diffusion of oxygen into the organism). Also oxygen diffuses from the canals into the rest of the body and carbon dioxide diffuses back into the canals to be released.
Do sea otters breathe out carbon dioxide?
All mammals breathe through their lungs. No matter how big or small the mammal is, they always use their lungs to inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. Though their ability to take deep breaths or hold the breath differs from one mammal to another, all mammals use their lungs for breathing.
Do sea otters need oxygen?
Do sea otters need oxygen? Like all mammals otters have lungs and they need oxygen in order to survive. Unlike fish who use gill to take oxygen directly from water otters have lungs and different respiratory systems.
How does carbon dioxide affect sea otter?
Sea otters eat sea urchins, which means that there are fewer sea urchins to eat kelp, allowing the kelp population to flourish and absorb 12 times more carbon dioxide than it would without the sea otters. When carbon dioxide is released into the air, it traps heat in the atmosphere, contributing to global warming.
How does carbon dioxide affect kelp?
A type of seaweed known as kelp is being developed for its nutritional value and its ability to absorb and lock away huge quantities of carbon dioxide. Seaweed absorbs CO2 more effectively than trees. It also improves water quality by extracting harmful nutrients such as nitrogen from the sea.
How does oxygen directly affect urchins?
The oxygen consumption rates of fed sea urchins increased faster with temperature than that of starved sea urchins irrespective of size class. Hence, at 4 °C the oxygen consumption of fed sea urchins exceeded that of starved animals by 57% (S), 181% (M), and 97% (L).
What is the relationship between sea urchins and carbon dioxide?
British researchers have discovered that sea urchins use nickel particles on their exoskeletons to effectively capture CO2 and turn it into a solid form, an intriguing finding that could offer an inexpensive way to capture and store carbon from fossil fuel-fired power plants.
How does an otter breathe?
They also have webbed feet, water repellent fur to keep them dry and warm, and nostrils and ears that close in the water. They remain active in winter, using ice holes to surface and breathe. They can hold their breath underwater for some eight minutes.
How does c02 affect otters?
Research has shown that sea otters are doing their part by indirectly reducing the carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration in the atmosphere (Nichols et al. 2015). It starts with vast areas of kelp forests that, through photosynthesis, absorb atmospheric CO2 and release oxygen into the air.
How does oxygen directly affect kelp?
However, kelps and macroalgae also respire, which requires oxygen. Therefore, hypoxia may have detrimental effects on processes like net primary production (NPP), which supplies organic matter to support kelp food webs and ecosystems.
How does carbon dioxide affect sea otters?
Research has shown that sea otters are doing their part by indirectly reducing the carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration in the atmosphere (Nichols et al. 2015). It starts with vast areas of kelp forests that, through photosynthesis, absorb atmospheric CO2 and release oxygen into the air.
How does oxygen affect kelp?
As well as photosynthesizing, kelps and macroalgae also respire, which requires oxygen. Thus, deoxygenation may impact net primary production (NPP), which supplies organic matter to support food webs and ecosystems.
What does CO2 do to urchins?
(Phys.org) —Increasing levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere are causing oceans to become more acidic. This situation poses a threat to marine organisms with shells made of calcium carbonate, because acid will corrode these shells.
What is the relationship between o2 for urchins?
The Purple Sea Urchin obtains oxygen through diffusion only (the diffusion of oxygen into the organism). Also, oxygen diffuses from the canals into the rest of the body and carbon dioxide diffuses back into the canals to be released.
How does carbon dioxide affect otters?
Research has shown that sea otters are doing their part by indirectly reducing the carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration in the atmosphere (Nichols et al. 2015). It starts with vast areas of kelp forests that, through photosynthesis, absorb atmospheric CO2 and release oxygen into the air.
How can otters hold their breath so long?
A study published June 13 in the journal Science reports that diving mammals—including whales, seals, otters, and even beavers and muskrats—have positively charged oxygen-binding proteins, called myoglobin, in their muscles.
How is climate change affecting otters?
If sea otter populations decline, sea urchin and other prey species populations increase and graze on more of the kelp forests—often to the point of destroying them. Degraded or destroyed kelp forests and seagrass beds are a significant problem because they are critical to combatting climate change.
How much CO2 does kelp forest absorb?
An expert panel assembled by the Energy Futures Initiative estimated that kelp has the capacity to pull down about 1 billion to 10 billion tons of carbon dioxide per year.
How do sea otters impact the carbon cycle?
By preying on kelp-grazing sea urchins, otters allow underwater kelp forests to do more of what forests do everywhere: suck up heat-trapping carbon dioxide via photosynthesis.
How does pollution affect sea otters?
Pollutants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT) and it's break down products can damage otters' nervous systems, affect pregnancy, overall health, and compromise their immune systems. Sea otters are also particularly vulnerable to oil spills because of their thick fur.
How does oxygen affect sea urchins?
Without oxygen, very few organisms could survive. The Purple Sea Urchin would die without oxygen, and so would you. Therefore, the respiratory system is essential to most life.
How do sea otters fight climate change?
With the protection sea otters provide, these forests flourish. Kelp forests that are guarded by sea otters can sequester up to 12 times more carbon from the environment. Researchers have found that the presence of sea otters increases kelp forest carbon storage from 4.4 to 8.7 megatons annually.
How are otters affected by climate change?
If sea otter populations decline, sea urchin and other prey species populations increase and graze on more of the kelp forests—often to the point of destroying them. Degraded or destroyed kelp forests and seagrass beds are a significant problem because they are critical to combatting climate change.
What is the biggest threat to sea otters?
Oil Spills The greatest threat to the sea otter population is an oil spill. Because their numbers are low and they are located in a rather small geographic area, the California otter population could be devastated by oil contamination.
How does CO2 affect sea urchins?
(Phys.org) —Increasing levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere are causing oceans to become more acidic. This situation poses a threat to marine organisms with shells made of calcium carbonate, because acid will corrode these shells.
What environmental change is affecting sea otters?
Unfortunately, sea otters could be a poster child for the biodiversity crisis because they are impacted by all the major drivers of nature's decline: pollution (the number one threat to sea otters is oil spills), habitat loss, direct exploitation, climate change, and invasive species.
How pollution is threat to sea otters?
Oil Spills The greatest threat to the sea otter population is an oil spill. Because their numbers are low and they are located in a rather small geographic area, the California otter population could be devastated by oil contamination.
What is the relationship between o2 and sea urchins?
Without oxygen, very few organisms could survive. The Purple Sea Urchin would die without oxygen, and so would you. Therefore, the respiratory system is essential to most life.
How is global warming affecting otters?
More specifically, the rising temperatures and higher carbon dioxide can weaken the structure of these slow-growing reefs. In addition to the impacts of climate change, subarctic reef ecosystems have also been impacted by the disappearance of sea otters over the last 30 years.