Bridge Ocean Education Teacher Resource Center Page 1 of 2 ' Bridge DATA Series OCEAN SCIENCE TOPICS Ooze LESSON PLANS Clues Diatom Ooze RESEARCH 8i DATA CONNECTXONS Written by: Lisa Ayers Lawrence, Virginia Sea Grant, Virginia Institute of Marlne Science PRQFkSSLONAL DEVELOPMENT Summary Plot the distribution of various oozes using information from Grade Level: GUIDING STU[)EN'TS sediment maps. 9-12 IPE5QIIHCE CENTER Objectives Lesson Time: ABOUT THE UKJDGE 1 hr. COMMUNICATE Descr~bethe characterlstlcs of d~fferenttypes of seafloor sediments and oozes Materials Required: IiOME Predict dlstrlbut~onof calcareous and s~l~ceousoozes. global map, Sediment Compare and discuss locat~onsof sed~mentsand oozes. DistrlbMion Patterns map Vocabulary Terrlgenous, Blogenous, Hydrogenous, Cosmogenous, Calcareous Natl. Science Standards ooze, Slllceous ooze, Foram~nlfera,Dlatoms, ad~olarla,Carbonate compensat~ondepth --Click here for a listof the aligned National Gence Education Introduction --Standards. 1 Jr\ NATI~~A~svlARI~~ Just as ocean beaches display a variety of sediment types, the ocean Related Resources EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION floor may be made or: sand, rock, remains of living organisms, or Geologgal other material. The grains and particles that make up the seafloor .,eanography,P,ankton, /? sediments are classified by their size and their point of origin. I' I Benthos cx: .\. ! Sediments can come from land (terrigenous), from living organisms \, (biogenous), from chemical reactions in the water column (hydrogenous), and even from outer ,.>A ,&>~(4 , space (cosmogenous). Terriqenous sediments dominate the edqes of the ocean basins, close to land where they originated. As move deeper into the ocean basins, biogenous sediments begin to dominate. ~iogenous sediments can consist of waste products or remains of organisms, including those of microscopic phytoplankton and zooplankton. When skeletal remains of microscopic organisms make up more than 30% of the sediment, it is called "ooze." There are two types of oozes, calcareous ooze and siliceous ooze. Calcareous ooze, the most abundant of all biogenous sediments, comes from organisms whose shells (also called tests) are calcium-based, such as those of foraminifera, a type of zooplankton. Foraminifera are one of the most abundant types of zooplankton and are widely distributed throughout the surface of the world's oceans. Siliceous oozes are made up of the remains of di~atornn,a microscopic phytoplankton, and radiolaria, a microscopic zooplankton. Diatoms are one of the most important primary producers in the ocean. Because they are primary producers, diatoms are found in nutrient-rich areas of the ocean especially in areas of upwelling like the polar seas. As you move from continental shelf to open ocean areas, the number of diatoms present decreases. Radiolarians, the other source of siliceous ooze, feed on phytoplankton and thus are also more abundant in nutrient-rich water. However, radiolaria favor the equatorial upwelling zones as opposed to the polar upwelling zones. Another factor that affects where biogenous sediments will occur is the depth of the ocean floor. Calcium carbonate dissolves readily under pressure and in cold water, therefore deeper ocean floors will have less calcareous ooze. At a depth of about 5 km, the rate of dissolution (how quickly calcium carbonate dissolves) is faster than the rate at which caicium shells are raining down from above. This depth is called the carbonate compensation depth or CCD. Data Activity Bridge Ocean Education Teacher Resource Center Page 2 of 2 DATA ACTIVITY Using what you've learned about the distribution of diatoms, radiolaria and foraminifera and about the carbonate compensation depth, predict where you think you would find calcareous and siliceous oozes. Print a globl-map, and mark your predictions on it. Next, print the General Sediment Distribution patterns map. This map shows the general location of biogenous sediments. Compare your map to the sediment distribution map. QUESTIONS Were your predictions close to where calcareous and siliceous oozes actually occur? How does your map compare with the seqiment distribution map? Which type of ooze dominates the ocean sediments, calcareous or siliceous? Why? What parts of the oceans do not have calcareous ooze? What might be some reasons for this? (Hint: depth, distribution of organisms) Where are large deposits of siliceous diatom ooze? Are these deposits mostly near the edges of continents or in the middle of the ocean basins? Why? (Hint: areas of upwelling/high nutrient levels) Where do you see large deposits of siliceous radiolarian ooze? Why? The Bridge is S~O~PSQP~~by NOAA Sea Grant and the National Marine-Educata_rs Association @ Virginiil Sca Grn~ilMdtine Advisory Program Virginia Institute of Marine Science College of William and Mary Introduction to the Foraminifera Page 1 of 2 Introduction to the Foraminifera Foraminifera (forams for short) are single-celled protiss with shells. Their shells are also referred to as tests because in some forms the protoplasm covers the exterior of the shell. The shells are commonly divided into chambers which are added during growth, though the simplest forms are open tubes or hollow spheres. Depending on the species, the shell may be made of organic compounds, sand grains and other particles cemented together, or crystalline calcite. A typical foram : In the picture about, the dark brown structure is the test, or shell, inside which the foram lives. Radiating from the opening are fine hairlike reticulopodia, which the foram uses to find and capture food. Fully grown individuals range in size from about 100 micrometers to almost 20 centimeters long. A single individual may have one or many nuclei within its cell. The largest living species have a symbiotic relationship with algae, which they "farm" inside their shells. Other species eat foods ranging from dissolved organic molecules, bacteria, diatoms and other single celled phytoplankton, to small animals such as copepods. They move and catch their food with a network of thin extensions of the cytoplasm called reticulopodia, similar to the pseudopodia of an amoeba, although much more numerous and thinner. Click on the buttons below to learn more about Foraminifera. Introduction to the Foraminifera Page 2 of 2 Por more information about foraminifera : Try the Gulf of St.t.Law_r_ece Database, including images and information on Late Quaternary micro fossils. Clickhere to see images of some type specimens from the UCMP inicrofossil -collect~ns. - UCMP shartcuts: tree time I home of life : periods : to(3ics glossary ; help Introduction to the Bacillariophyta Page 1 of 2 Introduction to Bacillariophyta (The Diatoms) Life inside a glass box. The Bacillariophyta are the diatoms. With their exquisitely beautihl silica shells, or frustules such as that of Odontella shown above at right, diatoms are among the loveliest microfossils. They are also among the most important aquatic microorganisms today: they are extremely abundant both in the plankton and in sediments in marine and freshwater ecosystems, and because they are photosynthetic they are an important food source for marine organisms. Some may even be found in soils or on moist mosses. Diatoms have an extensive fossil record going back to the Cretaceous; some rocks are forrned almost entirely of fossil diatoms, and are known as diatomite or diatomaceous earth. These deposits are mined conlmercially as abrasives and filtering aids. Analysis of fossil diatom assemblages may also provide important inforrnation on past environmental conditions. Click on the buttons below to learn more about the Diatoms. Introduction to the Bacillariophyta Page 2 of 2 You can search the UCMP ii~icropaleontology~type collection for diatoms. For more information on diatoms and how they are used in environmental reconstruction, check out the Paleolimnology and Diatom Home Pages maintained by P. Roger Sweets at Indiana University, or visit the Aka1 Microscopy and Image Digitization~HoinePage at Bowling Green State University for many images of diatoms. You might also want to visit the Diato.m_Collectioils_of the California Academy of Sciences, including databases on diatom genera and literature. A general article 011 diatoms (15 Sep 1997) is available from the Mining Company. UCMP shortcuts: tree time topics gSossary j help : home ' of life periods ' ' Image of living diatom courtesy Virtual Foliage at the University of Wisconsin. Electron micrograph of Odontella taken by Karen Wetmore at UCMP. - - - Molecular Expressions Photo Gallery: Radiolarians Page 1 of 4 Radiolarians Mixed Radiolarians in Darkfield Illumination Radiolarians Radiolarians are single-celled protistan marine organisms that distinguish themselves with their unique and intricately detailed glass-like exoskeletons. During their life cycle, radiolarians absorb silicon compounds from their aquatic environment and secrete well-defined geometric networks that comprise a skeleton commonly known as a test. The radiolarian tests are produced in a wide variety of patterns, but most consist of an organized array of spines and holes (pores) that regulate a network of pseudopods useful in gathering food. When observed with an optical microscope, radiolarian tests are found to be low contrast light-scattering objects that are best viewed using Rheinberg illumination, darkfield illumination, phase contrast, or differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy techniques. The diversity and beauty of radiolarian