Skip to main content

THE GRACEFUL CREATURE OF THE SEAFLOOR



THE GRACEFUL CREATURE OF THE SEAFLOOR

The sea pen is graceful creature of the seafloor; this sea pen resembles a plump, old-fashioned quill pen. Its colors range from dark orange to yellow to white. They live at many depths from shallow waters down to deep seas in tropical and temperate water worldwide.

Each sea pen is a colony of polyps, small anemone like individuals working together for the survival of the whole.

The primary polyp loses its tentacles and becomes the stalk of the sea pen with a bulb at its base. The bulb anchors the sea pen in the muddy or sandy bottom. They feed on phytoplankton and detritus particles.

The red star, the leather star and the three types of Nudibranchs prey on sea pens. When touched, sea pens emit a bright greenish light; this is known as bioluminescence. when disturbed, a sea pen forces water out of the colony, making it possible for them to retreat into its bulbous foot.

Recent research shows that the population of Sea pen has declined in some areas. A large number of their predators like sea stars and Nudibranchs have also disappeared, leaving some sandy-bottom areas vacant. This affects the population of these creatures at the top of the food chain too.  

The various  secondary polyps form the sea pen's branches and have specialized functions. Some polyps feed by using nematocysts to catch plankton.

Once plentiful in parts of Puget Sound, sea pen populations have declined in those areas. Their absence can indicate an ecosystem in trouble.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

THE FORGOTTEN SCIENTIST

  NIKOLA TESLA Nikola Tesla was the famous scientist of 19th century. Nikola Tesla was born on 10th July 1856 in Smiljan, Austria (modern-day Croatia Southeast Europe). His father Milutin was a priest of the Serbian Orthodox Church. From early age, he could memorize entire books and store logarithms table in his brain. At the age of 19, he was studying electrical engineering at Polytechnic Institute at Gray in Austria. Tesla's general IQ was in a range from 160 to 200. Average Nikola Tesla IQ was 180. He made dozens of breakthrough in the production, transmission and application of electric power. He invented the first alternating current (AC) motor and developed AC generation and transmission technology. Though he was famous and respected, he was never able to translate his copious inventions into long-term financial success. In 1884, Tesla arrived in New York and was hired as an engineer at Thomas Alva Edison's Manhattan headquarters. After seeing his ingenuity, Edison told T...
Post a Comment
Read more

HEALTH BENEFITS OF EATING DATES

HEALTH BENEFITS OF EATING DATES From improving Bone Health to Promoting Beautiful Skin The umpteen health benefits of dates has made the delicious fruit of the most sought after foods in the world of health and nutrition. Dates are a good source of various vitamins and minerals, energy, sugar, and fiber. It also contains calcium, iron, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and zinc. Here are only a few of the reasons why you should eat dates regularly: LOWERS CHOLESTROL Dates are free from cholesterol, and contain very little fat. Including them in smaller quantities in your daily diet can help you keep a check on cholestrol level. Dates are a strong source for proteins that help us in staying fit. A lot of regular gym goers are asked to eat a couple of dates every day as part of their daily routine. RICH IN VITAMINS Dates contain vitamins such as B1, B2, B3 and B5, as well as A1 and C. If you have a few dates every day, there will be noticeable change in your energy levels because dates co...
Post a Comment
Read more