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Introduction
It is a known phenomenon that oceans cover roughly about 70% of the earth’s surface and supports a diversely implausible life, together with Blue Whale which is the world’s largest mammal. Moreover, oceans serve as an important source of oxygen for the earth and they further store and capture carbon dioxide, maintaining the balance of gases in the environment. Similarly, marine species offer imperative ecosystem services, for instance, provision of livelihoods, medicines and food (Mc Connaughey, 2013).
We have covered the dynamics of oceans in past assignment; however, the most important component of ocean known as marine life will be discussed in this paper. There has been an increasing threat to marine biodiversity because sea resources have been over-harvested by humans. Due to this, there is increasing provision of habitat destruction and over-fishing in various parts of the world that is irreversible harming our marine ecosystem. Now when the adverse implications of climate change, ocean acidification and over-fishing are understood, it is essential to protect marine biodiversity so that survival of marine species is secured (Vernberg & Vernberg, 2013).
Historical & Geological Origins of Marine Life
In order to understand the underlying dynamics of marine biodiversity and how it is being affected over years, we need to look at their origin millions of years ago. The history of the emergence of marine life can be dated back to the evolution of Prokaryotes. They are very tiny in size and serve as both life supporter and as a cause of death in the form of bacteria. The evolution of Prokaryotes began 3.5 to 3.8 million years ago, while in around 2100 Ma, Eukaryotes formed that is considered an advanced form of Prokaryotes, in terms of size and DNA composition and also these contain a cell nucleus which carries the DNA (Cowen, 2013).
Further, these Eukaryotes evolved into multi-cellular forms for instance animals, fungi and plants. These Eukaryotes adapted to incorporate the process of sexual reproduction as a survival tactic. The notions of survival of fittest and natural selection also evolved. Moreover, we can see protozoa and algae as simple examples of Eukaryotes. During 1100 Ma Stromatolites (Prokaryotes) started to appear along the coastline and they looked with greenish grey mats forming layered structures of sediments (Wicander & Monroe, 2015).
Marine animal fossil’s assemblages started appearing in a Proterozoic era or last 70 million years known as Ediacaran faunas, having soft bodies and varying structures. They were simply made from tough cuticle filled with fluid and represent first large-bodied animals. On the other hand, Shelly animal evolved around 500 Ma, when huge variety of species evolved and modified their structures through natural selection. All in all, scientists have found numerous species of animals and majority reside in the marine domain. Majority of animals on earth are invertebrates and only 5 % are vertebrates, both of which can be found both in oceans and on land (Wilson, 2012).
Relevance of Elemental Components & Processes
Elemental components and processes that supported the evolution of marine life are primarily based upon water. These include the chemical reactions, the requisite input of energy and environmental conditions (Quigg Et al., 2003).
Biological All the chemical reactions essential for the sustenance of marine life are intimately associated with water and can occur both in and outside cells. These chemical reactions are dependent upon two main factors i.e. the availability of requisite amount of water and the required proportion of chemicals. Where the proportion of chemicals is a natural phenomenon, different organisms develop varying methodologies for the conservation of water (Doney Et al., 2012).
The efficiency and effectiveness of the chemical reactions are closely dependent upon the input of the requisite energy. For this purpose, marine animals depend upon the environmental conditions, which are exploited through the development of special mechanisms. It is pertinent to mention here an important environmental component or condition which supports these chemical reactions; namely the coral reefs (Doney Et al., 2012).
The skeletons of coral polyps, both dead and living form the coral reefs by utilising calcium carbonate present in the seawater. The formation of coral reefs is also facilitated by warm temperatures. The problem of the absence of oxygen in warm waters is resolved by the zooxanthellae or dinoflagellates through a symbiotic relationship. As part of this relationship, zooxanthellae produce oxygen through photosynthesis and thus facilitate the formation of coral reefs; while the coral polyps facilitate growth and development of the zooxanthellae by providing favourable conditions, carbon dioxide and accessibility to sunlight (Doney Et al., 2012).
Fossil Records, Hydrothermal Vents & Associated Marine Species Identification
Biological: Fossils are remains of animals and plants that were alive in the prehistoric time. Fossil records are very important for studying the history of marine life as it facilitates scientists to discover establish a complete record of the various forms of life. The fossil records are also used to observe transitions and transformations in marine life forms over a long period of time. These are formed through the process of Taphonomy i.e. when the remains of animals get rapidly buried under rock, mud and limestone and become a part of these elements with the passage of time (Meireles Et al., 2014).
Hydrothermal vents are hot springs being produced by various underwater volcanoes situated at convergent plate boundaries and spreading ridges. Hydrothermal vents are formed when seawater seeps down into fissures in the ocean crust. In this process, hot magma heats cold seawater, that later re-emerges to form the vents. The main effect of hydrothermal vents is the transportation of chemical and heat within the earth and the regulation of the global chemistry of oceans (Rogers Et al., 2012) Biological.
Biological: Both fossils and hydrothermal vents contribute greatly towards the identification of species. Fossils can be found in the form of traces or remnants of ancient life forms manifested in terms of casts, burrows or footprints and even in absolutely complete form, but that is rare. The last case is visible when fossils are found embedded in amber; dehydrated; or frozen. In either case, fossils provide valuable information on the life forms in varying details. On the other hand, deep-sea hydrothermal vents host species found nowhere else. These species depend upon the bacterial oxidation of chemicals present in the vent fluids for nutrition. These vents along with their peculiar ecosystems provide valuable information on the origins and evolution of life (Sylvan, Toner & Edwards, 2012).
Self-Replicating Mechanisms of Marine Life Forms
Biological: After understanding the dynamic evolution of marine life, it’s equally important to assess the evolutionary processes of marine species. The basic material required to build life was already abundant in the primordial soup. Thereafter, complex life forms are supposed to have evolved through the stages of replication of RNA, refinement of organic molecules and aggregation…
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