Zach Shabenas

Mrs. Rossman <3

AP Biology
May 20
th
, 2014
An n !e"th #ie$ o% the &ali%ornia Sea 'ion (Zalo"h)s cali%ornian)s*
Ecology: +he &ali%ornia Sea 'ion is %o)n, on a large range thro)gho)t the $estern coast
an, islan,s o% -orth America, %rom so)thern Alas.a an, as %ar too central Me/ico th)s their
biome0 habitat is the coastal ocean. +hey are classi%ie, )n,er the %amily otarii,s, eare, seals $ith
larger %ore %li""ers an, larger "ectoral m)scles, an, a niche .no$n as bl)bber, a thic. layer o% %at
)se, to store 1ast amo)nts o% energy. +here are %i1e ,istinct "o")lations o% Sea 'ions, b)t $e
$ill go o1er that %)rther in the !-A an, 21ol)tion "ro"ortions o% this "a"er. !)ring bree,ing
season, sea lions that "lan on mating an, bree,ing $ill all gather together at roc.y an, or san,y
shores an, as th)s nat)ral selection $ill ta.e its co)rse an, the sea lions $ill "ic. their mate.
-on3bree,ing in,i1i,)als $ill all collect in marinas, $har1es, or e1en na1igational b)oys. +hese
%ascinating creat)res ty"ically are close or in $ater on $armer ,ays, an, on cooler ,ays they ten,
to tra1el more inlan, to higher ele1ations. B)t as sai, they are %ascinating, some are e1en %o)n,
to li1e in %resh $ater, an, there has been a case $here a healthy sea lion $as %o)n, sitting on a
roa, in &ali%ornia almost a h)n,re, miles )"stream %rom the San 4rancisco Bay. Sea 'ions are
"re,ator to a $i,e 1ariety o% %ish, s5)i,, an, e1en clam. An, on occasion $hen they h)nt they
e1en coo"erate $ith other a5)atic "re,ators s)ch as ,ol"hins an, "or"oises. +hey are "rey to a
1ariety o% shar. s"ecies an, .iller $hales, an, o%ten ha1e scars %rom these attac.s i% they ,o
s)r1i1e. Sea 'ions bree, bet$een May an, A)g)st, $hen they arri1e at their bree,ing roo.eries,
a meeting "lace %or mates. Males $ill stay there as long as "ossible to mate, an, $ill not lea1e
e1en %or %oo,, relying on their bl)bber %or energy. Male sea lions are 1ery territorial, b)t ,o not
,is"lay their territory )ntil their mate is %o)n, an, their o%%s"ring is born. +he %amo)s sea lion
bar.s are )s)ally %rom males, telling others i% there are h)mans nearby, "re,ators or sim"ly i%
they get e/cite, or mar. their territory. 4emales are ty"ically
less 1ocal, an, are higher "itche, $hen they ,o 1ocali6e an,
comm)nicate. +he only e/cl)si1e %emale comm)nication is
that o% their mother to ")" res"onse, an, in t)rn the ")"s ha1e
a ")" to mother res"onse.
Evolution: +he story behin, sea lion e1ol)tion is one that has many 1ariations to it.
Some e1i,ence s)ggests they ha1e been on o)r earth as early as t$enty three million years ago,
b)t ,i, not )n,ergo a 1ast e1ol)tion that most mammals aro)n, that time ,i,. +hey might71e
"ossibly been only lan, mammals at the time b)t there is no e1i,ence to %)rther "ro1e or ,eny it.
% the abo1e statement is tr)e then it7s 1ery "ossible that they ha, to e1ol1e to get their $ebbe,
%eet an, %li""ers to e1ol1e in the $ater. 8ther st),ies an, theories s)ggest that a change in
en1ironmental tem"erat)re ca)se, the sea lion to ,e1elo" its7 a5)atic a,a"tations. 4ossil recor,s
sho$ that the sea lion )se, to be smaller, li.e a sea otter. Personally thin. the change in their
mass is the ,e1elo"ment o% their bl)bber, so the males co)l, stay at the bree,ing roo.eries long
eno)gh to %in, a mate. 9ith the males $ith only bl)bber %in,ing a mate, nat)ral selection $o)l,
ta.e its co)rse an, the s"ecies e1ol1e, so that all organisms ha, the thic. %at layers that they
co)l, store h)ge amo)nts o% energy in an, those $itho)t bl)bber ,ie, o%%. +his is a "rime
e/am"le o% nat)ral selection an, is the most logical e/"lanation in my o"inion to their change in
mass. Another e/"lanation to this $o)l, be the nee, o% the bl)bber to .ee" them $arm in cooler
$aters. +his also ma.es sense as to $hy some sea lions resi,e in the s)b artic an, others li1e in
the tro"ics. All these st),ies s)ggest that bl)bber is easily any o% the s"ecies o% sea lions niche, a
%a1orable trait that allo$s the s"ecies o% sea lions to "ros"er an, li1e on, an, these "o")lations o%
sea lions are in %act "ros"ering as most
s"ecies are consi,ere, )n,er the
category o% :'east &oncern; on their
conser1ation stat)s.
Biochemistry: Biochemistry is the st),y o% molec)lar mechanisms by $hich genetic
in%ormation is enco,e, insi,e !-A. As an organic creat)re, the sea lion contains all
macromolec)les< 'i"i,s, Proteins, -)cleic Aci,s, an, &arbohy,rates. +he st),ies o% these
macromolec)les are e/tremely cr)cial an, hel"%)l, an, can hel" ,e1elo" me,icines an, n)trition
s)""lements %or not only sea lions b)t many other organisms in o)r mo,ern $orl,.
Macromolec)les are al$ays re%erre, to as the b)il,ing bloc.s o% li%e, s)ch as the n)cleic aci,s o%
the sea lion, $hich is e/cl)si1e to only the sea lion an, it is $hat ,i%%ers the sea lion %rom any
other organisms. -ot that their !-A is e/tremely ,i%%erent %rom others, b)t the ,i%%erences in
their !-A ma.e the ,i%%erences
bet$een s"ecies.
Cells: Being an animal, the sea lion is a m)lti3 celle, organism, an, those are cells are
e).aryotic. Plant, 4)ngi, an, Animal cells are all e).aryotic rather than "ro.aryotic, or single
celle,. A big ,isting)ishing %eat)re that e).aryotic cells ha1e o1er "ro.aryotic cells is
membrane3bo)n, com"artments $here s"eci%ic metabolic "rocesses occ)r. Another %eat)re that
ma.es e).aryotic cells )ni5)e
$o)l, be their n)cle)s, or the
brain o% the cell. +his is the
"art o% the cell that hol,s the
genetic in%ormation, an, also
gi1es the name e).aryotic
(:tr)e n)cle)s;*. =ey
organelles insi,e the
e).aryotic cell other than the
n)cle)s incl),e the mitochon,ria, the energy "ro,)cing organelle, the en,o"lasmic retic)l)m, a
trans"ort net$or., the golgi a""arat)s, $hich is the
site $here macromolec)les are "ac.age, an, sent
thro)gho)t the cell. Ribosomes are %o)n, in both
.in,s o% cells, b)t these are the molec)les that are
%ree %lo$ing an, carry other molec)les thro)gho)t the
cell.
Respiration: &ell)lar Res"iration is the metabolic "rocesses an, reactions that ta.e
"lace in the cells o% the organisms to con1ert biochemical energy into A+P, tri"le "hos"hate an,
an a,enine that are )se, all thro)gho)t the organisms bo,y, or in this case, the &ali%ornia Sea
'ion. n this "rocess o% res"iration $aste "ro,)cts are also e/"elle, %rom the bo,y, these $aste
"ro,)cts incl),e lactic aci, thro)gh %ermentation, an, carbon ,io/i,e. >lycolysis is a metabolic
"ath$ay that ta.es "lace in the cytosol o% cells in all li1ing organisms, the "rocess con1erts one
molec)le o% gl)cose into t$o molec)les o% "yr)1ate ("yr)1ic aci,*, "ro,)cing energy in the %orm
o% t$o molec)les o% A+P. 4o)r molec)les o% A+P "er gl)cose are act)ally "ro,)ce,, b)t t$o are
cons)me, in the "rocess. 9hen the "yr)1ates are o/i,i6e,, t$o -A!? are "ro,)ce,. +he citric
aci, cycle, or .rebs cycle, is the ne/t ste". 9hen -A!? is "ro,)ce, so is acetyl3&oA, they enter
the .rebs cycle, an, there A+P begins to be "ro,)ce,. +he electron trans"ort chain also "ro,)ces
A+P. t is a re,o/ reaction that trans%ers electrons thro)gh a "roton gra,ient, or the A+P
synthase. +his chain "ro,)ces 30 )nits o% A+P.
Genetics: +ogether $ith %)r seals, the &ali%ornia sea lion is categori6e, )n,er the %amily
otarii,ae, $hich contains si/ e/isting an, one e/tinct s"ecies (the @a"anese sea lion*. 9hat
se"arates these organisms %rom being one $hole s"ecies is their genetics. >enetics is the st),y o%
an organism7s gene, !-A, an, the 1ariations their !-A contain. !-A is ma,e thro)gh a
"rocess .no$n as &entral !ogma. +he %irst ste" is re"lication, $here an original stran, o% !-A
is co"ie, so $hile the original is .e"t, the co"y can be t)rne, too R-A. +hat ste", is calle,
transcri"tion. +his is $here the !-A is rea, an, co,e, %or R-A, an, o% the %o)r base "airs,
A,enine, +hymine, >)anine, an, &ytosine, $hen transcri"tion ta.es "lace +hymine is re"lace,
$ith Aracil, a base "air e/cl)si1e to R-A. +he %inal ste" in central ,ogma is +ranslation, $here
the co,e, stran,s are synthesi6e, into "roteins by the molec)les ribosomes. -o$ ho$ the
genetics o% the se1en s"ecies insi,e the %amily otarii,ae se"arate them is sim"le. 21ol)tion can
ca)se m)tations, $hich is a change in a s"ecies !-A. All these s"ecies resi,e in ,i%%erent
biomes an, as s)ch $ill ha1e certain a,a"tations that allo$ them to li1e there, an, these
a,a"tations are co,e, in their !-A. -at)ral selection ca)ses change in a s"ecies gene "ool,
ma.ing one s"ecies se"arate, into ,i%%erent s)bs"ecies.
Anatomy: Being se/)ally ,imor"hic, &ali%ornia sea lions ,i%%er in si6e, sha"e, an,
coloration bet$een the se/es. Males are ty"ically aro)n, B.C %t long an, $eigh )" to BB0 lb,
$hile %emales are ty"ically aro)n, D.C %t an, $eigh )" to 220 lb.

4emales an, E)1eniles ha1e a
light bro$n %)r

altho)gh they can be light gray or sil1er. +he %)r o% a,)lt males can be any$here
%rom light bro$n to blac., b)t is ty"ically ,ar. bro$n. P)"s ha1e a blac. or ,ar. bro$n %)r at
birth. Altho)gh the s"ecies has a lean b)il,, a,)lt males ha1e rob)st nec.s, chests, an, sho)l,ers.
A,)lt males also ha1e a "rotr),ing crest $hich gi1es them a ,ome, %orehea,< it is t)%te, $ith
$hite hairs. Sea lions rely on %ore%li""ers %or mo1ement, an, their s"ines are e/tremely %le/ible,
allo$ing their nose to to)ch their hin,%li""ers. Sea lions also ha1e color31ision, altho)gh its
limite, to the green3bl)e "art o% the color s"ectr)m, this is most li.ely an a,a"tation %or their
habitat. Sea lions rely on their $his.ers or 1ibrissae %or to)ch an, ,etection o% 1ibrations
)n,er$ater.

9or.s &ite,
F&ali%ornia Sea 'ion.F 9i.i"e,ia. 9i.ime,ia 4o)n,ation, n.,. 9eb. 20 May 2014.
<htt"G00$$$.$i.i"e,ia.org0H.
FSea 'ion 4acts an, n%ormation.F Sea 'ion 4acts an, n%ormation. -."., n.,. 9eb. 21 May
2014. <htt"G00$$$.sealion3$orl,.com0H.
FSea 'ions.F >oogle mages. -."., n.,. 9eb. 20 May 2014. <htt"G00images.google.com0H.
F&ells.F 9i.i"e,ia. 9i.ime,ia 4o)n,ation, n.,. 9eb. 20 May 2014.
<htt"G00$$$.$i.i"e,ia.org0H.
FRes"iration.F 9i.i"e,ia. 9i.ime,ia 4o)n,ation, n.,. 9eb. 20 May 2014.
<htt"G00$$$.$i.i"e,ia.org0H.