Marine Ecosystems

Ocean Life Ocean life consists of: Benthos Plankton Nekton Plants/animals live on ocean bottom (kelp, sponges, worms, algea, snails, starfish) Plankton Small and microscopic organisms move with currents (krill, some crustaceans, protozoa, jellyfish Nekton Swimming animals! (fish, whales, eels, shrimp, octopus, sharks)

Benthos

Plankton

Nekton

Oceanic Life

So…is it benthos, plankton, or nekton?

Which one is it?

Which one is it?

Ocean Ecosystems Three zones: Intertidal Neritic Oceanic Shoreline area between high and low tide mark Organisms have many adaptations Neritic Slopes down from the edge of the shoreline toward ocean floor until 200 meters. Environment (salinity/temperature) is constant Contains coral reefs and upwelling process Oceanic Deepest part of ocean…high pressure, low temperature, absence of light

Intertidal Zone http://www.teachersdomain.org/asset/tdc02_vid_intertidal/

Neritic Zone Two ecosystems Coral reef = limestone deposit formed from coral shells; they develop in warm, shallow areas of neritic zone Kelp forests = kelp are large brown algae that attach to the sea floor and grow upwards; they develop in deeper colder areas of neritic zone coral reef Upwelling = movement of nutrient-rich waters from deep ocean into shallow areas This occurs when winds blow warm surface waters away from the shore Upwelling

Oceanic Zone Open waters of the ocean The sun can only penetrate 200 m Consists of whales, fish, squid, jellyfish, and krill The floor is called the abyss Deeper areas of the ocean have characteristics of High pressure Cold temperatures Absence of light Hydrothermal vents along with communities are located in deep areas of the ocean Hydrothermal vents

Deep sea hydrothermal vents Consist of cracks in the ocean crust that release nutrient-rich minerals These vents are very hot, heated by the Earth’s core Bacteria live around these vents They are chemosynthetic producers Deep sea vents and life's origins

Estuaries These are ecosystems where fresh water from rivers meets saltwater from the ocean Great area for fish, shrimp, crabs, and other shellfish Why?

Additional Stuff GIS Coral Reefs life around hydrothermal vents

Where are coral reefs located? A. in the oceanic zone B. in estuaries C. in the intertidal zone D. in the neritic zone

Which of the following organisms could not live on the ocean floor of the oceanic zone? A. fish B. algae C. bacteria D. worms

How do nutrients move in the ocean as a result of upwelling? A. from deep, colder areas to warm, shallow areas B. from warm, shallow areas to deep, colder areas C. from the neritic zone to the intertidal zone D. from the oceanic floor into estuaries