Ocean Environments

Two Basic Divisions Benthic Zone – bottom Pelagic Zone - water

Benthic Zones 1. Intertidal Shallowest area Between the low and high tide lines Changing environment

the little periwinkle snail prefers to crawl up above the highest water level to the area that gets just the smallest splash from the highest high tide waves. It has the record for the marine animal that can stay out of the ocean the longest. Some remain above the splash of the ocean for two to three months. Periwinkle

Only the size of a fingernail, the fingernail limpet (also called the rough or ribbed limpet, Collisella scabra and Collisella digitalis) is also a grazer, just like the periwinkle snail. Limpets are closely related to snails, but lack the coiled shell and operculum. There are several species of fingernail limpets, some with rough edges, and some with smooth edges. When covered with a high high tide, these critters come out cruising. Having only about six hours each day under the water, they travel along the rocky surface near their home scar, scraping the algae off the rocks just like the periwinkles. After eating, these limpets usually return to their home scar before the tide recedes, so they can pull down and seal in moisture. It is unknown exactly how they find their home scar, but their tentacles appear to be more important than their eyes. Fingernail Limpet

Barnacle mating Buckshot Barnacles Each tiny barnacle is enclosed in grayish-colored shells that can completely close. Once they begin life on the rock, they cannot relocate as these shells are attached permanently to their substrate. When dead, the outside shell remains as an empty volcano until it degrades They have an incredible reproductive style. They are what we call hermaphroditic in biology … that is they are both male and female in the same body. Each animal makes both eggs and sperm, but usually cannot get its sperm to its own eggs. Barnacles have an inflatable penis that is used in mating with a neighbor. This penis can inflate and extend up to 2 inches from the tiny barnacle. Buckshot Barnacles

Gooseneck Barnacles

Mussel with barnacles on it Mussels Mussel with barnacles on it

Sea Urchin Sea star Sea weed Chiton Seaweed

Benthic Zones 2. Sublittoral Always underwater On continental shelf Most variety of benthic life

Sponge with brittle star Coral

Benthic Zones Brittle Stars Bathyal - starts at continental slope and extends to 4000 m - little or no sunlight - cold 4°C - very high pressure

Crinoids (Sea Lilies)

Sea cucumbers

Benthic Zones Abyssal - No sunlight - 4000 – 6000 m - On abyssal plain Tube worms Abyssal - No sunlight - 4000 – 6000 m - On abyssal plain Several species of crabs live near hydrothermal vents. The Bythograea crab is one of the top predators of the ecosystem, eating everything from bacteria to clams, and even other crabs. Because of their mobility, they are often the first to colonize a new vent. In comparison to crabs we see on the beach, Bythograea crabs live under pressure 250 times greater than we experience on land, and an adult Bythograea crab will die if brought to the surface.

Benthic Zones Hadal 6000m -11,000m Trench Foraminifera The sample was taken from the Challenger Deep, which is nearly 7 miles (11 kilometers) deep. The soil was packed with a unique community of mostly soft-walled, singled-celled organisms that are thought to resemble some of the world's earliest life forms. "We are surprised that so many [bottom dwelling] foraminifera—in particular so [many] soft-shelled forms—live in the Challenger Deep, because former reports gave us the impression the world's deepest point is scarce in any [celled organisms]," he said. At 36,201 feet (11,034 meters) below sea level, Challenger Deep is the lowest part of the Pacific Ocean's Mariana Trench, located just east of the Philippines.

Pelagic Zone – water area Neritic water area above continental shelf 2. Oceanic water off of continental shelf further divided into 5 areas based on depth

Oceanic zone is further divided into 5 areas based on depth

Neritic Zone Life Seahorse Angel fish Clown fish Bluefin Tuna The Neritic Zone is the shallow area of the ocean that extends above the Continenatal Shelf, which consists of an abundance of marine life such as: herring, mackerel, bluefin tuna, capelin, and some smaller species. What makes this area such a lively zone is the abundance of plankton which attracts many small fish, which become food for larger fish that roam the along the continental shelf Jellyfish Herring

Plankton Primary producers are organisms that convert inorganic carbon in carbon dioxide into organic carbon by autotrophs. There are two types of primary producers. They are phytoplankton, or autotrophic producers, and zooplankton, or heterotrophic producers. The neritic zone contains largely diatoms and dinoflagellate species. There are many primary producers in the neritic zone.

Oceanic Zones Epipelagic Surface – 200 meters Sunlight, warm

Oceanic Zones Firefly Squid Mesopelagic twilight zone - some light but no photosynthesis 200 – 2000 meters contains thermocline (large temperature change) low-energy tissues and sluggish lifestyles to cope with low food energy, since no algae can grow. Many animals are bioluminescent Cuttlefish

Ogrefish Deep Sea Angler Coelacanth

Giant Siphonophore Giant siphonophores, like all siphonophores, are a collection of highly specialized working parts. Some parts catch prey, others digest food, some parts reproduce and others direct the action by swimming. This siphonophore is bioluminescent—it creates its own light. When it bumps against something, its stem glows with a bright blue light.

Bloodbelly Comb Jelly The body color of the bloodybelly comb jelly ranges from pale to deep purple, to deep red and sometimes black. Like other comb jellies, it propels itself by moving paddlelike organs, called combs, which are composed of hundreds of fused cilia. The bloodybelly is a fragile comb jelly that wasn't discovered until scientists were able to use submersibles to make direct observations of deep sea animals

Pelagic Zones Bathypelagic zone 2,000 – 4,000 meters Giant Squid Vampire Squid

Pelagic Zones Snipe Eel Abyssopelagic zone - 4000 – 6000 meters low oxygen, nutrients and food Dark and cold Snipe Eel It has a long body, up to four feet in length, and resembles a long piece of ribbon or string with a large bulbous head at one end. Their upper and  lower jaws curve away from each other at the tips. This means that they don't meet when the eel closes its mouth. The eel's jaws are curved this way because it helps to capture its favorite food. As the eel swims along with its mouth open, tiny backward-pointing teeth snag the antenna of the shrimp. The shrimp is then worked towards the inside of the mouth and eaten The Zoarcid fish, or eelpout, live among the tubeworms and mussels near sea vents. Despite being slow moving, they are the top predators of this ecosystem, feasting on everything from crabs to tubeworms. Zoarcid Fish

Resources Anderson, Genny (2002). The splash zone. Retrieved August 5, 2008, from http://www.biosbcc.net/ocean/flspl.htm#top Allison, M., DeGaetano, A., & Pasachoff, J. (2006). Earth Science. Holt, Rinehart and Winston. Deep Sea. Retrieved August 10, 2008, from Monteray Bay Aquarium Online Field Guide Web site: http://www.mbayaq.org/efc/living_species/default.asp?hab=9 Flach, Author's first name initialEls, & Heip, Carlo (1996). Vertical distribution of macrozoobenthos within the sediment on the continental slope of the Globan spur area. Marine Ecology Progress Series. 141, 55-66. Monsters of the Deep Sea. Retrieved August 10, 2008, from Sea and Sky Web site: http://www.seasky.org/deep-sea/creatures-menu.html Rager, Nicolle (2004). Sea Vent Viewer. Retrieved August 7, 2008, from Natinal Science Foundation Web site: http://www.nsf.gov/news/overviews/earth-environ/interact01.jsp Roach, John (2005, Feb. 3). Life Is Found Thriving at Ocean's Deepest Point. Retrieved August 10, 2008, from National Geographic News Web site: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/02/0203_050203_deepest.html Yancey, Paul (2008). Deep Sea Biology. Retrieved August 7, 2008, Web site: http://people.whitman.edu/~yancey/deepsea.html Viau, Elizabeth A. (2003). The littoral zone. Retrieved August 5, 2008, from World Builders Web site: http://curriculum.calstatela.edu/courses/builders/lessons/less/les5/littoral.html