1. Hydrothermal Vent Communities
The Deep Sea
"Over 60% of our planet is covered by water more than a mile deep. The deep sea is the largest habitat on earth and is largely unexplored. More people have traveled into space than have traveled to the deep ocean realm...."
Hydrothermal Vent Communities
Deep Sea Adaptations
In your journal: Write down three examples of physical adaptations and how they help the organism survive in its environment.

2. Categories of Ocean Life
Goal: To discuss examples of different types of marine organisms and the adaptations to their environments.
Tonight’s homework: none
Warm-up: Please take out your “Exploring the Oceans” online activity. Then, in your science journal:
Define plankton, nekton, and benthos Give a few examples for each.
What are the two basic types of plankton?

3. Life in the Ocean 3 1) All ocean life fits into ____ categories:
Benthos
2) __________  organisms that live on or in the ocean floor
3) __________  plant-like and animal-like microscopic life
4) __________  fish, dolphins, and sea lions
__________  free-swimming organisms
__________  crabs, worms, and clams
__________  organisms that drift freely near the ocean surface
Plankton
Nekton
Nekton
Benthos
Plankton

4. (plant-like organisms; capable of photosynthesis)
Plankton
Zooplankton
(animals)
2 types
Phytoplankton
(plant-like organisms; capable of photosynthesis)

5. Nekton

6. Benthos

7. Whale Fall
3 min.

8. Biological Zones of the Ocean
Intertidal Zone
PELAGIC ENVIRONMENT
Neritic Zone
Oceanic Zone
B E N T H I C
E N V I R
O N M E N T

9. Ocean Environments Intertidal Benthic Pelagic
1) ___________  right at the shoreline
Intertidal
2) _________  along the ocean floor (can be shallow or deep)
Benthic
_________  water environment
(but not along the bottom)
Pelagic
Neritic
__________  shallow region along the coast (on the continental shelf)
Oceanic
__________  the rest of the open ocean (out at sea)

10. Neritic or Oceanic Zone?
13) __________  covers the entire sea floor except for the shelf
14) __________  covers the continental shelf
15) __________  is warm and shallow
16) __________  is home to strange animals like the angler fish
17) __________  has cold water under great pressure in deep areas
18) __________  receives an abundance of sunlight
Neritic
Neritic
Oceanic
Oceanic
Neritic

11. Biodiversity in the Ocean
Where in the ocean will you find the greatest diversity of life?
Neritic Zone
Oceanic Zone
On the continental shelf
Sunlight reaches the benthic organisms on the bottom.
This is especially important for…

12. Coral Reefs

13. Life in the Neritic Zone
Fish and other aquatic organisms like to have something to hang out around, where there is an abundance of nutrients. This is why coastal areas are so densely packed with ocean life.

14. Life in the Deep Ocean
Since the oceanic zone is so enormous, there is more total life here than in the neritic zone, but it is sparse by comparison and tends to cluster around geologic features such as seamounts, where nutrients are rich.

15. Life in the Deep Ocean
What do these deep organisms rely on for their food?
Where else does deep sea life tend to cluster?

16. Hydrothermal Vents

17. The Oceanic Zone
Out in the open ocean, there aren’t as many nutrients in the water, so much of the life here consists of tiny plankton and the jellyfish that feed on them…

18. …and the large predators that prey on the jellyfish!
Jellyfish Predators
…and the large predators that prey on the jellyfish!
Mola mola

19. Mola Mola
(aka Ocean Sunfish)
Basking on its side

20. Mola Mola
(aka Ocean Sunfish)

21. Ocean Zones

22. Giant Squid

23. Fangtooth

24. Gulper Eel

25. Benthocodon Jellyfish

26. Dumbo Octopus
Size: up to 1.5 meters
Depth: 300 – 5,000 m

27. Threadfin Snailfish
Size: 15 cm
Depth: 2,000 – 3,000 m

28. Ping-Pong Tree Sponge
Size: 50 cm
Depth: 2,600 – 3,000 m

29. Sperm Whale Length: 20 meters (65 ft)
Depth: from the surface down to 10,000 feet!

30. Giant Isopod Size: 35 cm (over a foot long) Depth: 200 – 2,000 m
This organism is like a giant underwater insect. Notice the eyes, and pale coloration

31. Deep Sea Anglerfish What Zone do you think this fish lives in?
Hint…this fish lives at a depth of 3,000 ft

32. Unidentified species

33. Japanese Giant Spider Crab
Size: up to 4 m (13 feet across including legs!)
Depth: 300 – 400 m

34. Click here for more weird ocean creatures.
Leafy Sea Dragon
Where would you expect this organism to live?
Click here for more weird ocean creatures.

35. Strange Deep Sea Life
11 min.

36. Deep Sea Adaptations Warm-up: Discuss at your table:
Goal: To discuss examples of different types of marine organisms and the adaptations to their environments.
Tonight’s homework: Complete online QUIA quiz tonight! (See Mr. Collins’ SharePoint site)
Warm-up: Discuss at your table:
Try to come up with some examples of adaptations (physical traits) you can think of that help certain species survive in the deep parts of the ocean.

37. ALVIN
Take a moment to read p. 50
1 min.

38. active continental margin
Diagram A
physical features
active continental margin
deep-ocean basin
continent
continental slope
abyssal plain
oceanic crust
continental crust
trench

39. passive continental margin
Diagram B
physical features
passive continental margin
deep-ocean basin
continent
continental shelf
continental slope
continental rise
continental crust
abyssal plain
oceanic crust

40. Diagram C biological zones pelagic environment intertidal zone
neritic zone
oceanic zone
benthic environment

41. Camouflage
4 min.

42. Bioluminescence
4 min.

43. The Colossal Squid
Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni

44. Marine Life in Antarctic Circle

45. The Colossal Squid

46. C’mon, who wants to mate with me?
Anglerfish in Love
C’mon, who wants to mate with me?

47. The Strange Love Life of the Anglerfish
4 min.