1. Life in the Ocean Major groups of organisms in ocean Plankton Nekton
Benthos

2. Organisms (in general)
Plankton: floaters
Nekton: swimmers
Won’t deal with these much in this course
Comments on fisheries
Benthos: bottom dwellers

3. Plants vs. animals Phytoplankton Zooplankton Carry on photosynthesis
Diatoms, coccolithophores, dinoflagellates
Zooplankton
Consumers
Radiolarians, forams, others

4. PHYTOPLANKTON

5. ZOOPLANKTON

6. Time as a planktonic organism
Meroplankton vs. holoplankton
Part of life as a plankton
Part of life as nekton or benthos
Examples (oysters, barnacles, crabs, fish egg)

7. Nekton
Many varieties
Consider commercial fisheries

8. Commercial fisheries Changes in last 50 years Overfishing
Causes: human population, changes in fishing practices, environmental degradation, poor management. by-catch
Solutions: close fishing areas, marine sanctuaries, tighter regulations, consumer choices (

9. Aquaculture
A solution to overfishing?
Pros and cons

10. Benthos Rocky shores Tide pools Sand and mud Deep sea Coral reefs
Just a few examples

11. Where benthic organisms live
Epifuana
Live on top of sediments
Examples (barnacles, starfish, crabs)
Infauna
Live within sediments
Examples (clams, worms)

12. Epifauna

13. Infauna (a, b, c, e)

14. DISTRIBUTION OF LIFE Why these patterns? Land 86% Sea 14% Benthic 98%
Pelagic 2%
DISTRIBUTION OF LIFE