1. The ocean supports a variety of plant and animal life.
Ocean Habitats
The ocean supports a variety of plant and animal life.

2. Types of Ocean Life
Scientists classify marine organisms according to where they live and how they move.
Plankton: tiny algae and animals that float in water and are carried by waves and currents.
Nekton: free-swimming animals that can move through the water column.
Benthos: organisms that inhabit the ocean floor.

3. Plankton

4. Nekton

5. Benthos

6. Relationships Among Organisms
Producers: organisms that can make their own food. (Algae and Plankton)
Consumers: organisms that eat or consume producers.
Decomposers:break down wastes and the remains of other organisms.

7. Food Webs
All of the feeding relationships that exist within a habitat make up a food web.
Most ocean food webs depend on plankton. Plankton are a source of food for organisms of all sizes.