1. Organisms Distribution Environment
Marine Environment
Organisms
Distribution
Environment

2. Life in the Ocean Plankton: floaters Nekton: swimmers
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
Part of life as a plankton; rest as nekton or benthos
Holoplankton
All of life as plankton

7. Nekton
Many varieties
Consider commercial fisheries

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

9. Where benthic organisms live
Epifuana
Live on top of sediments
Infauna
Live within sediments
Nektobenthos
Walk or swim along bottom

10. Epifauna

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

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

13. Environments Pelagic……the water Benthic…..the bottom
Neritic – over continental shelf
Oceanic
Epipelagic: down to 200 m
Mesopelagic: m
Bathypelagic: m
Benthic…..the bottom

14. Neritic
200 m

15. Oceanic
Epipelagic
Mesopelagic
Bathypelagic
200 m
1000 m
4000 m

16. Light zones in ocean Photic Aphotic Light for photosynthesis
Usually m
Aphotic
Without light
Deeper than 1000 m

17. Benthic Environment Similar zones as pelagic
Omit details and new names

18. Making a living in the ocean
Primary productivity, respiration, decomposition
Depth zone differences

19. Oxygen with depth (red)
Nutrients with depth ( green)
Relate pattern to photosynthesis, respiration, decay and other processes