How is the Marine Biome Organised

Essential Questions

• What is the marine biome?

• What are the marine life zones?

• What are the characteristics of marine life zones?

What is the marine biome?

Beneath the SurfaceBeneath the SurfaceThe Endless Voyage Series The Endless Voyage Series

• http://learning.aliant.net/Player/ALC_Player.asp?ProgID=INT_ENDVOY03

• Answer the Self-test questions after the video

• 27mins

The Marine Biome• it is one of the largest biomes on earth• includes three quarters of the earth’s water that

contains thousands of different animals and plants • includes

– Oceans• oceans are very large bodies of water that dominate the

Earth's surface

– Coral reefs• warm shallow waters• can be found as barriers along continents, fringing islands,

and atolls

– Estuaries• where freshwater streams or rivers merge with the ocean

Oceans• 5 Major Oceans

– Indian Ocean• washes upon southern Asia and separates Africa and

Australia – Atlantic Ocean

• separates the Americas from Eurasia and Africa – Arctic Ocean

• covers much of the Arctic and washes upon northern North America and Eurasia

– Southern or Antarctic Ocean• has no landmass separating it from other oceans • encircles Antarctica and covers much of the

Antarctic – Pacific Ocean

• separates Asia and Australia from the Americas

Coral Reefs• they are the only animals that can build

structures visible from space • are made of algae and tissues of animal

polyps • corals obtain nutrients to survive through

photosynthesis process carried out by algae and extending their tentacles to capture plankton in water

• other marine animals and plants of the coral reef include microorganisms, invertebrates, fishes, sea urchins, star fishes, octopuses, etc

Estuaries

• partially enclosed body of water that are formed in areas where freshwater from rivers and streams flows into the ocean and get mixed with the salty waters

• also known around the world as bays, lagoons, harbors, inlets and sounds

• plants and animals of the estuaries include algae, seaweeds, marsh grasses and mangroves

• estuaries support a vast and diverse flora and fauna

What are the marine life zones?

Marine Life Zones

The Layers

• Epipelagic

• Mesopelagic

• Bathypelagic

• Abyssopelagic

• Hadopelagic

• Demersal Zone*

• Benthic Zone *

photic zone or euphotic zone

aphotic zone

Photic/Euphotic Zone

• is the depth of the water that is exposed to sufficient sunlight for photosynthesis to occur

• it extends from the atmosphere-water interface downwards to a depth where light intensity falls to 1 percent of that at the surface

• about 90% of all marine life lives in this region

Aphotic Zone

• is the portion of water where there is little or no sunlight

• the depths beyond which less than 1% of sunlight penetrates

One Ocean: Mysteries of the Deep

• http://oneocean.cbc.ca/series/episodes/3-mysteries-of-the-deep

• Questions sheet provided

• 45:07mins

What are the characteristics of marine life zones?

Epipelagic

From the surface down to around 200 m (656 ft).

• illuminated surface zone where there is enough light for photosynthesis

• plants and animals are largely concentrated in this zone

• nearly all primary production in the ocean occurs here

Mesopelagic

From 200 m down to around 1,000 m (3,281 ft) Also known as the middle pelagic or twilight zone • some light penetrates this deep but it is

insufficient for photosynthesis• at about 500 m the water becomes depleted of

oxygen • some creatures living in the mesopelagic zone

will rise to the epipelagic zone at night in order to feed

• is the location of the thermocline, with temperatures varying from over 20°C at the top to around 4°C at the bottom

Bathypelagic

From 1,000 m down to around 4,000 m (13,124 ft)

also known as midnight zone • the ocean is pitch black, apart from the

occasional bioluminescent organism • no living plants, and most animals survive

by consuming the snow of detritus falling from the zones above or by preying upon others

• average temperature is about 4°C • larger by volume than the euphotic zone

Abyssopelagic

From 4,000 m down to above the ocean floor

• Very few creatures are sufficiently adapted to survive in the cold temperatures and incredible pressures found at this depth

• pressures of up to 76 megapascals (11,000 psi)

• temperatures around 2 to 3°C

Hadopelagic

The deep water in ocean trenches • is mostly unknown, and very few species are

known to live here • many organisms live in hydrothermal vents • most life at this depth is sustained by marine snow

or the chemical reactions around thermal vents• the deepest known is at 10,911 meters (35,814 ft).• at such depths, e.g., 36k ft. below sea level, the

pressure in the Hadal zone will reach over 110 MPa (16,000 psi)

Demersal Zone

• the part of the ocean comprising the water column that is near to (and is significantly affected by) the seabed and the benthos

Benthic Zone

• the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers

• Organisms living in this zone are called benthos– many such organisms are permanently

attached to the bottom– live in close relationship with the

substrate bottom