marine environment
DESCRIPTION
Marine Environment. Organisms Distribution Environment. Life in the Ocean. Plankton: floaters Nekton: swimmers Benthos: bottom dwellers. Plants vs. animals. Phytoplankton Carry on photosynthesis Diatoms, coccolithophores, dinoflagellates Zooplankton Consumers - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Marine EnvironmentOrganismsDistributionEnvironment
Life in the OceanPlankton: floaters
Nekton: swimmers
Benthos: bottom dwellers
PhytoplanktonCarry on photosynthesisDiatoms, coccolithophores, dinoflagellates
ZooplanktonConsumersRadiolarians, forams, others
Plants vs. animals
PHYTOPLANKTON
ZOOPLANKTON
Time as a planktonic organism
Meroplankton Part of life as a plankton; rest as nekton or benthos
HoloplanktonAll of life as plankton
NektonMany varietiesConsider commercial fisheries
BenthosRocky shoresTide poolsSand and mudDeep seaCoral reefs
Just a few examples
Where benthic organisms live
EpifuanaLive on top of sediments
InfaunaLive within sediments
NektobenthosWalk or swim along bottom
Epifauna
Infauna (a, b, c, e)
Land 86%Sea 14%
Benthic 98%Pelagic 2%
Why these patterns?
DISTRIBUTION OF LIFE
EnvironmentsPelagic……the water
Neritic – over continental shelfOceanic
Epipelagic: down to 200 mMesopelagic: 200-1000 mBathypelagic: 1000-4000 m
Benthic…..the bottom
200 m
Neritic
1000 m
4000 m
200 m
Oceanic
Epipelagic
Mesopelagic
Bathypelagic
Light zones in oceanPhotic
Light for photosynthesisUsually 0-100 m
AphoticWithout lightDeeper than 1000 m
Benthic EnvironmentSimilar zones as pelagicOmit details and new names
Making a living in the ocean
Primary productivity, respiration, decomposition
Depth zone differences
Oxygen with depth (red)Nutrients with depth ( green)
Relate pattern to photosynthesis, respiration, decay and other processes