Transcript Ocean Zones - Beavercreek City Schools

Ocean Zones
(shoreline to open ocean)
Intertidal Zone
 Neritic Zone
 Oceanic Zone
 Benthic Zone

Intertidal Neritic
Zone
Zone
Continental
Shelf
Oceanic Zone
Sunlight
Benthic Zone
Intertidal Zone

Intertidal
Zone
Continental
Shelf

Area between
high tide line
and low tide line
Organisms
adapted to
harsh, changing
environments
Neritic Zone

Neritic
Zone
Continental
Shelf

Area over the
continental
shelf
Area of
greatest
density and
diversity of
marine life
Oceanic Zone
Oceanic
Zone

Continental
Shelf
From the
continental
break out to
open ocean
Benthic Zone
The Ocean
Floor
 Underlies all
the other
zones

Benthic Zone
Lifestyles

3 Basic Lifestyles:
•Plankton
•Nekton
•Benthos
Plankton
Floaters or very poor
swimmers
 Plankton divided into 2
groups:
•Phytoplankton – producers,
photosynthesizers
•Zooplankton – consumers

Plankton

Meroplankton
• Spend only part of their life cycles as
plankton
• Are the larval stages of organisms that
grow to become benthic or nektonic
organisms

Holoplankton
• Spend their entire life cycles as plankton
Phytoplankton



Must live in the
photic zone
Most abundant in
shallow coastal
areas or in
upwelling zones
The basis of the
oceanic food web
Phytoplankton




Cyanobacteria
Diatoms
Coccolithophores
Dinoflagellates
Zooplankton
Foraminifers
 Radiolarians
 Cnidarians
 Combjellies
 Arthropods
 Larvae

Zooplankton
Nekton
(swimmers)
Free swimmers
 Maneuver actively in the
water column
 Found in the water column
from surface to ocean floor

Nekton
(swimmers)

5 Categories:
• Reptiles
• Mammals
• Fish
• Arthropods
• Mollusks
Nekton
(swimmers)

Marine
Reptiles:
•Turtles
•Snakes
•Crocodiles
•Iguanas
Nekton
(swimmers)

Marine
Mammals:
• Whales
• Seals
• Otters
• Manatees
• Dolphins
Nekton
(swimmers)

Bony Fish:
•Tuna
•Barracuda
•Eels
•Angler Fish
Nekton
(swimmers)

Cartilaginous
Fish
•Sharks
•Rays
•Skates
•Chimeras
Nekton
(swimmers)

Marine
Arthropods
•Shrimp

Mollusks
•Squid
•Octopi
Benthos
(bottom dwellers)
Live either burrowed in,
resting on, or attached to the
bottom
 Primarily filter feeders,
scavengers or deposit feeders

Benthos
(bottom dwellers)

2 Basic Types:
•Sessile - Live attached to
the bottom
•Vagrant - Able to move
about
Benthos
(bottom dwellers)

Sessile:
• Barnacles
• Sponges
• Corals
• Sea Anemones
• Oysters
• Clams
Benthos
(bottom dwellers)

Vagrant:
• Crabs
• Sea Stars
• Sea
Cucumbers
• Sea Urchins
• Brittle Stars
Supralittoral- splash, spray, high
tide to dunes area
- This area can have tidal pools
- Organisms must adapt to change in temp, salinity,
moisture and force of waves
Supralittoral- splash, spray, high
tide to dunes area
-organisms must cope with exposure to extreme
heat/cold, predation by land animals and sea birds.
-dry for most of the time but sprayed with salt water
during high tides
-only flooded during storms and high spring tides
-barnacles, isopods, lice, periwinkles, whelks and
very little plant life
Intertidal- littoral, sub littoral,
swash, low tide, shallow water
-depths can go as deep as 100-300meters depending
of clarity of water.
-ton of plant and animal diversity
-sea stars, anemones with suction cups that help
stick to rocks
Intertidal- littoral, sub littoral,
swash, low tide, shallow water
-always covered by water
-sunlight is able to reach the ocean floor
-plants and animals are able to withstand movement
of waves
-barnacles, tube worms, crabs, shrimp, limpets
-depth can be as deep as 5-10m-100% light
-characterized by an abundance of sunlight,
dissolved oxygen, and nutrients
-ton of diversity and large populations
-temperatures vary greatly. Animals must adapt.
Rocky vs Sandy
Rocky
Sandy
-Organisms can quickly dry out
-Climate can vary greatly and many
are very hot in harsh weather.
-Creatures must adapt to
waves and have structures to
help hold them onto the rocks.
-
Rocky vs Sandy
Rocky
- Usually wet and almost
completely covered in rocks.
Sandy
- Creatures must be able to adapt
to areas of really dry times.
- Creatures must be able to
adapt to cling, live in
crevices, scratch or chip
away at rocks.
- Must be able to burrow or use
structures to keep from being
pulled out to sea.
- Speckled or dark with hard
shells
-tend to be lighter for camo
Epipelagic
-
Sunlit zone, Euphotic zone (true light)
Surface to 200m
90% of diversity and density in ocean
Coloration is huge in survival (Countershading, Camo, Disruptive
coloration)
- Predators, Suspension eaters/Filter feeders, Primary Producers
- Schooling or shooling is a main defense
- Widely varied temps depending on air above
- Common creatures: Sharks, crabs, fish, jellyfish, algae, corals,
sponges, sea stars, octopus, squid, krill, plankton….
Epipelagic
-
Also called euphotic zone (True light)
Surface to 600 ft or 200m deep
90% of ocean life / Most diversity and density
Warmer temperatures in most areas
Food is abundant in this zone
Not many hiding places off shore
Creatures have many colors
Many dependent on phytoplankton
Sharks, jellyfish, stingrays, colorful fish, octopus, corals,
- Photic zone, Sunlit zone, only area to receive full sun rays
- Creatures must be creative to avoid predation here
Mesopelagic
- Twilight zone, disphotic zone
- Dark, very few wavelengths of light, colder temps
- Very large eyes to take in all possible light
- Bioluminescence- creatures make their own light or have bacteria
that emit light.
- No need to be colorful. Tend to be clear, black, red, or dark.
- Many creatures migrate up to feed at night.
- Larger eyes, mouth, jaws, and stomach.
- Increased pressure in this zone.
Mesopelagic
- Twilight zone, Disphotic zone 200-1000m
- Bioluminescence- create their own light or have bacteria/protists in
pockets that light up.
- Expandable jaws, stomachs, and larger eyes (catch all rays of light)
- Not diversity and density
- Much colder and increasing pressure
- Many creatures swim up to epipelagic at night to feed on plankton
- Clear, black, dark, red coloration for camo
- No plant life, very few wavelengths of sunlight this deep
Bathy(al)pelagic
-100-4000m deep
-5800psi Immense pressure
-Midnight or aphotic zone
-Less diversity and less density in life
-No plants
-No sunlight at all
-Hard to find mates so there are unique reproduction adaptations
-Bathye means deep
Abysso/Hadalpelagic
-Very similar adaptations to Midnight zone/ Bathyalpelagic
-Deepest regions and trenches of ocean
- No swim bladder due to pressure, most jellylike substance
- Bioluminescence
- Some creatures evolve gigantism
- Very large mouths, stomachs, teeth turned inward
- No need for color so most are clear, white, red, black
- Little effort spent hunting, they wait for food. Some have lures