•The uppermost layer of the world's oceans is bathed in sunlight during the daytime. • photic zone, euphotic zone (euphotic

means "well lit" in Greek) or the epipelagic zone (epipelagic means "upon the sea").

•The depth of this zone depends on the clarity or murkiness of the water.

•Photosynthetic organisms live in this zone and food is abundant. •Photosynthesis in the oceans creates approximately 90% of the Earth's gaseous oxygen. • produced by phytoplankton. • primary producers (autotrophs)

•The sea surface temperatures range from as 97°F (36°C) in the Persian Gulf to 28°F (-2°C) near the north pole.

•Primary producers – phytoplankton, green red and brown algae, and kelp•Primary consumers – zooplankton, small fish•Secondary consumers – larger fish, baleen whales, jellyfish, marine mammals•Top of the food chain – killer whales, dolphins, sharks

• Stay within a physically tolerable zone• Find enough food to eat and grow• Find mate(s) and successfully

reproduce• Avoid being eaten

Noctiluca (Sea Sparkle)•large buoyant vacuoles

Cranchiid (Glass squid)* large fluid-filled chamber filled with an ammonia solution

Janthina (violet snail)mucous bubbles

Fish - swim bladder

Flat surfaces or bodies withappendages do not slip aseasily through the water

Pectoral fins reduce sinking.

allows organisms to go deep and then return to surface

Build a collection device or filter

BE BIG!• You can eat almost anything you encounter• Can swim across “ocean deserts” to find food• High storage capacity(longer between meals but need more food/unit time)

Hunt in groupsOrcas can even hunt much larger whales

Stay with your food - Seabirds follow schools of fishKnow where your food

will beHunt in areas with specific properties (e.g. upwelling regions or inside gyres) likely to retain or attract preyCue in on timed migration of prey

Broadcast spawningRelease of millions of eggs & sperm increases chance that sperm & egg will meetEx. oysters, coral

Stay togetherschooling fish, social marine mammals & deepsea angler fish

Meet at a predetermined locationIf separated or too costly to stay together (e.g. competition for food), meet at a specific time & placeEx. Colonial sea birds and Pacific salmon

Be clonalAsexual reproduction - no mate needed!

Defend yourselfMechanical• Spines• Tough skinChemical• Taste bad• Makepredatorssick

BEBIG!Big things havefewerpredators,especially in themarineenvironment

Be Cryptic • Be transparent• Be reflective• Be camouflaged• Be countershaded

• when an animal is light on its underside and dark on its upper parts.

• When a predator looks down at a countershaded animal, it blends into the darker waters; when a predator looks at a countershaded animal from below, the light underbelly disappears into the light.

•Regions of the deep ocean

The Trenches

The Midnight Zone

The Twilight Zone

The Abyss

• The physical characteristics that deep sea life must contend with to survive are:• abiotic (non-living) ones, namely light (or lack thereof), pressure, currents, temperature, oxygen, nutrients and other chemicals; and• biotic ones, that is, other organisms that may be potential predators, food, mates, competitors or symbionts.

• All these factors have led to fascinating adaptions of deep sea life for sensing, feeding, reproducing, moving, and avoiding being eaten by predators.

Pressure• For every 10m (33ft) pressure increases by

1atm (14.7 pounds per square foot)Lack of Food• 5% of food made at surface makes its way

to deep regions• Deep sea fish do not migrate Oxygen Minimum Layer: about 500m• Oxygen enters ocean by: gas exchange with

atmosphere, by-product of photosynthesis• Respiration uses up O2

• O2 can drop to practically nothing

• The only light is produced by bioluminescence, a chemical reaction in the creature's body that creates a low level light. • Some produce red light to lure curious prey. • Sometimes used to signal potential mates with a specific light pattern.

• Fish here are often transparent, black, silvery and even red in color. • The absence of red light at these depths being red makes them invisible.

• Large eyes to capture what little light exists. • Often equipped with a powerful sense of smell

– to find food and mates.

Deep sea anglerfish –reproductive adaptation. • Males are tiny in comparison to females and attach

themselves to their mate using hooked teeth establishing a parasitic relationship for life.

• The blood vessels of the male merges with the female's so that he receives nourishment from her.

• In exchange, the female is provided with a very reliable sperm source.

• Deep sea creatures have adapted to pressure by developing bodies with no excess cavities, such as swim bladders, that would collapse under intense pressure.

• The flesh and bones of deep sea marine creatures are soft and flabby.

• Corpses of large animals that sink to the bottom provide infrequent feasts for deep sea animals.

• Large and expandable stomachs to hold large quantities of food.

• Don't expend energy swimming in search of food, rather they remain in one place and ambush their prey

• Large jaws ensure that any prey captured has little chance of escape.

• Deep Sea Creatures Video• Deep Sea Creatures• Pictures

• Students will design their own well-adapted species. Some of the things you need to think about are how the organism: collects food, finds a mate, avoids being eaten, and stays afloat .

• Sketch, color, and describe the organism you designed.

• EXTRA CREDIT FOR ADDITIONAL DEEP WATER ADAPTATIONS

Create-a-Creature: Megasaurus

Finds a Mate Stays Afloat1) 1)2) 2)

Collects Food Avoids being Eaten1) 1)2) 2)