Water Temperature Ocean Life - mowerscience.orgmowerscience.org/ewExternalFiles/2--Ocean Life...
Transcript of Water Temperature Ocean Life - mowerscience.orgmowerscience.org/ewExternalFiles/2--Ocean Life...
Ocean Life
What abiotic factors affect where ocean organisms live?
• Salinity • Water Temperature • Light • Dissolved gases • Nutrients (food) • Wave action
Classifications of Organisms
• Any depth • Scientists classify Marine organisms on
where they live and how they move • 3 major types:
–Plankton
–Nekton
–Benthos
Plankton• Tiny algae and animals that float in the
water and are carried by waves and current.
• Examples: – Algae plankton = diatoms – Animal plankton = microscopic
crustaceans and fish larvae
Nekton
• Free-swimming animals that can move throughout the water column.
• Examples: – Octopus and Squid – Most Fishes – Marine Mammals (whales and dolphins)
Benthos• Organisms that live on the
ocean floor • Examples:
– Motile (move)= Crabs, Sea Stars, and Lobsters
– Sedentary (don’t move)= Sponges and Sea Anemone
Marine Habitats
Marine Habitats
• Rocky Shores • Coastal Wetlands • Neritic Zone • Open Ocean
1. Spray Zone – Usually Dry
2. High Tide Zone –Wet during high tide
3. Middle Tide Zone – Wet and dry
4. Low Tide Zone – Usually Wet
Tide Pool Coastal Wetlands
3 Types: • Estuaries • Salt Marshes • Mangroves
Estuaries – Where River Meets Ocean
• Coastal bays where fresh water from rivers mix with salty water from the ocean
• Brackish water – partly salty and partly fresh
Estuary
Salt Marshes
• Mostly found in the eastern coastline of the US from Massachusetts to Florida
• Nutrient Rich Mud
Mangrove Forest• Found in the tropical waters of southern
Florida and the Gulf of Mexico • Roots of the Mangrove trap sediment from
the land and create nutrient rich nursery for animals
Mangrove Forest