1. EXPLORING MARINE ECOSYSTEMS
All ecosystems contain biotic and abiotic factors
Biotic = living features
Abiotic = non-living physical features
Relationship between biotic and abiotic factors is important to ecosystem health

2. CORAL REEFS Add Picture Many life forms
Stony formation built from floor up
Sunny
Shallow, warm waters
Colorful
Biotic – coral, butterfly fish, parrot fish, reef shark, seaweed, barracuda
Abiotic – sunlight, rocks, shells, shipwrecks

3. MANGROVE FORESTS Add Picture Warm temperatures
Rich in organic material
Tree roots covered with water in high tide
Nursery to many growing organisms
Biotic – red mangroves, snails, crabs, barnacles, oysters, plankton, snapper
Abiotic – mud, shallow water, warm temps, many nutrients

4. DEEP SEA Add Picture No light, no photosynthesis Extreme pressure
Cold water
Biotic - angler fish, jellyfish, squid, octopus, giant clams, (no green plants)
Abiotic – darkness, cold, deep water, high pressure

5. OPEN OCEAN Add picture Large schools of fish and mammals Sunlight
No land nearby
Biotic – whales, sharks, schools of fish, phytoplankton
Abiotic – open space, sunlight, varying temperatures

6. KELP FOREST Add Pictures Sunny Looks like a dense forest
Kelp growing from the seafloor to the surface
Biotic – giant kelp, sea otters, sea urchins, mussels, crabs, snails
Abiotic – sunlight, clear water, cool temps

7. POLAR SEA Add Pictures Cold water Little sunlight parts of the year
Dominated by ice
Biotic – polar bears, beluga whales, orcas, krill, seals, penguin, phytoplankton
Abiotic – ice and snow, cold temps, summer sunlight

8. SALT MARSH Add pictures Wet and dry Long grass and thick mud
Decomposition and nutrient cycling
Biotic – tall grass, small fish, crabs, lobsters, shrimp
Abiotic – tides, shallow water, sunlight, mud and sediment

9. ROCKY SHORE Add Pictures Harsh habitat between high and low tide
Organisms alternating wet and dry
Wave action
Biotic – crabs, barnacles, mussels, seaweed
Abiotic – rocks and sand, waves, sunlight, tides

10. Made possible with funding provided by and .
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thank you to Kimya Louis, marine biology teacher at Vero Beach High School, for creating this PowerPoint for Kilroy Academy. Special thanks to Indian River Impact 100 for funding Kilroy Academy.
Made possible with funding provided by and