A habitat is the natural home or environment of an organism Since 71% of planet Earth is covered in water, many different types of marine habitats exist We can identify 11 different marine habitats, all supporting different diverse types of organisms

The waters of the ocean from the surface to the bottom Many organisms in this habitat are influenced by currents (ex: plankton, which are microscopic organisms) Sea turtles, fish, jellyfish, and marine mammals are found here

The ocean bottom where there is little to no light All organisms depend on food “raining” down from above and live on or in the sediment

Semi-enclosed coastal body of water where salt water from the ocean mixes with fresh water from the land Organisms must deal with a range of salinities Nursery ground for many species Sheltered waters Examples: Long Island Sound, Great South Bay, Peconic Bay Estuary Characteristics

Thick “forests” of seaweed and large brown algae, called kelp Found in cooler, shallow waters Food and shelter areas for many organisms such as sea otters, sea lions, and sea urchins Example: West Coast of the U.S. Underwater Kelp Forests

Based on the distribution patterns, what type of climates are most conducive to kelp forests?

Sea Otters Holding Hands Why Sea Otters Hold Hands

 Coral is the base of a complex reef community  Most need high salinity and warm, clear water  Found in tropical parts of the world  Provides food and hiding places for many diverse species of fish, eels, lobster, shrimp, and sea stars  Nat Geo Coral Reefs Nat Geo Coral Reefs

Coral is part of the Animal Kingdom and the phylum Cnidaria, which also includes jellyfish and sea anemones An individual coral animal, called a coral polyp, looks like a sea anemone and feeds on zooplankton

The coral polyp secretes a calcium carbonate cup into which it retreats As polyps grow, new coral cups are laid down over old ones, and the coral colony grows upward and outward Only the surface of the coral colony has live coral polyps

 Underwater grass “meadows”  Shallow water – need light, clear water  Found in temperate, subtropical and tropical regions  Local species is eelgrass  Important habitat for many species ex: bay scallops, crustaceans, young fish, flowering plants

 Woody trees that live at or near the water’s edge  Prop roots – often look like they are walking on water  Found in calm bays in tropical regions (ex: Florida, New Zealand)  Important nursery habitat for many species such as crab-eating monkeys, shorebirds, shellfish Under Water- Mangrove Forests

 Roots are adapted to halt the intake of salt  Thick, waxy leaves store freshwater and minimize evaporation  Stomata remain closed nearly always  Leaves excrete salt

 Bottom covered in mud  Dominated by grasses called cord grass  Intertidal – covered and exposed 2X per day (Zone of transition between land & Sea)  Found in temperate regions, protected bays, and on the edges of major estuaries on the northeast and west coasts of the US  Organisms include oysters, clams, shrimp, flounder, young striped bass, fiddler crabs  Important for many commercially fished species & birds

 Sandy or muddy areas regularly exposed & flooded by tides  Intertidal zone  Lack visible plant life  Microscopic benthic phytoplankton  Many organisms live burrowed in sediments ex:clams, worms  Some live on top of sediments ex: oysters, snails, sea stars

 Intertidal regions with large rocks (think beaches on the north shore of Long Island!)  Tide pools form on low tide  Rough waves  Organisms attached to rocks (some through suction)  Well defined vertical zonation, with bands of different organisms  Many seaweeds, barnacles, mussels, crabs, sea urchins, limpets

 Intertidal areas made up of unconsolidated sediments  Sediments move with waves - unstable  Hard for organisms to attach to sandy sediment  Organisms include sand crabs, rove beetle, Sanderling bird, worms  Made up of different types of sediments depending on the environment  Typical mainland beaches composed of quartz  Black sands of Hawaii made of eroded lava flows

This habitat is the home to many sea otters:

This habitat includes the ocean floor:

This habitat is found in the intertidal zone and the primary plant found there is cord grass:

This habitat includes organisms like mussels and limpets, which have adaptations to cling to a rocky substrate:

This habitat is found in tropical regions of the world that contain warm, clear water:

This habitat is composed mainly of woody trees that live at or near the water’s edge:

This habitat comprises all of the open ocean, where schools of fish swim freely:

This habitat is made up of either sandy or muddy sediment that is found in intertidal areas:

This habitat is where fresh water from the land mixes with saltwater from the ocean :