OCEAN ZONES AND LIFESTYLES - Environmental Classification Methods LESSON TOPIC OCEAN ZONES AND LIFESTYLES - Environmental Classification Methods

How do marine scientists classify marine environments? ESSENTIAL QUESTION: How do marine scientists classify marine environments?

Scientists may classify parts of the ocean into different zones or regions based on the light, depth, temperature, density, latitude, and distance form shore or a combination of these.

Based on location between the water column and the bottom: a. The water portion - pelagic zone. b. The bottom - called the benthic zone.

Pelagic zone is divided into two horizontal zones : neritic oceanic.

The oceanic zone is further divided into vertical regions called: epipelagic zone mesopelagic zone bathypelagic zone abyssalpelagic zone hadalpelagic zone

The benthic zone (bottom) is divided based on depth: Supralittoral zone Littoral zone Sublittoral zone Outer sublittoral Bathyal Abyssal Hadal zones

The pelagic zone can be divided vertically by the depth of light penetration: A. The photic zone is the upper, sunlight zone. Divided in: euphotic (lighted) zone dysphotic (dimly lit) zone B. The aphotic – 3,280 feet and deeper

Marine Lifestyle: Marine scientists classify marine life into three lifestyles called : Plankton - small or microscopic and can’t swim against currents or waves. Nekton - the organisms that swim, from small invertebrates to large whales. Benthos - are organisms that live on or in the bottom.

One important subgroup of plankton is called the neuston. The neuston are those plankton that float at the surface.

Benthos are divided into: Epifauna – ex. crabs, that live on the sea bottom. Epiflora - plants, such as seagrasses, that live on the sea floor. Infauna - organism that are partially or completely buried in the sea floor. Ex.: some species of clams, sand dollars, tubeworms, and sea pens.

Vocabulary: Aphotic Abyssal pelagic - (p. 3-18) Bathypelagic -(p. 3-18) Benthic (p.3-20) Dysphotic (p.3-20) Epifauna (p.3-22) Epiflora (p.3-22) Epipelagic (p.3-18)

Euphotic (p.3-20) Hadalpelagic (p.3-18) Littoral (p.3-20) Mesopelagic (p.3-18) Nekton (3-21) Neritic (p.3-18) Pelagic (p.3-18) Photic (p.3-20) Plankton (p.3-20) Supralittoral (p.3-20)