Life in the Ocean Study Pack #10

Today’s Goals… I can describe the characteristics of ocean organisms I can distinguish among producers, consumers, and decomposers

Ocean Life Plankton Nekton Bottom Dwellers

Plankton Tiny organisms that float in ocean currents Examples: Eggs of ocean animals Very young fish Larval jelly fish and crabs Tiny adults of some organisms Page 389

Nekton Animals that can actively swim Often feed on plankton Examples: Fish Whales Shrimp Turtles Squid Page 390

Bottom Dwellers Live on the ocean bottom Can burrow into sediments, walk or swim on bottom, or be attached to seafloor Examples: Anemones Crabs Corals Snails Starfish Some fish

Ocean Ecosystem An ecosystem is a community of organisms and the nonliving factors that affect them Sunlight, water, nutrients, sediments, gases Every ecosystem has a: Producers Consumers Decomposers

Producers Base of ecosystem Organisms that can make their own food Photosynthesis Chemosynthesis

Consumers Organisms that eat producers Depend on producers for survival Get energy from the producers

Decomposers Digest producers and consumers when they die Example: bacteria

Food Chains Energy is transferred from producers to consumers to decomposers through food chains