1. Marine Ecosystems

2. Ocean Life Ocean life consists of: Benthos Plankton Nekton
Plants/animals live on ocean bottom (kelp, sponges, worms, algea, snails, starfish)
Plankton
Small and microscopic organisms move with currents (krill, some crustaceans, protozoa, jellyfish
Nekton
Swimming animals! (fish, whales, eels, shrimp, octopus, sharks)

3. Benthos

4. Plankton

5. Nekton

6. Oceanic Life

7. So…is it benthos, plankton, or nekton?

8. Which one is it?

9. Which one is it?

10. Ocean Ecosystems Three zones: Intertidal Neritic Oceanic
Shoreline area between high and low tide mark
Organisms have many adaptations
Neritic
Slopes down from the edge of the shoreline toward ocean floor until 200 meters.
Environment (salinity/temperature) is constant
Contains coral reefs and upwelling process
Oceanic
Deepest part of ocean…high pressure, low temperature, absence of light

11. Intertidal Zone

12. Neritic Zone Two ecosystems
Coral reef = limestone deposit formed from coral shells; they develop in warm, shallow areas of neritic zone
Kelp forests = kelp are large brown algae that attach to the sea floor and grow upwards; they develop in deeper colder areas of neritic zone coral reef
Upwelling = movement of nutrient-rich waters from deep ocean into shallow areas
This occurs when winds blow warm surface waters away from the shore
Upwelling

13. Oceanic Zone Open waters of the ocean The sun can only penetrate 200 m
Consists of whales, fish, squid, jellyfish, and krill
The floor is called the abyss
Deeper areas of the ocean have characteristics of
High pressure
Cold temperatures
Absence of light
Hydrothermal vents along with communities are located in deep areas of the ocean
Hydrothermal vents

14. Deep sea hydrothermal vents
Consist of cracks in the ocean crust that release nutrient-rich minerals
These vents are very hot, heated by the Earth’s core
Bacteria live around these vents
They are chemosynthetic producers
Deep sea vents and life's origins

15. Estuaries
These are ecosystems where fresh water from rivers meets saltwater from the ocean
Great area for fish, shrimp, crabs, and other shellfish
Why?

16. Additional Stuff
GIS
Coral Reefs
life around hydrothermal vents

17. Where are coral reefs located?
A. in the oceanic zone
B. in estuaries
C. in the intertidal zone
D. in the neritic zone

18. Which of the following organisms could not live on the ocean floor of the oceanic zone?
A. fish
B. algae
C. bacteria
D. worms

19. How do nutrients move in the ocean as a result of upwelling?
A. from deep, colder areas to warm, shallow areas
B. from warm, shallow areas to deep, colder areas
C. from the neritic zone to the intertidal zone
D. from the oceanic floor into estuaries