Deep Ocean Zones

1
Deep Ocean Zones
2
Earths Water

• 75 - 78 of the Earths surface is covered in
  water.

3
Oceans

• Contains the largest amount of biomass
• Oceans vary in light, pressure, temperature and
  nutrients.
• lack of sediments in the water is a key factor
  for marine species light

4
Open Ocean Zones

• Euphotic/Epipelagic Zone - surface waters
• Nutrient-rich water
• Producers
• Neritic on continental shelf
• Oceanic in open ocean
• Aphotic/ Pelagic Zone - no light (below 650 feet)
• 650 ft. 3300 ft. mesopelagic
• 3300 ft. 13,000 ft. bathypelagic
• 13,000 ft. sea floor abyssopelagic
• Sea floor Trenches hadalpelagic
• Benthic Zone - sea floor
• Sessile organisms (attached to sea floor)

5
(No Transcript)
6
The Open Ocean Photic Zone

• The open ocean typically has low nutrient levels
  and supports only the smallest species of
  phytoplankton (Neuston).
• Still, because of its enormous area, most
  photosynthesis on Earth occurs in the sunlit top
  200 meters of the open ocean.

7
Epipelagic Open Ocean

• fauna include many species of fish and some
  mammals, such as whales and dolphins
• many feed on the abundant plankton

8
(No Transcript)
9
The Open Ocean Aphotic Zone

• The permanently dark aphotic zone includes the
  deepest parts of the ocean.

10
Mesopelagic (disphotic) Zone

• "twilight zone" of the ocean
• photic zone above
• darkness below
• food becomes scarce some animals
• migrate up to the surface at night to feed
• rely on food that falls down from above
• eat each other
• sometimes the only things to eat may be bigger
  than the hunter
• developed long sharp teeth,
• expandable jaws and stomachs

11
ctenophore related to jellyfish cilia can be
illuminated
Big Scale - ambush predator
Firefly squid three kinds of photophores
Hatchet Fish only a few inches long
Viperfish specially adapted hinged skull
Dragonfish - stomachs hold big meals
Siphonophores are colonies of animals related to
jellyfish best known is Portugese Man of War
Snipeel up to 1.2m
12
Bathypelagic (aphotic) Zone

• extends down from 1000 to 4000m
• only light is from bioluminescent organisms
• only food is what trickles down from above, or
  from eating other animals
• water pressure at this depth is considerable
  (100 400 atmospheres)
• most animals are either black or red in color

13

Narcomedusa Vampire Squid Snake
Dragon Angler Fish
Amphi - crustacean
Ctenophore
voracious predator

Deepstaria very slow
swimmers, no tentacles, close
flexible bells (up to a meter
across) around their prey
Big Red
grows
to over
a meter across
14
Abyssopelagic Zone - the Abyss

• 4000m to the sea floor
• only zone deeper than this is the hadalpelagic
  zone
• areas found in deep sea trenches and canyons
• home to pretty inhospitable living conditions
• near- freezing temperatures
• crushing pressures

15
Deep Water Squid
Basketstar
Sea Pig
Sea Spider
Shrimp
Deep Sea Smoker - 648F
Medussa
Winged Sea Cucumber
Deep-sea Anemone
Hydrothermal Vent
16
Benthic Zone

• Bottom Dwellers
• Anchor to one spot barnacles, oysters
• Burrow in mud or sand worms
• Walk on bottom Lobsters, crabs
• Habitats
• Intertidal zones, rocky shores, tide pools
• Muddy Sandy communities
• Deep ocean/ coral reefs
• Hydrothermal vent areas
• archaebacteria

17
(No Transcript)
18
(No Transcript)
19
(No Transcript)