Life in the Oceans Depths

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Life in the Oceans Depths
ByKatie Ostrander Lauren Pfalzer
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Characteristics of the Deep Sea

• Conditions of the deep ocean appear to make it
  the most inhospitable place for life.
• There is a lack of light, frigid temperatures,
  and an incredible amount of pressure.
• The lack of light has had the greatest
  evolutionary impact.

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Life in the Dark

• Animals inhabiting the deep sea display
  intriguing adaptations that allow them to survive
  in a dark environment.
• Red colors of deep sea crustaceans vary according
  to the state of the molt cycle and may actually
  be involved in energy transfer during molting.

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Life in the Dark

• Even though sunlight cannot penetrate to the
  depths of the ocean, many deep- sea animals
  produce their own light in the form of
  bioluminescence.
• In deepwater animals, bioluminescence functions
  in species identification, locating males,
  locating prey, and defense.

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Life in the Dark

• Fishes that live in the oceans depths have eyes
  that are adapted for seeing in dim light. They
  are tubular and contain two retinas. The shape of
  the eye gives them better depth perception so
  they are less likely to miss their prey when they
  strike.

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Life in the Dark

• In the depths of the sea, food is quite scarce.
  There are no photosynthetic organisms to produce
  food, but organic wastes, scraps of food, and
  dead and dying organisms drift down slowly form
  above. Some of the food is consumed before it
  reaches the bottom.
• Deep-sea fishes display a variety of adaptations
  such as sharp teeth, large mouths, and huge
  stomachs that help them survive in a habitat with
  limited food.

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Giants of the Deep

• MOST deep-sea animals are small compared to those
  living in surface waters, BUT a few are giants
  compared to their shallow-water relatives.
• A possible reason is that they live longer, thus
  giving them time to grow.

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Living Fossils from the Deep

• The environmental conditions of the deep sea have
  been relatively stable for more than 100 million
  years, and, as a result, several organisms have
  changed very little from when they first evolved.

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Vent Communities

• Marine Scientists have discovered several vent
  communities off the coast of Oregon, the west
  coast of Florida, the Gulf Coast of Mexico, and
  in the central Gulf of California.
• Despite the extremes of the temperature and
  pressure, these self-contained communities are
  some of the most productive in the sea and
  demonstrate that communities can exist without
  solar energy.

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Vent Communities

• Thriving marine communities that depend on
  chemosynthetic bacteria for primary production
  exist on the ocean floor around hydrothermal
  vents.