Aquatic Life Zones: 2 major categories

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Aquatic Life Zones 2 major categories

• Marine (saltwater) Or
• Freshwater
• Types of organisms determined by
• Salinity
• Temperature
• Sunlight availability
• D.O. (dissolved oxygen)
• Nutrient availability

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Major types of Organisms

• Plankton small free-floating
• organisms
• Phytoplankton plant-like
• Photosynthetic
• diatoms, protists, etc

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• - Zooplankton animal-like
• Heterotrophic
• Protozoans
• Larvae
• Copopods, cnidarians, krilletc.
• - Ultraplankton TINY (less than 2 micrometers)
• includes bacteria

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• Benthos (benthic organisms) bottom dwellers
  anchor to one spot, burrow, or walk along bottom

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• Nekton active swimmers dont follow currents

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Baleen whales filter feedersPlates (baleen)
hang from upper jaw filter plankton from
waterincludes humpbacks and blue whales
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Toothed whales teeth used to bite and chew
foodincludesorca (killer whale) and sperm whale

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Marine Lifezone Subcategories
Coastal Open Ocean (Sea) euphotic
zone bathyal zone abyssal zone
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Subcategory Coastal

• High tide to Continental shelf
• (Ample sunlight) high NPP
• 90 of all marine species

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• 1. Coral reefs MOST biodiverse areas of all
  aquatic life zones
• The Aquatic Rainforest
• Hundreds of thousands of coral polyps excrete
  CaCO3 skeletons

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• Grow slowly, disrupted easily
• Biggest threat sediment run-off
• Bleaching (even from 1 degree temp increase)

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• Removal (aquariums/jewelry)
• Pollution
• Damage (tourists, anchors, natural disasters)
• Overfishing
• Cyanide/dynamite fishing
• 1 m2 of reef killed for every fish caught

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• 2. Intertidal zone shoreline between low and
  high tide
• Tides caused by gravitational pull of moon
• Organisms adapted to HARSH conditions

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• 3. Barrier Islands islands separated from the
  mainland by a shallow sound, bay, or lagoon

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• Constantly shifting beaches due to erosion
• Can be helped with a jetty

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• Dunes backbone that provides stability
• Plants hold sand in place
• Protect from natural disasters

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• 4. Coastal wetlands inlets, bays, sounds,
  Mangrove forest swamps

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• 5. Estuary where freshwater meets saltwater
  (mouth of a river)

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Marine Lifezone Subcategories
Coastal Open Ocean (Sea) euphotic
zone bathyal zone abyssal zone
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Subcategory Open Ocean

• 1. Euphotic zone top
• Sunlight layer phtyoplankton photosynthesis
  HIGH D.O. (dissolved oxygen) and low dissolved
  CO2, big fish and mammals
• 2. Bathyal zone middle
• Dimly lit little/no producers, zooplankton,
  smaller fish
• 3. Abyssal zone bottom
• Dark, cold, little D.O., nutrients on floor
• Chemosynthetic bacteria at hydrothermal vents

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