MAJOR LIFE ZONES
INTERTIDAL ZONE
- Also called the littoral zone, where the land and sea meet, between the high and low tide zones. the marine organisms that live in this zone have the ability to withstand exposure to air and the force of the pounding waves.
- animals that live in the Intertidal zone:
NERITIC ZONE
- located over the continental shelf , this zone extends to a depth of 200 meters and receives plenty of sunlight. The water pressure is low and the temperature is constant.
- animals that live in the Neritic zone:
BATHYAL ZONE
- Also called the midnight zone, that begins at the continental slope and extends down about 2000 meters. sunlight cannot penetrate the bottom of this zone and plants do not grow at the bottom.
- Animals living in the Bathyal zone:
ABYSSAL ZONE
- The abyssal zone extends to a depth of 6,000 meters. This zone covers the large flat plains of the ocean. it has no sunlight and the food is scarce. many deep sea fishes produce their own light called bioluminescene.
- Animals that live in the Abyssal Zone:
WHY PLANKTON IS IMPORTANT
- plankton is important because is the major food source of large animals. Phytoplankton are known as primary producers because they produce the first forms of food. they are also the first link in the food web.
LAYERS OF THE OCEAN
EPIPELAGIC ZONE( Sunlight Zone)
- This layer is from the surface to 200 meters down. This zone is the one that gets most of the sunlight. The light gives heat which causes uneven heating in this zone. about 90% of ocean life lives in this zone due to its mild climate. some animals that live in this layer are sharks,sea turtles, seals, jellyfish and plants.
- This layer is from 200 meters to 1000 meters deep. The light is very faint in this layer. very few plants can live in this environment and that's because in this layer there's not enough light, and plants can not photosynthesize without sunlight. but the animals that can live in this layer are crabs, some shark, and lobster.
- This layer is from 1000 meters down to 4000 meters. This is the third layer of the ocean and the sunlight does not penetrate this deep. This zone has an amazing amount of pressure but, even with this huge amount of pressure a large number of creatures can be found in this zone. some examples of animals that live in this layer are squid and eels.
- This layer is from 4000 meters to 6000 meters. This is the forth zone and it has no light at all, The temperature in this zone is near freezing and very few creatures can be found at these crushing depths. The abyss is the biggest zone in the ocean.
- This final layer is from 6000 meters to the bottom of the deepest parts of the ocean. The deepest trench in the ocean is located in the Mariana Trench off the coast of japan. Despite the crushing pressure and freezing water life can still survive in this layer are starfish and tube worms that can thrive at these depths.