Marine Biology

MARINE BIOLOGY
MARINE
HABITAT
Marine Biology
Marine biology is the scientific study of the organisms
that live in the ocean.
The ocean is a vast realm that contains many strange and
wonderful creatures. It is often the beauty, mystery, and
variety of life in the sea that attracts students to a
course in marine biology.
Marine Zones:
Benthic vs. Pelagic
Neritic vs. Oceanic
Fig1216,p.285Garrison
Divisions of the Marine Environment

Pelagic (open sea)
Neritic (< 200 meters) and oceanic
Benthic (sea floor)

Subneritic and suboceanic
2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
Pelagic Environment
Divided into biozones
Neritic Province
from shore seaward,
all water < 200 meters
deep
Oceanic Province
depth increases
beyond 200 meters
Life in the Ocean

The PELAGIC community!
A Pelagic community is a community of organisms that live
suspended in the water columnthey either float (plankton) or
swim (nekton).
This is different than those that live on shore, on the bottom
(etc.)
Pelagic
Communitiy,
Plankton
And
nekton
Marine
Mammals
that live in
the pelagic
zone
(Baleen)
Marine
Mammals
that live in
the pelagic
zone
(Toothed)
Benthos
Epifauna live on the surface of the sea floor.
Infauna live buried in sediments.
Nektobenthos swim or crawl through water above the
seafloor.
Benthos are most abundant in shallower water.
Many live in perpetual darkness, coldness, and stillness.
Benthic Environments
Supralittoral
Subneritic
Littoral
Sublittoral
Inner
Outer
Suboceanic
Bathyal
Abyssal
Hadal
Benthos
Intertidal Zonation
Rocky shore:
Spray zone above
spring tide zone
Intertidal zone
High tide zone
Middle tide zone
Low tide zone
Coral Reef Zonation
Types of Plankton
Most biomass on Earth
consists of plankton.
Phytoplankton
Autotrophic
Zooplankton
Heterotrophic
Nekton
Independent swimmers
Most adult fish and squid
Marine mammals
Marine reptiles
Nekton
Animal Kingdom
Classify similar animals into Phyla
36 Animal Phyla
Only 1 has vertebrates
These animals are either BENTHIC or PELAGIC; PLANKTONIC or NEKTONIC
Invertebrates
Animals without backbones
No internal rigid skeleton
Softbodied
Many have hard external coverings
Phylum Porifera
Phylum Cnidaria
Phylum
Cnidaria CORAL
Phylum
Annelida
Phylum Arthropoda - Crustaceans

Crabs, lobster, shrimp, barnacles, copepods
Phylum
Arthropoda
Class
Crustacea
Phylum Mollusca
3 Main groups
Gastropods - snails
Bivalves- oysters, clams, mussels
Cephalopods octopuses, squids
Gastropods
Spiral shells
Shell-less = sea slugs or nudibranchs
Project head and muscular foot when moving
Phylum
Mollusca
Bivalves
Twin, hinged shells
not very mobile
Suspension feeders
Gills for gas exchange
Phylum
Mollusca
Cephalopods
Largest of the invertebrates (59 ft squid)
Foot modified into tentacles
Active predators
Highly evolved nervous system
Phylum Mollusca Class

Cephalopoda- CUTTLEFISH
Phylum
Mollusca
Phylum Echinodermata
Sea stars, sand dollars, brittle stars, sea urchins
Phylum
Echinodermata
Deep Sea as a
Marine Living
Habitat
What is Deep Sea?

The deep sea is the largest habitat on earth and is
largely unexplored.
That is below the photic zone of the ocean where
sunlight do not penetrate.
The oceans are divided into two broad realms;
1.
pelagic
2.
benthic
Pelagic refers to the open

water in which swimming and
floating organisms live.
Benthic refers to the bottom
sediments and other surfaces
of the ocean.
From the shallowest to the deepest, biologists divide the

pelagic into 5 as,
1. the epipelagic (less than 200 meters, where there can be
photosynthesis)
2. the mesopelagic (200 - 1,000 meters, the "twilight" zone
with faint sunlight but no photosynthesis)
3.the bathypelagic (1,000 - 4,000 meters)
4. the abyssopelagic (4,000 - 6,000 meters)
5.the hadopelagic (the deep trenches below 6,000 meters to
The last three zones have no sunlight at all. That means they are
dark.
These zones make up about 75% of the inhabitable ocean space.
Deep-sea is an extremely hostile environment, with temperatures
that rarely exceed 3C and fall as low as -1.8C" (with the
exception of hydrothermal vent ecosystems that can exceed
350C)
Low oxygen levels, and pressures between 20 and 1,000
atmospheres (between 2 and 100 megapascals).
Living Organisms in the Deep Sea
Bathypelagicctenophore
Barreleyes
Giant isopod
Black-lip-rattail
Angler
Fang tooth-fish
Basket-star
Vampire-squid
Challenges Faced by Marine Life in the

Deep Sea
Lack of light
The only available light in the deepest regions of the
ocean comes from bioluminescence, which is a chemical
reaction in a creature that produces light.
Water pressure
Pressure increases 1 atmosphere (atm) for each 10 m in
depth. The deep sea varies in depth from 200 m to
about 11,000 m, therefore pressure ranges from 20 atm
to more than 1,100 atm.
Temperature
With the exception of hydrothermal vent communities,
where high temperatures are present, the deep sea is a
cold place, with temperatures close to freezing (about 24 degrees Celsius, or about 35-39 degrees F).
How Deep Sea Marine Life

Overcome Those Challenges?
Lack of Light
Most animals have very large eyes with retinas
constructed only of cones, which increases sensitivity.
Many animals have also developed large feelers to
replace peripheral vision.
To be able to reproduce, many of these fish have
evolved to be hermaphroditic(an individual in which
reproductive organs of both sexes are present),
eliminating the need to find a mate.
Water pressure
To cope with the pressure, many fish are rather small,
usually not exceeding 25 cm in length.
Also, scientists have discovered that the deeper these
creatures live, the more gelatinous their flesh and more
minimal their skeletal structure.
These creatures have also eliminated all excess cavities that
would collapse under the pressure, such as swim bladders.
Life appears to cope with pressure effects on biomolecules in

two ways.
1.
Their membranes and proteins have pressure-resistant

structures that work by mechanisms not yet fully
understood.
2. Some organisms may use "piezolytes" (from the Greek

"piezin" for pressure). These are small organic molecules
recently discovered that somehow prevent pressure from
distorting large biomolecules. One of these piezolytes is
trimethylamine oxide (TMAO).
Kelp Forest as a
Marine Living
Habitat
KELP FOREST
Kelp forestsare underwater areas
with a high density ofkelp. They
form some of the most productive
and dynamicecosystemson Earth.
Smaller areas of anchored kelp are
calledkelp beds. Kelp forests occur
worldwide throughouttemperate
andpolar coastal oceans.
KELP
FOREST
The
morphological
structure of a kelp thallus is
defined by three basic structural units:
The holdfast is a root-like mass that anchors the
thallus to the sea floor, though unlike true roots it
is not responsible for absorbing and delivering
nutrients to the rest of the thallus;
The stipe is analogous to a plant stalk, extending
vertically from the holdfast and providing a support
framework for other morphological features;
The fronds are leaf- or blade-like attachments
extending from the stipe, sometimes along its full
length, and are the sites of nutrient uptake and
photosynthetic activity.
KELP FOREST
Inkelp forests, the most commonly found

invertebrates are bristle worms, scud, prawn,
snails, and brittle stars. These animals feed on
the holdfasts that keep kelp anchored to the
bottom of the ocean and algae that are abundant
in kelp forests. Sea urchins will often completely
remove kelp plants by eating through their
holdfasts. Other invertebrates found in kelp
forests are sea stars, anemones, crabs, and
jellyfish.

Marine Biology

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MARINE BIOLOGY

Divisions of the Marine Environment

Benthic (sea floor)

2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

Life in the Ocean

2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

Coral Reef Zonation

2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

2011 Pearson Education, Inc.

Phylum Arthropoda - Crustaceans

Phylum Mollusca Class

What is Deep Sea?

Pelagic refers to the open

From the shallowest to the deepest, biologists divide the

Living Organisms in the Deep Sea

Challenges Faced by Marine Life in the

How Deep Sea Marine Life

Life appears to cope with pressure effects on biomolecules in

Their membranes and proteins have pressure-resistant

2. Some organisms may use "piezolytes" (from the Greek

Inkelp forests, the most commonly found

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