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Ocean Life

What abiotic factors affect where ocean organisms live?

• Salinity • Water Temperature • Light • Dissolved gases • Nutrients (food) • Wave action

Classifications of Organisms

• Any depth • Scientists classify Marine organisms on

where they live and how they move • 3 major types:

–Plankton

–Nekton

–Benthos

Plankton• Tiny algae and animals that float in the

water and are carried by waves and current.

• Examples: – Algae plankton = diatoms – Animal plankton = microscopic

crustaceans and fish larvae

Nekton

• Free-swimming animals that can move throughout the water column.

• Examples: – Octopus and Squid – Most Fishes – Marine Mammals (whales and dolphins)

Benthos• Organisms that live on the

ocean floor • Examples:

– Motile (move)= Crabs, Sea Stars, and Lobsters

– Sedentary (don’t move)= Sponges and Sea Anemone

Marine Habitats

Marine Habitats

• Rocky Shores • Coastal Wetlands • Neritic Zone • Open Ocean

1. Spray Zone – Usually Dry

2. High Tide Zone –Wet during high tide

3. Middle Tide Zone – Wet and dry

4. Low Tide Zone – Usually Wet

Tide Pool Coastal Wetlands

3 Types: • Estuaries • Salt Marshes • Mangroves

Estuaries – Where River Meets Ocean

• Coastal bays where fresh water from rivers mix with salty water from the ocean

• Brackish water – partly salty and partly fresh

Estuary

Salt Marshes

• Mostly found in the eastern coastline of the US from Massachusetts to Florida

• Nutrient Rich Mud

Mangrove Forest• Found in the tropical waters of southern

Florida and the Gulf of Mexico • Roots of the Mangrove trap sediment from

the land and create nutrient rich nursery for animals

Mangrove Forest