The deep ocean is generally defined as the depth at which light begins to dwindle, typically around 200 meters (656 feet) to the
ocean floor.
The deep sea is known for its?
The deep sea is known for its high pressure, complete darkness, and frigid temperatures
explain what is the smalleyed rabbitfish [ species inhabiting the deep sea]
- Hydrolagus affinis
- Chimaeridae family
- 300 - 3000 m
- diets consist of small fishes and invertebrates
- often called a "living fossil"
- brown or gray shades.
- fish's specialized "rostral organ" helps it locate prey in dark waters.
explain what is the hot vent mussle [ species inhabiting the deep sea]
- Bathymodiolus thermophilus
- 2450 - 2850 m
- found in Hydrothermal vents in East Pacific Rise
- have a symbiotic relationship with chemosynthetic bacteria
- converting chemical energy into food and supporting other
organisms that rely on this energy source
chemosynthetic bacteria symbiotic rs?
chemosynthetic bacteria, residing in their gills and using
chemicals from the vent fluid to produce food through chemosynthesis. In return, the mussels provide a habitat and nutrients to the bacteria.
explain what is the marina snailfish [ species inhabiting the deep sea]
- Pseudoliparis swirei
- Liparidae family
- 6,000 meters to over 8,000 meters
- Mariana Trench
- diet consist of small invertebrates
- ability to endure the immense pressures found at great
depths
species inhabiting the deep sea
- smalleyed rabbitfish
- hot vent mussle
- marina snailfish
Ecosystem and Food Web
What is Marine snow?
- comprises organic particles and waste sinking through ocean water, including remnants of plankton, algae, fecal matter, and other organic substances.
The ecosystem in the deep sea is primarily centered around?
- hydrothermal vents, cold seeps, and whale falls
Hydrothermal Vents?
- These are found along mid-ocean ridges, where tectonic plates spread apart.
- They release mineral-rich fluids heated by magma beneath the Earth's crust.
- The chemicals in these fluids, such as hydrogen sulfide, support chemosynthetic bacteria
Cold Seeps?
- areas where hydrocarbon-rich fluids seep out of the seafloor.
- Similar to hydrothermal vents, cold seeps support chemosynthetic bacteria
Whale fall?
- When a whale dies and sinks to the ocean floor, it creates a temporary but rich ecosystem known as a whale fall and it can support a complex biological community for up to 50 years.
1. SCAVENGER STAGE
- "mobile scavengers" like hagfishes and sleeper sharks are the first to appear at a whale-fall site.
- The nutrient content of whale carcasses is equal to 2,000
years' worth of marine snow.
- The duration of this stage varies, typically lasting from weeks to several months,
2. ENRICHMENT- OPPORTUNIST STAGE
- Scavengers release nutrients into the water as they consume
the soft tissues of the whale.
- Nutrient-rich environment attracts bacteria, worms, and
crustaceans, which feed on remaining organic matter.
- Rare nature of whale-falls ensures that nothing goes to
waste, prompting opportunistic organisms to burrow into
surrounding sediment in search of leftovers.
3. SULFOPHILIC STAGE
- Specialized bacteria break down lipids in whale bones, producing sulfides during this stage.
- Sulfides support thriving communities of organisms, including dense bacterial mats, mussels, and tube worms.
- A single whale skeleton can host over 30,000 organisms in some cases during this sulfophilic stage.
The physical characteristics that deep sea life must contend with to survive are[abiotic]?
● Light
● Pressure
● Temperature
● Oxygen
Biotic ones, that is, other organisms that may be?
- potential predators, food, mates, competitors or symbionts
Light in deep sea? and adaptation?
In the deep sea, light diminishes rapidly with depth, creating perpetual darkness beyond around 200 meters.
- adaptation: Bioluminescence, a chemical reaction in a microbe or animal body that creates light without heat
- Deep-sea organisms face extreme pressure, exceeding 1,000 times the atmospheric pressure at sea level.
- adaptation : flexible bodies, internal fluids that resist compression, and specialized structures that prevent collapse
- Some species, like the barrel-eye fish, have fluid-filled spaces in their bodies that equalize pressure, allowing them to thrive at depths where most organisms would be crushed.
- TMAO - trimethylamine N-oxide
TMAO - trimethylamine N-oxide
- The molecule found in cells that produces the protective effect
Temperature? and adaptation?
- The deep sea is characterized by cold temperatures, ranging from near freezing to a few degrees Celsius
- adaptation: Slow metabolism and insulation.
oxygen? and adaptation?
- oxygen availability decreases with depth in the ocean due to reduced mixing with surface waters and limited photosynthesis
- adaptation: respiratory adaptations and behavioral responses such as vertical migration
- ex: Spinoloricus Cinzia, the first animals that can survive and reproduce entirely without oxygen, deep on the floor of the Mediterranean Sea.
Other Adaptations of Deep-sea Animals
1. Body Color: for camouflage and protection from predators
ex: (Hatchetfish)
2. Reproduction: parasitic-like relationship for life
ex: deep-sea anglerfish
3. Gigantism: to become truly enormous in size
ex:(Giant squid)
The absence of red light at these depths keeps them concealed from both predators and prey
True
long lives due to?
- These species reproduce and grow to maturity very slowly, such that populations may take decades to recover after being overfished.
long lives examples:
- 149 years (wild) - Hoplostethus atlanticus (Orange roughy)
- 73 years - Coryphaenoides acrolepis (Pacific rat-tail)
Formation of Hydrothermal vents
- are the result of seawater penetrating down through fissures in the ocean crust in the vicinity of spreading centers or subduction zones (places on Earth where two tectonic plates move away or towards one another). The cold seawater is heated by hot magma and reemerges to form the vents. Seawater in hydrothermal vents may reach temperatures of over 700° Fahrenheit.
why is hydrothermal vents important?
- Hydrothermal vents are habitats. Despite having no light for sunlight- driven food production, vent sites support diverse communities of animals adapted to produce food using chemical energy, via a process known as chemosynthesis.
what is chemosynthesis?
- the process of making food from inorganic compounds, such as
hydrocarbons or hydrogen sulfide.
Species inhabiting Hydrothermal vents
1. Riftia pachyptila (Giant tubeworm)
2. Alvinella pompejana (Pompeii worm)
3. Kiwa hirsuta (Yeti Crab)
Equipment used for deep sea exploration
- Remotely operated vehicles (ROVs)
- Submersibles
- Buoys
Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs)
- allow us to explore the ocean without actually being in the ocean.
- unmanned underwater robots
- Used for visual surveys, sample collection, and various tasks at great depths.
Submersibles
- Manned or unmanned submersibles are deployed for in-depth exploration of specific areas.
Buoys
- are floating devices that are anchored to the seabed or float on the water's surface.
Types of Buoys
1. Navigation Buoys - mark navigational channels, hazards, and other important points for safe passage of vessels.
2. Mooring Buoys - are used to secure boats, ships, or other watercraft in a fixed position.
3. Weather Buoys - are equipped with sensors to monitor meteorological and oceanographic conditions.
4. Research Buoys - used for scientific research and environmental monitoring in marine ecosystems.
natural and man made threats
Natural threats
- Geological Events
- Climate Change
- Biological Events
Man-made threats
- Overfishing
- Pollution
Deep-Sea Mining
Aiding natural threats
Aiding natural threats
- Conservation and Protection
- Monitoring and Research
- Resilience Building
Aiding man-made threats
Aiding man-made threats
- Public Awareness and Education
- Pollution Prevention and Remediation
- Sustainable Fisheries Management
What is corals?
- are marine animals that resemble miniature sea anemones. They are misunderstood as plants because they don’t move (sessile) much and they look like trees.
corals comprised of many small soft, jelly-like bodies of individual
animals, called, polyps
True
polyps produce a hard skeleton
made of calcium carbonate.
Coral Reefs?
- a marine ecosystem composed of diverse communities of
corals, fish, invertebrates, algae, and microorganisms living
in close association with each other.
The Coral Polyps?
- use stinging cells called nematocyst
- sessile - lack of a means of self-locomotion
- relies on the photosynthetic algae called zooxanthellae
Symbiotic Relationship corals with zooxanthellae?
- These algae live within the coral tissues and provide essential nutrients through photosynthesis. In return, corals offer shelter and access to sunlight for the zooxanthellae.
use tentacles to capture plankton and other small organisms from the water.
True
reproduction:
Sexual reproduction-
release of gametes into the water where fertilization occurs, leading to the formation of larvae that settle and grow into new colonies.
Asexual reproduction
budding or fragmentation
Hard Corals
- also known as stony coral, produce a rock-like skeleton made of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). Hard corals are primary reef building corals.
- Hard corals that form reefs are called hermatypic corals.
Soft corals
soft and bendable. They do not have stony skeletons and do not
form reefs. Due to lacking stony skeletons
- ahermatypic corals
Famous Coral Reefs in the World
1.Great Barrier Reef, Australia
2. Raja Ampat, Indonesia
3. Coral Reefs of Maldives
4. Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, Philippines
5. Papua New Guinea
Coral Life Forms
1. Branching
ex: Staghorn Coral
2. massive
ex: Brain Coral
3. solitary
ex: Fungia spp.
4. Encrusting
ex: Porites sp.
5. Colonial
ex:Elkhorn coral
6. Foliaceous
ex:Leaf Coral
Biotic Factors
microorganisms, sea turtles or reptiles, predators and prey, water temp., light availability, salinity
Abiotic factors
curents & tides, sedimentations, weather impacts
Sexual reproduction steps:
1. Spawning:
corals release gametes (eggs and sperm) into the water column
2. Fertilization
fertilized eggs develop into free-swimming larvae called
planulae.
3. Planulae Dispersal:
dispersal allows them to colonize new areas and find suitable substrate for settlement.
4. Settlement:
where they undergo metamorphosis and develop into polyps.
Asexual reproduction:
1. Budding:
a new polyp develops as an outgrowth from the parent polyp.
2. Fragmentation:
where a piece of the coral colony breaks off and develops into a new colony.
sexual reproduction promotes?
- promotes genetic diversity, which enhances resilience to environmental stressors
- Coral reefs provide a backdrop for a rich variety of fishes, mollusks, crustaceans, and other invertebrates. Food chains weave seamlessly into food webs producing a colorful tapestry of life.
conservation
Filipinos have established
Tubbataha Reef as a national marine park and
UNESCO World Heritage Site. Communities that
rely on coral reefs are learning that wise actions
today mean healthy reefs for future generations.
Where are marine ecosystems found?
1. Polar regions: support unique marine ecosystems adapted to extreme cold
2.Temperate zones: Kelp forests, seagrass meadows, and various fish species characterize these areas
3. Tropical oceans: often associated with coral reefs
4. Deep Sea: extreme pressures and darkness of the abyss.
Importance of marine ecosystem:
- Biodiversity Hotspots
- Carbon Sequestration
- Nutrient Cycling
- Economic Value (Fisheries, Tourism, Pharmaceuticals)
Salinity variation
Essential when determining the creatures that may thrive in a
specific area.
Temperature gradients
These changes have an impact on species and ecosystem
distributions.
Light Availability
This light gradient is especially crucial to coral reefs and other
shallow-water habitats.
Oxygen levels
Oxygen availability changes throughout the water column and is an important consideration for marine life.
Pressure Extremes
poses distinct obstacles to creatures living at these depths.
Nutrient Cycling
These cycles ensure the productivity of marine life.
Types of Marine Ecosystem
O.D.S.M.SM.KP.CR.PM.SB.RM
1. Open Ocean
2. Deep Sea
3. Salt Marshes
4. Mangrove Forests
5. Seagrass Meadows
6. Kelp Forests
7. Coral Reefs
8. Polar Marine
9. Sandy Beach
10. Rocky Marine
Threats to marine ecosystem
1. Pollution
2. Overfishing
3. Ecosystem Degradation
MARINE RESOURCES
Physical resources
- things that are not part of life processes
Biological resources
- anything attributed to lifeforms
anything attributed to lifeforms
- Marine mineral resources
- Marine energy resources
- Marine food resources
Over exploitation
- petroleum
- offshore wind energy
- over fishing
Jacques Cousteau
brought the wonder of the oceans to people through television. As scuba diving technology improved, more people took to the
undersea world. Whale song fascinated ppl
1970's, laws were passed in the U.S
1. Marine Mammal Protection Act - protection of marine mammals
2. Endangered Species Act - protection of endangered species
3. Magnuson Stevens Act - overfishing
4. Clean Water Act - clean water
5. Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act - establishing a National Marine Sanctuary Program