Unit 5 Ocean Zones

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Unit 5 Ocean Zones Lifestyles

• Ch 3.3

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Oceanic Zones
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Pelagic zone all of the water

• Is broken into 2 horizontal zones
• Neritic zone water between low tide and the
  edge of the continental shelf
• Oceanic zone the open water area beyond the
  Neritic zone

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The oceanic zone is then divided vertically

• Photic zone where light penetrates
• Epipelagic zone top layer that sun easily
  penetrates
• Mesopelagic zone next layer, sun penetrate but
  not strong

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• Aphotic zone no light penetrates
• Bathypelagic zone deep water in the open ocean
• Abyssopelagic zone deep water in the oceanic
  trenches
• Hadalpelagic zone deepest water in the oceanic
  trenches

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Benthic zone bottom of the ocean

• Supralittoral zone (supratidal) where water
  splashes but does not remain submerged
• Littoral zone (tidal) between the high tide and
  low tide marks
• Sublittoral zone (subtidal) ocean bottom from
  low tide mark to the edge of the continental shelf

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• Deep sea floor
• Bathyal zone continental slope down to the open
  ocean bottom
• Abyssal zone deep ocean bottom
• Hadal zone area below 6000 m

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Marine Life
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Nekton

• Organisms that swim
• ie whales, fish, turtles

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Plankton

• Microscopic to very small organisms that cannot
  make a forward motion against a current
• Plankton get broken down further into types

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Neuston

• Plankton that live on the waters surface

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Phytoplankton

• Autotrophic organisms
• Primary producers of the sea

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Zooplankton

• Heterotrophic organisms
• Primary and secondary consumers
• Subdivided further into
• Meroplankton live only part of their lives as
  plankton
• Holoplankton remain plankton all of their lives

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Benthos

• Organisms that live in or on the bottom of the
  ocean
• Subdivided into 4 types of organisms

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• Sessile attached to substrate
• Benthic epifauna live on the sea floor
• Benthic infauna live in the substrate
• Epiflora plants that live on the sea floor