What is unique about the epipelagic zone?
The Epipelagic zone is the uppermost layer of the ocean it is located between the surface and 600 feet in depth. It is in this thin layer that all photosynthesis takes place. The epipelagic zone only represents 2-3% of the entire ocean beyond this light is too dim for photosynthesis to occur.
What conditions must organisms of the Mesopelagic adapt to that are different from those in the epipelagic?
The biological community of the mesopelagic zone has adapted to a low-light low-food environment. This is a very efficient ecosystem with many organisms recycling the organic matter sinking from the epipelagic zone resulting in very little organic carbon making it to deeper ocean waters.
What are the characteristics of the mesopelagic zone?
Why is the epipelagic zone important?
Algae that live in the epipelagic zone are responsible for much of the original food production for the entire ocean and create at least 50% of the oxygen in the atmosphere (both through photosynthesis). Organisms that live in the epipelagic zone may come into contact with the sea surface.
Why does the epipelagic zone have the most biodiversity?
The epipelagic zone stretches from the surface down to 200 m and is home to the greatest biodiversity in the sea largely because of the availability of sunlight that enables photosynthetic organisms to thrive. … Bioluminescent organisms some of the strangest marine creatures of the deep live here.
What is the difference of epipelagic and Mesopelagic?
How does bioluminescence help Mesopelagic organisms?
Certain lanternfishes and dragonfishes use enlarged photophores around the eyes to illuminate prey in the water column. Bioluminescence can also be used to locate potential mates for spawning as evidenced by the sex-specific photophore patterns of many meso- and bathypelagic fishes.
How are saltwater fish adapted to their saltwater surroundings?
How are saltwater fish adapted to their saltwater surroundings? They absorb water through their skin. They excrete a small volume of very salty urine.
What adaptations do plankton have to stay afloat?
Keeping Afloat. All species of plankton (both phyto and zoo) have certain structural adaptations help to keep them afloat in the water column. These adaptations include: flat bodies lateral spines long thin appendages which increase the amount of their body surface area in contact with the water.
Why mesopelagic zone is called twilight zone?
This is because the seawater absorbs the sunlight. This barely-lit ocean layer is called the twilight zone or the disphotic zone (disphotic means “poorly lit” in Greek) or the mesopelagic zone (mesopelagic means “middle sea”). This zone appears deep blue to black in color.
What is the oxygen level in the mesopelagic zone?
The mesopelagic zones in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean and the tropical Indian Ocean contain depth layers with very low oxygen concentrations (less than 10 μmol O2 kg-1 or suboxic concentrations) while those in the tropical Atlantic Ocean encompass hypoxic layers (with oxygen concentrations less than 60 to 120 …
What temperature is the mesopelagic zone?
Temperature in the mesopelagic zone declines with depth from near-surface temperatures at the top of the zone to temperatures of 5°C or about 40°F at a depth of 3000 feet. This temperature is the same as that in your refrigerator at home.
What is the epipelagic zone also known as?
Epipelagic Zone. This surface layer is also called the sunlight zone and extends from the surface to 200 meters (660 feet). It is in this zone that most of the visible light exists.
Which of the following adaptations is least likely to be seen in epipelagic fish?
Which of the following adaptations is least likely likely to be seen in epipelagic fish? Increased white muscle. Zooplankton that migrate vertically: Stay below the photic zone during the day and feed at the surface at night.
What are the adaptation features of invertebrates to survive in the epipelagic zone?
Many have adaptations that help them swim fast such as a lunate tail or a narrow caudal peduncle. They also have a lot of muscle mass which enables them to be strong swimmers. Good examples of these adaptations can be seen in a tuna fish shown below. This picture also shows water flow over the fusiform shape.
Which zone has the greatest biodiversity?
The epipelagic zone extends from the surface to 200m down. It receives plenty of sunlight and therefore contains the most biodiversity in the ocean.
Why do estuaries have low species diversity?
Factors such as increased competition for food and higher predation rates by piscivorous fishes and birds may also play an important role in the low species richness and abundance of freshwater taxa in estuaries.
Which zone has the greatest biodiversity *?
The ocean contains a wealth of biodiversity and most of this diversity lives in the sunlit area called the euphotic zone (see Distribution of Life page 45 for more information).
Why do so many epipelagic plankton have a flattened shape?
epipelagic plankton have a flattened shape because flattened shapes sink more slowly than rounded shapes as a result of greater drag. … An epipelagic organism that has many feathery projections Is most likely a member of plankton because nektonic species need to be streamlined in order to swim well.
What types of feeders are primarily found in the epipelagic?
Phytoplankton are the main primary producers in the epipelagic. The most abundant phytoplankton are cyanobacteria and various groups of protistan pico- and nanoplankton including coccolithophorids cryptophytes and silicoflagellates. Among the larger net phytoplankton diatoms and dinoflagellates are dominant.
What plants live in the epipelagic zone?
Microscopic plants called phytoplanktons are present in this zone. Sunlight penetrates this zone which facilitates the process of photosynthesis. Supported Plant Species: Seaweed or free-floating algae red algae green algae brown algae phytoplankton angiosperms mangroves seagrass.
What do you know about phytoplankton?
Phytoplankton also known as microalgae are similar to terrestrial plants in that they contain chlorophyll and require sunlight in order to live and grow. Most phytoplankton are buoyant and float in the upper part of the ocean where sunlight penetrates the water.
Why do organisms use bioluminescence?
Why does bioluminescence happen?
Bioluminescence occurs through a chemical reaction that produces light energy within an organism’s body. For a reaction to occur a species must contain luciferin a molecule that when it reacts with oxygen produces light. … They can even choose the intensity and color of the lights.
What reason best explains the decrease in oxygen levels beneath the Epipelagic zone?
What reason best explains the decrease in oxygen levels beneath the epipelagic zone? Decomposition of organic material Bacterial oxidation of dead organic material consumes oxygen. This also explains the corresponding increase in nutrient levels below the epipelagic zone!
For what kind of external environment is a saltwater fish adapted?
Saltwater fish are adapted to the marine environment and have extracellular fluids that have a composition similar to seawater.
How saltwater fish can survive without experiencing dehydration?
Because they live in such salty conditions fish constantly lose water and they must drink water through their mouths and filter out the salt in their gills. Freshwater fish do not face this problem and do not have to actively drink water.
Why must plankton stay afloat and remain in the Epipelagic zone?
Phytoplankton produce their own food by lassoing the energy of the sun in a process called photosynthesis. So for sunlight to reach them they need to be near the top layer of the ocean. So must zooplankton which feed on the phytoplankton. Plankton have evolved many different ways to keep afloat.
How do phytoplankton survive?
Phytoplankton make their energy through photosynthesis the process of using chlorophyll and sunlight to create energy. Like other plants phytoplankton take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen. … Phytoplankton rely on nutrients found in their surroundings such as phosphate nitrate and calcium to thrive.
How do phytoplankton stay in the photic zone?
Zooplankton are drifters so they must have special adaptations to remain afloat in the photic zone. Dinoflagellates use flagella (long tails) to help stay afloat ciliates use cilia (hair-like extensions). Other plankton form chains with each other to gain surface area to stay afloat.
Is there seaweed in the Mesopelagic zone?
How much sunlight does the Mesopelagic zone get?
The area between 200 and 1 000 meters (656 and 3 280 feet) is the dysphotic zone. Also known as the twilight zone (or mesopelagic zone) light intensity in this zone is severely reduced with increasing depth so light penetration is minimal.
What adaptations do Epipelagic fishes have to be able to swim fast?
Most epipelagic fishes have streamlined or fusiform bodies (spindled-shaped like a submarine) that allow them to slide through the water more easily which is important if you are swimming continuously.
What causes oxygen minimum zone?
Oxygen Minimum Zones (OMZ) are the places in the world ocean where oxygen saturation in the water column is at its lowest. … Thus the concentration of oxygen in deep water is dependent on the amount of oxygen it had when it was at the surface minus depletion by deep sea organisms.
Phytoplankton: Arguably the Most Important Life on Earth
Algae and algal blooms – the role of phytoplankton in our ecosystem
fertilisation of ponds produce phytoplankton to feed the fish
The Secret Life of Plankton