Saltwater Biomes

By Kamilla Arymbaeva, Noah Lapsley, and Carolina Pachas

10/28/10

Map

Types of Saltwater Biomes

• Estuaries – An estuary is a body of water in which freshwater streams or rivers merge with the ocean. It is mostly found along the coasts of continents or surrounded by land. The salinity levels vary depending on the constant change of fresh and salt water levels. Estuaries also contain salt marsh ecosystems, where a large variety of small organisms such as snails, crabs, shrimp, and birds live.

Types of Saltwater Biomes(cont.)

• Coral reefs – Communities of coral that are found in shallow, tropical waters. This type of saltwater biome is mostly made up of coral, which consist of algae and tissues of animal polyp. Coral reefs support several species, such as invertebrates, fish, sea urchins, sea stars, and octopuses.

Types of Saltwater Biomes(cont.)

• Oceans – Large bodies of water that take up 75% of the Earth’s surface. This type of saltwater biome is typically divided into 4 zones; the intertidal, pelagic, benthic, and the abyssal. The zones are classified by their different depths, temperature, and variety of organisms in each. The ocean supports an extensive variety of organisms, such as whales, sharks, dolphins, many species of fish, mollusks, octopuses, and many others.

Human impact on salt water and what can be done to ensure the

survival of the salt water.• Throwing trash that contains different chemicals.• Fishing, it misbalances the marine life.• High level of CO2 make the ocean more acid, which kills

all the living organisms in the ocean.• Melting glaciers dump lots of fresh water in the oceans.

Because of the melting glaciers (global warming) some parts of he ocean aren’t as salty as they used to be.

• To ensure the survival of the biome, humans could stop fishing so many marine animals out of the ocean, stop throwing trash in the oceans, and stop making so much CO2 in the atmosphere.

Commercial value of salt water.

• Fishers sell the fish they catch.

• People pay money to go to the beaches.

• Spa salons use salts and other minerals from the oceans and the seas for most of the procedures.

Types of Animals:The Basking Shark (Centorhinus maximus)

• The basking shark is known to

be the second-largest fish in the ocean. It is found outside of tropical waters, often floating lazily near the surface of the ocean. Its diet is made up entirely of plankton, which it catches using the comb-like bristles on the edge of its gills. It generally keeps its mouth open as it swims around in order to catch the tiny plankton.

Types of Animals: (cont.)Crustaceans – Crab

The crab is found in all parts of the ocean, typically on the ocean floor due to the fact that it can’t swim. Crabs are covered in a thick exoskeleton, and have 8 legs as well as a pair of claws. They are omnivores and feed on algae as well as mollusks, worms, and other crustaceans.

Types of Animals (cont.)Sowerby’s Beaked Whale (Mesoplodon bidens)

• The Sowerby’s Beaked Whale are typically found in the deep waters of the northern Atlantic ocean. The male whale has a pointed tooth in its bottom jaw. Its main diet are squid and small fish.

Photosynthetic Organisms in the Saltwater Biome

• A lot of the marine life in the ocean are photosynthetic. Most of these organisms are found in seaweeds, which are both classified as protists and plants. They provide oxygen that the other organisms in the ocean need to survive. They are also found in forms of algae, which are eaten by many of the animals in the ocean. Other photosynthetic organisms that can be found are phytoplankton, which are tiny microscopic plants that are vital to both ocean and earth life. This is because they form the base of all marine food webs.

Organisms’ Adaptations

• Organism: Tiger Shark• Adaptation: Razor Sharp Teeth

• Helpful Why?: The tiger shark’s razor sharp teeth help it puncture and tear apart its prey so that it can make its foods into

smaller chunks to eat.

Organisms’ Adaptations (Continued)

• Organism: Sea Anemone

• Adaptation: Stinging Tentacles

• Helpful Why?: This helps the sea anemone protect itself from predators

eating it by “stinging” the organisms that make contact with it.

Organisms’ Adaptations (Continued)

• Organism: Vampire Squid • Adaptation: Releases Bioluminescent

Fluids

• Helpful Why?: The vampire squid secrets a bioluminescent bluish liquid, which means they

can secret a bluish liquid that lights up, that distracts and confuses its predators so the squid

can make a safe escape. Or it could use this method to distract prey and consume it.

Geological Features of Oceans

• Extremely Deep Trenches• Rugged under-sea mountains• Active Volcanoes• Immense Plateaus • Contains a Continental Shelf

– Shallow area of water

• Contains a Continental Slope– Steep slope that leads to the deepest parts of the

ocean.

Geological Features of Oceans(Continued)

• Contains Abyss– A very deep part of the ocean past the

continental slope– Contains ocean ridges(under-sea mountain

ranges), ocean trenches, plains, and seamounts

• Sandy Ocean Floors

Geological Features of Coral Reefs

• Calcium carbonate deposits secreted from corals

• Different types of coral reefs’ features– Atoll

• Circle of coral around a lagoon

– Fringing reef• A reef directly attached to the shore

– Barrier reef • A detached reef away from the shore near a deep lagoon

– Patch reef• An isolated small coral reef

Geological Features of Estuaries

• Where one or more rivers or streams meet an ocean

• Different types of estuaries’ features– Drowned river valley

• Found near low, wide coastal plains

– Lagoon/bar-built• Barrier beaches semi-isolate them• Made by build up of sand over time

– Fjord• Where deep cut valleys meet the ocean

Questions?

1. Name three Human Impacts on salt water.

2. Are coral reefs in warm or cold waters?

3. What fish is known to be the second largest fish?

4. Name five features of the ocean biome

5.What type of animal has the adaptation to produce bioluminescent fluids?

6. What is an estuary?

7.What is a Sowerby’s beaked whale diet consist of?

8. The ocean is typically divided into how many zones?

9.What industry uses salts and minerals for caring?

Works Cited

• Sixth Edition Biology Book

• http://www.mos.org/oceans/planet/features.html

• www.childrenoftheearth.org/kids’%20

• Entries/phytoplankton.htm

• www.ucmp.berkely.edu/exhibits/biomes/index.php