Snelgrove and Grassle in The Deep Sea: Desert and Rainforest published in Oceanus, volume 38 in 1995 argue that the popular belief that the deep sea is little more than an “ocean desert” is a pure fallacy. Contrary to such thinking a multitude of benthic organisms dwell on the ocean bottom; despite the frigid temperatures and high pressure, a large heterogeneity of creatures, rivaling in variety and number those inhabiting tropical rainforests, thrive in this environment.
The “analogy of the ocean desert” arose from the technologically inadvanced photographs and sampling equipment prior to the 1960’s (25). However, it was during that decade that WHOI biologists Sanders and Hessler, employing an epibenthic sled, produced extremely varied samples of organisms from deep-sea communities. The epibenthic sled permitted researchers to observe organisms that had previously gone unnoticed; unknown to the scientific community was a varied population of macrofaunal benthos inhabiting the bottom sediment, in addition to new species of polychaetes, crustaceans, and mollusks. Further sampling in the 1980’s, with the use of a box corer, revealed an astoundingly heterogeneous population of benthic organisms equal, or perhaps more expansive in variety than the number of species residing in the tropical rainforests. Therefore, though the deep-sea may physically resemble a desert with its “large expanses of . . . gently rolling contours of mud or sand with little visible life,” in reality it is an ecosystem teeming with life (27). Such diversity was most noteably evidenced by a sample taken from an area no larger than seven feet by seven feet off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina where a total of 1,597 divergent species were recovered from the ocean bottom in a single sampling.
The heterogeneity among species is also apparent with respect to both “space and time” (28). Observations have revealed that different species dwell in different patches along the ocean bottom; this patchwork of species is what, in effect, provides all species in the deep-sea with adequate sustenance. Phytoplankton blooms, sinking fish carcasses, pieces of wood, pieces of seaweed, disturbances created by fish feeding, and the polychaete fecal mounds all create microhabitats within the larger habitat of the ocean bottom; different species derive sustenance from different patches or microhabitats generated by such activities. In addition, seasonal changes and the passage of time affect these microhabitats and thus, those organisms present in each. Therefore, it is the heterogeneity of the deep-sea habitat with its mosaic of patches that permits the great diversification of life on the ocean floor.
3. Etnoyer, Peter, Nelsen, Chad, Ranker, Kevin. “Beach Sand at the Base of the Food Chain.” “Surfrider Foundation.” 2 December 2004.
Rachel Carson worked at the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) as a marine biologist. While at the FWS, Carson produced three books on the ocean’s ecosy...
What caused an 85 ton Sperm whale to crash into the side of the Essex, causing one of the most disastrous and tragic accidents in maritime history? Was this a calculated attack? Did it see the whaling ship as an unwanted rival in its territory? Did the crew of the Essex have anything to do with the whales’ sporadic behavior? Or was this simply an unexplainable act of nature’s unpredictability?
Our increased appetite for coastal area living, a preference that will likely develop as global temperatures increase, coupled with a rise in seaborne trade and transport, will all contribute to the shaping of future tropical marine ecosystems. Between the years of 1980 and 2000 seaborne trade was shown to increase by 37%, and has continued steadily ever since (Peters 2001). The global mean of ocean transportation is widely acknowledged as a dominant vector regarding invasive species introduction (Carlton 1985), by means of the translocation of larvae and marine microorganisms. One investigation conservatively reported ballast water containing 8 different animal phyla and 5 protist phyla consisting of a total of 81 species (Chu et al., 1997). It is also suggested that at any one moment in time, 10,000 species are transported through ballast water globally (Carlton 1999). An example of a successful invasive transfer via ballast water is the invasion of the comb jelly, Mnemiopsis leidyi, which invaded the Caspian Sea in 1982 (Ivanov et al., 2000). Another ballast water mediated species in recent times is the Pacific brittle star species Ophiactis savignyi, which has now successfully integrated into the tropical West Atlantic (Roy and Sponer 2002). Various management strategies have been manufactured to prevent these ballast tank related problems,
The world’s coral reefs are quintessential to global biodiversity, so much so that they are often referred to as the "rainforests of the sea". Although their actual space occupied by reefs is relatively small, constituting less than 0.1% of the world's ocean surface, they support over 25% of all marine species on earth. They provide complex and varied marine habitats that support a wide range of other organisms including, but not limited to, fish, mollusks, worms, crustaceans, echinoderms, sponges, tunicates and other cnidarians. Some of these animals feed directly on the corals, while others graze on algae on the reef. The reef also provides a protective habitat for many of these animals.
The outer layer of a reef consists of living animals, or polyps, of coral. Single-celled algae called zooxanthellae live within the coral polyps, and a skeleton containing filamentous green algae surrounds them. The photosynthetic zooxanthellae and green algae transfer food energy directly to the coral polyps, while acquiring scarce nutrients from the coral. The numerous micro habitats of coral reefs and the high biological productivity support a great diversity of other life.
At the Aquarium of the Pacific, many different oceanic habitats are presented. These exhibits give the public an idea of the different environments our own oceans hold, providing a hands-on learning experience in the comfort of their own city. The two habitats that interested me are the coral reef and deep ocean. Both the coral reef and deep ocean are very different from each other, having varied ways of survival for the plethora of plants and animals that call those places home.
[9] Deep sea and extreme shallow water habitats: affinities and adaptions by Franz Uiblein, Jorg Ott and Michael Stacowitsh 1996
Imagine a lush underwater place. Beautiful structures colorful animals and places that would never have been thought of before. In reality that's not what it really looks like, really the ocean is a desolate place that is barren like a desert. Many marine species have been lost by as much as 49%.(seeker) A big part of that reason is because of coral bleaching which causes as stated above a decline in species that depend on the coral as there home. Coral bleaching is a serious problem that could cause problems for everyone if we don’t fix it.
Review: The opportunity and endeavor of exploring the Earth’s oceans can reap great rewards for mankind and unravel many of the mysteries that the Earth has left to discover.
The Great Barrier Reef is an exemplary model of the famous exotic coral reef seen in a copy of the National Geographic or the popular animated film Finding Nemo. Located on the coast of Australia, it is known as the “largest biological organism in the world” (“Human Impact on the Great Barrier Reef” par. 1). The idea bears that coral reefs are again not an assortment of organisms functioning separately but rather working together to thrive. The groups of coral that are seen in t...
Levvit, Tom. "How Deep-sea Mining Could Destroy the." The Ecologist. N.p., 28 Oct. 2010. Web. 27 Mar. 2014. .
Oceans are such so vast that people underestimate the impact their actions —seeming so insignificant— have on them. Humans have by and large taken the oceans for granted; not considering how important a healthy ocean is to our survival. A popular mind-set is that the oceans are a bottomless supply of fish, natural resources, and an infinite waste dump. There are myriad reasons why the oceans should be saved and the most obvious one is marine life. With 71% of the Earth being covered by water, it is obvious that sea creatures are predominant form of life, making up 80% of the species of life on Earth. However, as important as marine life is, that is not the only reason why saving the oceans is crucial. The ocean floor provides natural resources such as, oil, natural gas, petroleum, minerals, medications, and ingredients for foods and products. The economic benefits of the oceans are huge and significant, as well. Fishing and fish products have provided employment to 38 million people and have generated about $124 billion in economic benefits. However, oceans are on the verge of crisis, marine life, natural resources, transportation, the economy, and important ingredients are at risk due to overfishing, pollution, and acidification. Thus, in this essay I will argue that, oceans are not impervious to human activity and threatening the health of the ocean threatens the health of humanity, since oceans key to our survival.
Earth is the only planet in the Solar System that has liquid water. The ocean contains ninety seven percent of the earth’s water and covers almost three quarters of the planet. There are four different oceans, the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, and the Arctic. Tides and currents occur in all three of these oceans. Many different kinds of fish and mammals also make their homes in these oceans. All of these oceans are connected to each other in some way. Humans find oceans to be very interesting, beautiful, and exploring.
These results agree with the hypothesis that our “untouched and super-productive world” is affecting marine life ecosystems (Vannela, 2012). All of these results combined confirm the overall hypothesis that pollution is getting worse in the ocean and more marine life ecosystems are being affected, but there