Name:_________________________________________________Date______________________Concepts of Earth Science
Ocean life webquest.
Photosynthesis vs. Chemosynthesis
1. Go to http://www.divediscover.whoi.edu/vents/light.html
Deep below the ocean surface life exists in regions where no sunlight can reach. Some of these
regions are along mid ocean ridges where hydrothermal fluids are vented from the Earth’s mantle.
These organisms rely on a process known as chemosynthesis to create food.
Create a T chart to compare and contrast chemosynthesis to photosynthesis.
Photosynthesis
Plants utilize the suns energy and carbon dioxide
to create sugar and a byproduct of oxygen
Photosynthesis allows organisms to be producers
and make their own energy.
Takes place in the ocean where sunlight can
reach
Chemosynthesis
Bacteria use oxygen to breakdown hydrogen
sulfide compounds from hydrothermal vents and
use the energy to convert carbon dioxide into
sugars.
Chemosynthesis allows organisms to be produces
and make their own energy
Takes place around hydrothermal vents.
Ocean Life and their Environments
Go to http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/
Click on nature files and then click on Ocean Zones
2. What are the 2 basic environments that the ocean is divided into? Where is each located?
Benthic Zone- Ocean floor
Pelagic Zone- The ocean waters
3. Briefly describe the three zones and their depths that the pelagic region is divided into.
Sunlit zone-this is the ocean zone that sunlight penetrates up to 660 feet
Twilight zone-some sunlight reaches this zone, but not enough for photosynthesis to occur. This
zone goes down to about 3,300 feet
Midnight zone. No sunlight reaches this zone and it can reach depths of close to 20,000 feet
4. There is life that can survive deep in the twilight zone, what are some adaptations of the
organisms in this zone that help them to survive?
Thin bodies
Red or Black in color
Sharp fangs or teeth
Large eyes
Bioluminescence
5. Go back to the nature files and click on Plankton.
Where does the word plankton come from and what does it mean?
Plankton is the foundation of the ocean food web. The word plankton comes from the Greek word
"planktos" which means drifting.
6. Which type of plankton makes up 30% of the ocean floor? What else is made of this plankton?
Foraminifera which are tiny single-celled, shell-covered organisms, that are usually between a
millimeter and a centimeter in diameter.
Foraminifera make up chalk and limestone
7. Jelly fish are basically what? How do they catch and eat food?
Jelly fish are basically large stomachs and tentacles. Their tentacles have stingers on them and
they use them to catch and paralyze food and carry it to their stomachs
8. Are Siphonophores actually jellyfish? Explain
No, they are really groups or colonies of animals. Each organism in the colony has a special niche
or role.
Go back to the nature files and click on nekton
9. What are nekton? What are the 3 main groups of nekton? Give an example of each.
Nekton are all the organisms that swim in the ocean freely.
chordates -bony fish, whales, sharks, turtles, snakes, eels, porpoises, dolphins and seals.
Molluscan nekton are animals like octopus and squid.
Arthropod nekton are animals like shrimp.
10. Click on the squid/octopus link.
What are 2 ways that a squid is different than an octopus?
An octopus has no shell while a squid has a shell in its body called a pen
Squid have 10 arms (2 are longer tentacles) An octopus has 8 tentacles
Squid live in groups and octopi live alone
Go back to the nature files and click on benthos.
11. What does benthos mean? What are some examples of benthos?
The benthos live on the ocean floor. Starfish, oysters, clams, sea cucumbers, brittlestars
and anemone are all benthos
12. How is life in the benthos organized?
Life in the benthos region is organized by size
13. Is seaweed a plant? Explain. What does this organism do for the Earth?
Seaweeds aren't plants. They are algae. Algae are protists
Algae provide much of the Earth's oxygen
14. Is a starfish a fish? Explain. What are some ways that starfish eat?
Starfish aren't fish. They are invertebrates. They have no bones.