Marine Biome and
Biodiversity
Biome:
A distinct ecological community of plants
and animals living together in a particular
climate
• The Marine Biome covers about threefourths of the Earth’s surface.
• Divided into 3 main regions:
1. Ocean
2. Coral Reefs
3. Estuaries
1. Oceans
• The ocean biome can be separated into
several different ecosystems, each
characterized by different biotic and abiotic
factors, such as temperature, substrate, plants
and animals.
Biotic: Living
Abiotic: Non-living
We’re going to
look at:
• Kelp forests
• Mangrove swamps
• Migratory animals
Focus for all ecosystems: FOOD!
• In an ecosystem, energy is recycled through
living organisms.
• Autotrophs make their own food using energy
from the sun (plants, algae, bacteria)
• Heterotrophs need to eat other organisms to
get energy
herbivores (eat plants, algae, bacteria)
omnivores (eat plants and animals)
carnivores (eat animals primarily)
Energy is cycled through the food chain:
who eats whom?
Basically:
So, what’s at the base of all these
aquatic food chains?
One guess…
Plankton
• Plankton are tiny open-water plants, animals or
bacteria.
• The name is derived from a Greek root that
means, "wanderer."
• These organisms range in size from microscopic
bacteria and plants to larger animals, such as
jellyfish.
• Plankton generally have limited or no
swimming ability and are transported through
the water by currents and tides.
Marine Plankton -- microscopic ocean animals - magnified 140 times
3 types of plankton:
1. phytoplankton–microscopic plants and
bacteria (photosynthetic, these are the
autotrophs) ex. diatoms
2. zooplankton–microscopic animals (eat
phytoplankton) ex. dinoflagellates
3. macrozooplankton–larger fish eggs and
larvae and pelagic invertebrates. Ex.
jellyfish
Giant Jellyfish
Plankton nets
Net is hauled slowly for a
known distance behind a ship
and organisms carefully
removed
Why Collect and Study Plankton?
1)They are the beginning of food chains in the sea
and are very important in ocean food webs. The
abundance of plankton directly correlates to the
abundance of other marine organisms. (more
plankton = more fish, sharks and whales!)
2) Red tides – a type of oceanic algae bloom that
tinges the water red. We need to avoid shellfish
that have been exposed to the toxins produced
in a red tide.
IN YOUR JOURNAL
• March 11th: What is plankton’s role in the
Ocean? What would happen if there was a
large increase or decrease in the amount
of plankton?