Habitats in Oceans
Habitat
Location
Characteristics
Life
Beaches
Near shorelines of
oceans, lakes,
rivers, or seas
Offshore bars protects beaches
from erosion
(small hill under
water)
Foreshore - area
where water
meets berm
Berm - a hill of
sand that blocks
waves from
reaching any
further
Dunes - rolling hills
of sand
Long shore current
- waves that travel
parallel to
beaches; it has an
impact on how the
beach forms, how
spits (narrow
peninsulas of
sand) form, how
barrier islands
form, and how
tumbolos (narrow
sand deposits
connecting a near
shore island with
the beach) form
Diatoms, bacteria,
microscopic
creatures, turtles,
fish, birds (terns,
gulls, sand pipers,
pelicans, loons),
sea lions, seals,
sea otters, crabs,
clams, periwinkles,
shrimp, starfish
Coral reefs
Shallow areas (less
than 120ft of
water) in tropical
latitudes;
Carribean Sea,
Indian ocean,
South Pacific
ocean, Red Sea,
and Great Barrier
reef
Polyps - individual
coral colonies
(coral have oral
discs on top) that
build the reef's
limestone; when
coral die, they
leave behind their
oral discs as a
foundation for
new coral to
expand
Tons of species
ranging from
clownfish and sea
anemones to giant
clams and seals
Zooxanthellae small plant living
within polyps to
provide coral with
food
Issues stemming
from human
involvement
-Industrial waste is
consumed by
various life forms
-humans try to
permanently
maintain beaches
when beaches
change all the
time due to
erosion
-oil spills stain
beaches and
disrupt the local
ecosystems
-fertilizer runoff
from industrial
farms cause algae
growth to spin out
of control, attract
predators, and
choke out oxygen
from water
sources
-higher than
normal water
temperatures
Mutualism - a
process where
polyps give waste
products to
zooxanthellae in
exchange for
oxygen and
carbohydrates
Estuaries
Any place where
fresh water meets
salt water
Hydrothermal
vents
Any location deep
on the ocean floor
where oceanic
plates pull apart
and lava replaces
Kelp forests
Anywhere along
rocky coastlines in
Coastal Plain
Estuaries - sea
level rises and fills
an existing river
valley
Tectonic Estuaries
- folding or
faulting of land
surfaces
Bar-built Estuaries
- shallow lagoons
or bays protected
from the ocean by
a sand bar
Fjods - U-shaped
valleys formed by
glacial action
Cold seeps - similar
to hydrothermal
vents, but cooler
Chemosynthesis organisms that
convert sulfur into
energy since
photosynthetic
organism can't
survive near
hydrothermal
vents
Crabs, clams, filter
feeders,
horseshoe crab,
oysters, boring
sponge
Holdfasts - Roots
of kelp that attach
Sea urchins, many
different species
tubeworms, fish,
mussels, crabs,
worms, shrimp,
clams, anemones,
chemosynthetic
bacteria
caused by an
increase in CO2
levels causes
zooxanthellae to
die out and coral
reefs would turn
white, resulting in
a bleach effect
-oil spills and
pollution poison
the reefs
-tourists destroy
this fragile
ecosystem by
taking souvenirs
-major industrial
ports are built
near or on
estuaries
-chemical
contamination
-damning and
irrigation causes
salt water to move
upstream in fresh
water sources
-pollution caused
by homes,
businesses, and
factories being
built on or near
estuaries
Since these vents
are extremely
hard to reach,
they are not
heavily impacted
by human actions.
They do, however,
contribute to the
breakdown of
harmful industrial
chemicals that
leak into the
oceans
Kelp forests are
harvested by
Sea grass beds
depths of 18 to 90
feet
to rocks
Gas bladders holds up the kelp
and allows the
organism to grow
upright
of fish, sea
cucumbers,
starfish, Sponges,
sea otters, and
bryozoans
Grows on shallow
water grounds
near healthy bays
and estuaries
Rhizomes - roots
of sea grass that
dig underneath
the sand and
sprout new grass
-sea grass are
decedents of
terrestrial plants
- Eelgrass, turtle
and widgeon sea
grass are common
Scallops,
horseshoe crabs,
snails, many
fishes, diatoms,
any other small
organism seeking
shelter from
predators or in
need of a place to
keep eggs
humans for
commercial
purposes. Sewage
water from cities
can cause a
population boom
of sea urchins,
which chew up
kelp and could
destroy the entire
ecosystem if left
unbalanced
These sea grass
beds are
indicators of
healthy aquatic
life. Pollution and
waste have
destroyed these
beds, but humans
are planting new
ones and reviving
old ones
5. Choose one of the six categories and briefly tell me about their characteristics and adaptation that
have made them successful in the oceans and where they live.
The hydrothermal vents have almost been untouched by human activity. They were discovered in 1977
and no scientist had known they had existed since. The location of these vents proved successful for
their habitat(s). Since they are located far beyond our reach without modern technology, it is still hard
to come in contact with them. The creatures living near these vents have adapted and learned to rely on
chemosynthetic bacteria for energy. Since sunlight can penetrate this deep in the ocean, bacteria use
the nutrients and minerals from lava to create energy for other organisms. Because of chemosynthesis
and the location of hydrothermal vents, these habitats are able to survive on their own without outside
interference.