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.