Deep Sea Habitats
Marine Biology
Dr. Ouida Meier
Factors Driving Deep Sea Systems
High pressure (1 atm/33 ft)
Low temperature (4◦C)
Depth
Lack of sunlight
Lack of photosynthesis
Scarcity of food resources
Enormous volume of water further reduces
encounter probability (mates, prey)
Deep Sea biota
75% of sea floor is below 3000 m depth
Imported nutrients from photic zone
Seasonal pulses of organic matter
Seafloor communities low biomass but
surprisingly high biodiversity
Most benthic organisms in the deep sea
(polychaetes, arthropods, molluscs,
echinoderms) survive on detritus in sediment
Low biomass but high diversity of fish species
(why?): scavengers and predators
Factors Driving Hydrothermal Vent
Systems
High pressure
Low temperature
Depth
Lack of sunlight
Lack of photosynthesis
Scarcity of food resources
Enormous volume of water further reduces encounter
probability
Counteracted by:
Chemosynthetic bacteria (primary producers)
Hot, mineral-rich water
Location – advantages and disadvantages
Succession in Hydrothermal Vents
New vent forms at diverging plates
Chemosynthetic bacteria
Amphipods, copepods
Grazers/filter feeders: limpets, clams, mussels
Scavengers: vent crabs, worms, fish
Predators: vent crabs, octopi
Symbiotic with primary producers (bacteria): vestimentiferan
worms, giant clams
– 1. Tevnia jerichonana
– 2. Riftia pachyptilia
Longevity of vent itself estimated at years to decades
Factors Driving Methane Vent
(Cold Seep) Systems
High pressure
Low temperature
Depth
Lack of sunlight
Lack of photosynthesis
Scarcity of food resources
Enormous volume of water further reduces encounter
probability
Counteracted by:
Chemosynthetic bacteria (primary producers)
Cold, mineral-rich water
Location – advantages and disadvantages
Bioluminescence
http://www.lifesci.ucsb.edu/~biolum/chem/
Luciferin + Luciferase + O2 ->
Oxyluciferin + light
or
Photoprotein + Ca2+ -> light
Deep Sea and Midwater Creatures
Reportedly brought to surface or washed
ashore in Phuket following the earthquake
and tsunami of 26 Dec. 2004.
Origin and authorship of photos unknown: these were
circulated via email with no references given. Captions
are taken from titles of images.
Aphyonous
Basketwork eel
Black dragonfish
Blind lobster
Blob fish
Carrier shell
Chimaera fish
Chimaera pup
Coffinfish
Crab
Fangtooth
Firefly squid
Gunard
Hatchetfish
Lizard fish
Oreo dory
Prickly shark
Sea spider
Shovel nosed lobster
Stargazer
Stone crab
Swimmer crab
Tongue sole
Umbrella mouth gulper eel
Viperfish