(shoreline to open ocean)
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Intertidal
Zone
Neritic
Zone
Continental
Shelf
Oceanic Zone
Sunlight
Benthic Zone

Intertidal
Zone
Continental
Shelf
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Area between high tide line and low tide line
Organisms adapted to harsh, changing environments

Neritic
Zone
Continental
Shelf
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Area over the continental shelf
Area of greatest density and diversity of marine life

Continental
Shelf
Oceanic
Zone
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From the continental break out to open ocean

Benthic Zone
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The Ocean
Floor
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Underlies all the other zones

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Floaters or very poor swimmers
Plankton divided into 2 groups:
•Phytoplankton – producers, photosynthesizers
•Zooplankton – consumers

Plankton
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Meroplankton
• Spend only part of their life cycles as plankton
• Are the larval stages of organisms that grow to become benthic or nektonic organisms
Holoplankto n
• Spend their entire life cycles as plankton

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Must live in the photic zone
Most abundant in shallow coastal areas or in upwelling zones
The basis of the oceanic food web

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Cyanobacteria
Diatoms
Coccolithophores
Dinoflagellates

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Foraminifers
Radiolarians
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Cnidarians
Combjellies
Arthropods
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Larvae

(swimmers)
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Free swimmers
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Maneuver actively in the water column
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Found in the water column from surface to ocean floor

(swimmers)
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5 Categories:
•Reptiles
•Mammals
•Fish
•Arthropods
•Mollusks

(swimmers)
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Marine
Reptiles:
•Turtles
•Snakes
•Crocodiles
•Iguanas

(swimmers)
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Marine
Mammals:
• Whales
• Seals
• Otters
• Manatees
• Dolphins

(swimmers)
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Bony Fish:
•Tuna
•Barracuda
•Eels
•Angler Fish

(swimmers)
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Cartilaginous
Fish
•Sharks
•Rays
•Skates
•Chimeras

(swimmers)
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Marine
Arthropods
•Shrimp
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Mollusks
•Squid
•Octopi

(bottom dwellers)
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Live either burrowed in, resting on, or attached to the bottom
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Primarily filter feeders, scavengers or deposit feeders

(bottom dwellers)
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2 Basic Types:
•Sessile - Live attached to the bottom
•Vagrant - Able to move about

(bottom dwellers)
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Sessile:
• Barnacles
• Sponges
• Corals
• Sea Anemones
• Oysters
• Clams

(bottom dwellers)
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Vagrant:
• Crabs
• Sea Stars
• Sea
Cucumbers
• Sea Urchins
• Brittle Stars

Supralittoral- splash, spray, high tide to dunes area
- This area can have tidal pools
- Organisms must adapt to change in temp, salinity, moisture and force of waves

Supralittoral- splash, spray, high tide to dunes area
-organisms must cope with exposure to extreme heat/cold, predation by land animals and sea birds.
-dry for most of the time but sprayed with salt water during high tides
-only flooded during storms and high spring tides
-barnacles, isopods, lice, periwinkles, whelks and very little plant life

Intertidal- littoral, sub littoral, swash, low tide, shallow water
-depths can go as deep as 100-300meters depending of clarity of water.
-ton of plant and animal diversity
-sea stars, anemones with suction cups that help stick to rocks

Intertidal- littoral, sub littoral, swash, low tide, shallow water
-always covered by water
-sunlight is able to reach the ocean floor
-plants and animals are able to withstand movement of waves
-barnacles, tube worms, crabs, shrimp, limpets
-depth can be as deep as 5-10m-100% light
-characterized by an abundance of sunlight, dissolved oxygen, and nutrients
-ton of diversity and large populations
-temperatures vary greatly. Animals must adapt.

Rocky vs Sandy
Rocky
-Organisms can quickly dry out
Sandy
-Climate can vary greatly and many are very hot in harsh weather.
-Creatures must adapt to waves and have structures to help hold them onto the rocks.
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Rocky vs Sandy
Rocky
- Usually wet and almost completely covered in rocks.
Sandy
- Creatures must be able to adapt to areas of really dry times.
- Creatures must be able to adapt to cling, live in crevices, scratch or chip away at rocks.
- Speckled or dark with hard shells
- Must be able to burrow or use structures to keep from being pulled out to sea.
-tend to be lighter for camo

Epipelagic
- Sunlit zone, Euphotic zone (true light)
- Surface to 200m
- 90% of diversity and density in ocean
- Coloration is huge in survival (Countershading, Camo, Disruptive coloration)
- Predators, Suspension eaters/Filter feeders, Primary Producers
- Schooling or shooling is a main defense
- Widely varied temps depending on air above
- Common creatures: Sharks, crabs, fish, jellyfish, algae, corals, sponges, sea stars, octopus, squid, krill, plankton….

Epipelagic
- Also called euphotic zone (True light)
- Surface to 600 ft or 200m deep
- 90% of ocean life / Most diversity and density
- Warmer temperatures in most areas
- Food is abundant in this zone
- Not many hiding places off shore
- Creatures have many colors
- Many dependent on phytoplankton
- Sharks, jellyfish, stingrays, colorful fish, octopus, corals,
- Photic zone, Sunlit zone, only area to receive full sun rays
- Creatures must be creative to avoid predation here

Mesopelagic
- Twilight zone, disphotic zone
- Dark, very few wavelengths of light, colder temps
- Very large eyes to take in all possible light
- Bioluminescence- creatures make their own light or have bacteria that emit light.
- No need to be colorful. Tend to be clear, black, red, or dark.
- Many creatures migrate up to feed at night.
- Larger eyes, mouth, jaws, and stomach.
- Increased pressure in this zone.

Mesopelagic
- Twilight zone, Disphotic zone 200-1000m
- Bioluminescence- create their own light or have bacteria/protists in pockets that light up.
- Expandable jaws, stomachs, and larger eyes (catch all rays of light)
- Not diversity and density
- Much colder and increasing pressure
- Many creatures swim up to epipelagic at night to feed on plankton
- Clear, black, dark, red coloration for camo
- No plant life, very few wavelengths of sunlight this deep

Bathy(al)pelagic
-100-4000m deep
-5800psi Immense pressure
-Midnight or aphotic zone
-Less diversity and less density in life
-No plants
-No sunlight at all
-Hard to find mates so there are unique reproduction adaptations
-Bathye means deep

Abysso/Hadalpelagic
-Very similar adaptations to Midnight zone/ Bathyalpelagic
-Deepest regions and trenches of ocean
- No swim bladder due to pressure, most jellylike substance
- Bioluminescence
- Some creatures evolve gigantism
- Very large mouths, stomachs, teeth turned inward
- No need for color so most are clear, white, red, black
- Little effort spent hunting, they wait for food. Some have lures