ch 14 deep sea Flashcards
abiotic characteristics of photic environment
- warm
-sunlight
-photosynthesis - habitats are found
-salinity varies on rainfall, river inputs
abiotic characteristics of deep sea environment
-cold
-dark
-empty space
-constant salinity
-pressure is extreme
epipelagic
0-200m depth
mesopelagic
200-1000m depth
“Deep Sea”
1000-4000m
what does a mesopelagic food web look like
most animals are scavengers
what does a deep sea food web look like
hydrothermal vents (“primary producers”)
environment of the mesopelagic zone
-no photosynthesis
-20% of food sinks down (marine snow)
-scarcity of food
-some fish are vertical migrators
environment of the deep sea
-no photosynthesis
-5% of food sinks to the deep sea (marine snow)
-few other organisms to feed on
functional adaptations of mesopelagic fish that vertically migrates
-difference in tail structure
-muscular difference
-presence of a swim bladder
-can adapt to temperature changes
physiological adaptations for conserving energy
-reduced muscle mass
-slow growing
-small body
-limit movement/swimming
-less dense/weaker bones (helps prevent sinking)
-reduced circulatory and respiratory systems
adaptations for feeding
-benthic organisms are detritivores
-pelagic organisms are either predators or filter/suspension feeders
-less specialized diet
-large, protrusible jaws
-mechanisms to lure food
adaptations to avoid predation
-body armor- spines
-red coloration
-translucence
-bioluminescence
-“eat or be eaten” approach
how to deep sea organisms produce light
symbiotic bacteria, special cells special fluids
purposes of bioluminescence
defense, predation, mating, communication
