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Habitats/Biomes

The Earth has many different environments, varying in temperature, moisture, light, and many other factors. Each of these habitats has distinct life forms living in it, forming complex communities of

interdependent organisms. A complex community of plants and animals in a region and a climate is called

a biome.

Some of the biomes on Earth include:

• Desert - very dry, either hot or cold

• Tundra - cool, treeless, and dry • Chaparral or scrub - coastal area with hot, dry summers and mild, cool, rainy winters

• Taiga or Coniferous Forest - cool and dry, with coniferous trees • Temperate Deciduous Forest - cool and rainy, with deciduous trees • Grassland - Windy, partly dry sea of grass with few trees, including tropical savanna, prairie,

steppe, pampas, etc. • Mountain biomes: there are a lot of different mountainous biomes, from grasslands at low

altitudes, taiga (coniferous forests) below the treeline, and alpine (the same as tundra) • Temperate Rain Forest - cool and wet

• Tropical Rain Forest - warm and very wet • Land Cave - cool and dark • Wetlands - there are many types of wetlands, including swamps, marshes, moors, bogs, fens,

sloughs, etc. • Freshwater Marsh - a wetland located near creeks, streams, rivers and lakes

• Temperate ponds • Marine (ocean or sea) - including

o euphotic (sunlit) zone � littoral or intertidal zones � coral reef (warm shallow salt-water environments based on coral formations)

� estuarine biomes (where rivers meet oceans) � pelagic biomes (open seas near the surface)

o disphotic (twilight) zone o midnight (aphotic) zone

� benthic biomes (bottom) � sea trenches � sea Caves

• And many more.

1. What does 'terrestrial' mean wiki.answers.com › ... › English Language › Word and Phrase Origins

"Terrestrial" means "pertaining to land". The word comes from the latin root "terre" (pronounced "tare"), meaning "land", and is related to the word "terrain".


Some Land (Terrestrial) Biomes:

Biome Water Temperature Soil Plants Animals

Desert Almost none hot or cold poor

sparse -

succulents (like cactus), sage

brush

sparse - insects,

arachnids, reptiles and birds (often nocturnal)

Chaparal

(scrub)

dry summer, rainy winter

hot summer, cool winter

poor shrubs, some woodland (like

scrub oak)

drought and fire-adapted animals

Tundra dry cold

permafrost (frozen soil)

lichens and mosses

migrating animals

Taiga

(coniferous

forest)

adequate cool year-round poor, rocky

soil conifers

many mammals, birds, insects,

arachnids, etc.

Temperate

Deciduous

Forest

adequate cool season and warm season

fertile soil deciduous trees many mammals,

birds, reptiles, insects,

arachnids, etc.

Grassland

wet season, dry season

warm to hot (often with a cold season)

fertile soil grasses (few or no

trees)

many mammals,

birds, insects, arachnids, etc.

Tropical rain

forest

very wet always warm poor, thin

soil many plants many animals

Swamp very wet warm

nutrient-rich

soil many plants many animals

Cave

(terrestrial)

variable cool (and dark) rocks almost no plants few animals

Biome Water Temperature Soil Plants Animals


Desert Habitats

Deserts cover about one fifth (20 percent) of the earth's land area. The desert is a harsh environment with very little rainfall and extreme temperatures; a desert is defined as a region that gets less than ten inches of

precipitation per year. Because of these dry conditions, there is limited plant and animal life in deserts. Desert plants (like cacti) are not abundant; neither is animal life.

Some deserts get both very hot (during the day) and very cold (during the night, when temperatures can

drop well below freezing). Some deserts, however, are always cold (for example, the Gobi Desert in Asia, and the desert on the continent of Antarctica).

Different animals live in the different types of deserts. Animals that live in the desert have adaptations to

cope with the lack of water, the extreme temperatures, and the shortage of food. To avoid daytime heat, many desert animals are nocturnal; they burrow beneath the surface or hide in the shade during the day,

emerging at night to eat. Many desert animals do not have to drink at all; they get all the water they need from their food. Most desert animals are small.

Desert Extremes: The biggest desert is northern Africa's Sahara Desert; it covers roughly 3,500,000 square miles (9,065,000 square kilometers). The driest deserts are the Atacama desert of northern Chile, South

America, and the Lut Desert in eastern Iran; these extreme deserts get less than half an inch (about 1 centimeter) of precipitation each year - and it is from condensed fog, and not from rain.


Some of the largest deserts in the world:

Type of

Desert Name of Deserts Location Animals

Hot

Desert

Great Sandy

Desert, Great Victoria,

Simpson, Gibson, Tanami

Australia bilby, dingo, kangaroo, marsupial mole, quokka, rabbit-

eared bandicoot, etc.

Hot Desert

Arabian Desert Arabian Peninsula

dromedary, dung beetle, camel, civet, Egyptian

vulture, flamingo, fox, gazelle, hare, hedgehog, Arabian horse, hyena, ibex, jackal, jerboa, lesser bustard, lizard,

locust, oryx, peregrine falcon, porcupine, sand cobra, scorpion, skink,veiled chameleon, viper, etc.

Hot Desert

Chihuahuan Mexico/S.W.

USA big free-tailed bat, coyote, diamondback

rattlesnake, kangaroo rat, roadrunner, vampire bat, etc.

Hot

Desert Kalahari S.W. Africa

gazelle, gerbil, ground squirrel, hyena, jackal, meerkat,

springbok, etc.

Hot

Desert Mojave S.W. USA

bighorn sheep, coyote, desert tortoise, jack rabbit, pupfish,

sidewinder, etc.

Hot

Desert Monte

Argentina,

South America armadillo, cavy, jaguarundi, puma,tinamou, tuco-tuco, etc.

Hot

Desert Sahara North Africa

addax antelope, barn owls, cape hare, dama deer, desert hedgehog, dorcas gazelle, fan-tailed raven, Fennec

fox,gerbil, horned viper, jackal, jerboa, mouse, Nubian bustard, ostrich, sand fox, shrew, slender mongoose, spiny-

tailed lizard, spotted hyena, etc.

Hot Desert

Sonoran S.W. USA, Mexico

barn owl, big free-tailed bat, black widow spider, bobcat,

chuckwallas, coati, collared peccary, desert iguana, desert tortoise, dragonfly, elf owl, gila monster, kangaroo rat, pack rat, Mexican gray wolf, mule deer, pupfish, rattlesnake,red-

tailed hawk, roadrunner, scorpion, sidewinder, tarantula, turkey vulture, wild burros, etc.

Hot Desert

Thar Indian, Pakistan

dromedary, great Indian bustard, Indian spiny-tailed lizard, jackal, sandgrouse, etc.

Coastal Desert

Atacama Peru, Chile llama, Peruvian fox, etc.

Cold

and Hot Desert

Gobi China,

Mongolia

Bactrian camel, beetles, blue hill pigeon, desert

wheatear, gazelle, gecko, Mongolian gerbil, jerboa, Gobi bear, jerboa, lizards, onager, Pallas cat, Pallas sandgrouse,

Przewalski horse, short-toed larks, snow leopard, wild


mountain sheep, wolf, etc.

Cold and Hot Desert

Iranian

Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan

monitor lizard, onager, oryx, scorpion, etc.

Cold

and Hot Desert

Namib

S. W. Africa

fringe-toed lizard, golden mole, jackal, sidewinder, viper,

web-footed gecko, etc.

Cold and Hot Desert

Takla Makan W. China Bactrian camel, jerboa, long-eared hedgehog, gazelle, etc.

Cold Desert

Patagonian Argentina,

South America guanaco, lesser rhea, mara, pygmy armadillo, tuco-tuco, Patagonian weasel, foxes, puma, hawks, eagles, etc.

Cold Desert

Turkestan Middle East Asian tortoise, gazelle, gerbil, saiga antelope, etc.

Cold Desert

Antarctic Desert Antarctica Brown skua, penguins, mites, springtails, worms, etc.

Semi-

arid Desert

Great Basin USA bighorn sheep, jack rabbit, pocket mouse, pronghorn

antelope, sage thrasher, etc.


Tundra

The tundra is a cold, treeless area; it is the coldest biome. The tundra is characterized by very low temperatures, very little precipitation (rain or snow), a short growing season, few nutrients, and low biological diversity. The word tundra comes from the Finnish word tunturia, which means "treeless plain."

There are two types of tundras, Arctic tundras and alpine tundras.

• Arctic tundras are frozen, windy, desert-like plains in the Arctic that are dotted with bogs and ponds. Permafrost (a layer of frozen subsoil) covers the ground, so there is very little drainage of water. The short growing season lasts for only 50 to 60 days. Arctic tundras are located in the far

north of Greenland, Alaska, Canada, Europe, and Russia. Some animals of the Arctic tundra include:

o Mammals - Arctic foxes, Arctic hares, caribou, ermine, lemmings, musk oxen, polar bears, porcupines, Arctic shrews, squirrels, voles, weasels, wolves

o Birds - Arctic loons, snowy owls, falcons, ptarmigans, ravens, snow buntings, snow

birds, snow geese, sandpipers, Arctic terns, tundra swans, many species of gulls o Fish - cod, flatfish, salmon, trout

o Insects - Arctic bumblebees, blackflies, flies, grasshoppers, mosquitoes, and moths.

• Alpine tundras are located high in mountains worldwide, above the tree line. The growing season

is about 180 days, and nighttime temperatures are usually below freezing. The soil is well-drained (unlike the Arctic tundra). Some animals of the alpine tundra include:

o Mammals - elk, marmots, mountain goats, pikas, sheep

o Birds - grouse-like birds o Insects - beetles, butterflies, grasshoppers, and springtails.


Chaparral

What is a Chaparral? A chaparral is a shrubby coastal area that has hot dry summers and mild, cool,

rainy winters. Chaparrals consist of regions of tall, dense shrubs with leathery leaves or needles; the shrubs are interspersed with some woodland (scrub oak). The total annual rainfall in a chaparral ranges from 15 to 40 inches per year (38-100 cm). The word chaparral comes from "chaparro," which means scrub oak in

Spanish. Chaparrals are also called Mediterranean scrub, shrublands, or scrublands.

Where are Chaparrals located? Chaparrals are located in bands between 30 and 40 degrees N and 30 and 40 degrees S of the equator. These coastal regions have cold ocean currents offshore; they are coasts that

face west. They occur in the southern coast of California (USA), the coastal areas of the Mediterranean Sea, the coast of Chile (South America), the Cape region of South Africa, and coastal Australia.

Animals that Live in Chaparrals: Many animals live in chaparrals, including invertebrates, birds, reptiles,

amphibians, and mammals. The different chaparrals of the world support different populations of organisms that have all adapted to long dry spells and frequent fires.

• Coastal Southern California, USA - Bewick's wren, cactus mouse, California quail, California striped racer Snake, California thrasher , chipmunk, coyote, deer, deer mouse, fox, kangaroo rats,

lizards, lynx, mountain lion, northern red diamond rattlesnake, orange-throated whiptail lizard, pocket mouse, rabbit, Southern Pacific rattlesnake, spiders, spotted towhee, wood rats,

wrentit, zebra swallowtail butterfly

• Mediterranean Sea coast - Apennine wolf, beech-marten, deer, black stork, black vulture,

dormouse, Egyptian mongoose, great bustard, hare, hedgehog, Iberian lynx, Spanish Imperial eagle, weasel, wild boar, wild goat, wild sheep

• Coast of Chile, South America - Chilean deer, huemul (South Andean deer)

• Coastal Australia - Australian brush-turkey, gray kangaroo, red-bellied pademelon, scrub-birds, scrub python, tammar (scrub or black-striped wallaby, Atrichornithidae), scrubwren, thornbill

• South Africa - Cape sugarbird, sunbirds.

Taiga

• A taiga, also called a boreal forest or northern coniferous forest,

is a cold woodland or forest. This biome span the northern parts of North America, Europe, and Asia. Taigas are generally located south

of tundras and north of temperate deciduous forests and temperate grasslands. The


taiga is the largest land biome on Earth, covering about 50 million acres of land (20 million

hectares); this is about 17% of the Earth's land area. Taiga is a Russian word for marshy pine forest. • The taiga is characterized by a cold, harsh climate, a low rate of precipitation (snow and rain), and

short growing season. There are two types of taigas: open woodlands with widely spaced trees, and

dense forests whose floor is generally in shade. • Taigas are relatively low in animal diversity because of the harsh winters. Some taiga animals are

able to cope with the cold winter environment, but many migrate south to warmer climates during the winter and others go into hibernation.

Temperate Deciduous Forest

Temperate deciduous forests are forests in cool, rainy areas; they have trees that lose their leaves in Fall and regrow them in Spring. Temperate deciduous forests are found in the middle latitudes

around the globe and have four distinct seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. In the Northern Hemisphere, these forests are found in North America, Europe, and Asia. In the Southern

Hemisphere, there are smaller areas of these forests, in South America, Africa, and Australia. The growing season in these forests is about 6 months long.

Temperature and Precipitation: The average temperature in temperate deciduous forests is roughly 75°F

(24°C) but gets as high as 86°F (30°C), depending on the altitude of the forest. Forests higher in the mountains are colder. Deciduous forests receive from 2 to 5 feet (0.5-1.5 m) of precipitation (both rain and snow) each year. Humidity in these forests is high, from 60% to 80%.

Fall Colors: In the Fall, the number of hours of daylight decreases. This causes some plants and trees (called deciduous) to stop producing chlorophyll (a green pigment that converts sunlight into chemical energy) and eventually lose their leaves. During this time, these leaves turn brilliant

colors, ranging from red to orange to yellow to brown.

Soil: The soil in the deciduous forests is quite fertile, since it is often enriched with falling leaves, twigs, logs, and dead organisms.

Layers of the Temperate Deciduous Forest: There are five layers (also called zones or strata) in the temperate deciduous forest. These include the:

• Tree stratum, the tallest layer, 60 -100 feet high, with large oak, maple, beech, chestnut, hickory, elm, basswood, linden, walnut, or sweet gum trees.

• Small tree or sapling layer - short tree species and young trees.

• Shrub layer - shrubs like rhododendrons, azaleas, mountain laurels, and huckleberries.

• Herb layer - short plants.

• Ground layer - lichens, clubmosses, and true mosses.


Grasslands

What is a Grassland? A grassland is a grassy, windy, partly-dry biome, a sea of grass. Almost one-fourth of the Earth's land area is grassland. In many areas, grasslands separate forests from deserts. Deep-rooted

grasses dominate the flora in a grassland; there are very few trees and shrubs in a grassland, less than one tree per acre. There are many different words for grassland environments around the world, including

savannas, pampas, campos, plains, steppes, prairies and veldts.

There are two types of grasslands, including:

• Tropical grassland - hot all year with wet seasons that bring torrential rains. Located between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, sometimes called savannas.

• Temperate grasslands - hot summers and cold winters. The evaporation rate is high, so little rain makes it into the rich soil. Located north of the Tropic of Cancer and south of the Tropic of Capricorn.

Animal Adaptations: The animals that live in grasslands have adapted to dry, windy conditions. There are grazing animals (that eat the grass), burrowing animals, and their predators; insects are abundant. A moderate of level species diversity exists on a grassland.

Where are Grasslands? Grasslands are located in North America's interior (called prairies), in

southeastern South America (Argentina's pampas and the campos of Uruguay and Brazil), in Eurasia (the Eurasian steppe in Mongolia and parts of the former Soviet Union), in Africa (the semi-arid steppes of the

Sahel of north-central Africa and the wetter grasslands, veldts, of East Africa and Madagascar), and in Australia and New Zealand (called rangelands).

Animals that Live in Grasslands: Many animals live in grasslands, from invertebrates (like grasshoppers

and beetles) to large mammals (like antelopes and bison). The different grasslands of the world support different populations of animals.

• Africa - aardvark, African wild cat, African elephant, many antelopes, baboon, buffalo, Cape hunting dog, cheetah, giraffe, gnu, hartebeest, hippopotamus, hyena, impala, jackals,

kudu, leopard, lion, meerkat, mongoose, oryx, ostrich, red-billed oxpecker,rhinoceros, vulture, wildebeest, zebra, and many other animals.

• Australia - dingo, emu, kangaroo, wallaby, wombat, and many other animals. Many non-native animals have been introduced, including the camel, donkey, goat, horse, rabbit, and sheep.

• North America - American toad, badger, black-footed ferret, bison, black-tailed jack rabbit, bumble

bee, burrowing owl, California condor, carrion beetle, common snipe, coyote, deer, dragonfly,


eagles, eastern cottontail, elk, ferruginous hawk, fox snake, golden owl, gopher

snake, grasshopper, gray wolf, ground squirrels, killdeer, lady beetle, larks, long-billled curlew, meadow vole, monarch butterfly, northern grasshopper mouse, prairie chicken, prairie dog, prairie rattlesnake, prairie skink, pronghorn antelope, red fox, red-tailed hawk, shrew, skunk, stink bug,

tiger beetle, western meadowlark, western tiger swallowtail, white-tailed jack rabbit, and many other animals.

• South America - armadillo, opossum, fox, jaguar, llama, puma, rhea, tapir, many rodents, and many other animals.

• Eurasia - golden pheasant, leopard gecko, snow leopard, vole, and many other animals.

Tropical Rainforest

Rainforests are very dense, warm, wet forests. They are havens for millions of plants and animals. Rainforests are extremely important in the ecology of the Earth. The plants of the rainforest generate much of the Earth's oxygen. These plants are also very important to people in other ways; many are used

in new drugs that fight disease and illness.

Where are Rainforests? Tropical rainforests are located in a band around the equator, mostly in the area between the Tropic of Cancer (23.5° N latitude) and the Tropic of Capricorn (23.5° S latitude). This 3,000

mile (4800 km) wide band is called the "tropics." Tropical rainforests are found in South America, West

Africa, Australia, southern India, and Southeast Asia. Go to a rainforest map printout to color.

Strata of the Rainforest Different animals and plants live in different parts of the rainforest. Scientists divide the rainforest into

strata (zones) based on the living environment. Starting at the top, the strata are:


• EMERGENTS: Giant trees that are much higher than the average canopy height. It houses many birds and insects.

• CANOPY: The upper parts of the trees. This leafy environment is full of life in a tropical rainforest and includes:

insects, birds, reptiles, mammals, and more.

• UNDERSTORY: A dark, cool environment under the leaves but over the ground.

• FOREST FLOOR: Teeming with animal life, especially insects. The largest animals in the rainforest generally live

here.

Animals that Live in Rainforests: Ridiculously huge numbers of animals live in rainforests, including microscopic animals, invertebrates (like insects and worms), fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and

mammals. The different rainforests of the world support different populations of animals. A few animals from each rainforest are listed below:

• South America - o insects (morpho butterfly, Julia butterfly, Monarch butterfly, and millions of other insects) o mammals (jaguar, ocelot, didelphid opossums, sloth, howler monkey, spider monkey,

capybara, many bats, marmosets, procyonids, peccaries) o birds (quetzal, macaw, tinamous, curassows, hoatzins, hummingbirds, eagles, ovenbirds,

antbirds, flycatchers, puffbirds,toucans, jacamars, tanagers, tapirs, troupials, honeycreepers,

cardinal grosbeaks, xenops) o reptiles (anaconda, caiman, iguanas, lizards, microteiid lizards, boas, and coral snakes),

amphibians (poison arrow frog, etc.) o fish (electric eel, piranha), and millions of other animals.

• Australia - o mammals (tree kangaroo, rat kangaroo, yellow-footed Antechinus, Giant White-tailed

Uromys, opossums, bandicoot, echidna,duck-billed platypus, sugar glider, red legged

pademelon) o birds (cassowary, brolga, emerald dove, orange-footed scrubfowl, Australian brush-turkey,

sarus crane, gray goshawk, wompoo fruit dove, topknot pigeon, Australian king parrot, laughing kookaburra, lesser sooty owl, fernwren, barred cuckoo-shrike, golden

whistler, etc.) o reptiles (frilled lizard, carpet python, Green Tree Snake, Spotted Tree Monitor, Eastern

Water Dragon, Boyd's Forest Dragon, Northern Leaf Tailed Gecko)

o insects (Ulysses butterfly, Zodiac Moth, Union Jack butterfly, Regent skipper, Birdwing Butterfly)

o amphibians (Giant Tree frog, Striped marsh frog, Northern Barred frog, Dainty Green Tree frog), and millions of other animals.

• Southeast Asia - o mammals (tarsiers, orangutans, Siamangs, gibbons, colobine monkeys, tigers, tree

shrews, binturong, moonrats, most flying foxes, colugos, bamboo rats, Oriental dormice)

o birds (tree swifts, leafbirds, fairy bluebirds, fantails, whistlers, flowerpeckers, wood swallows)


o insects (Queen Alexandra's Birdwing butterfly, Goliath Birdwing butterfly, Saturn

Butterfly), and millions of other animals.

• West Africa - o mammals (antelopes, bonobo, chimpanzee, gorilla, Mandrill, scaly-tailed squirrels, otter

shrews, duikers, okapi, hippopotamus, Cercopithecus monkeys, bushbabies, pygmy hippo, duiker)

o birds (Congo peafowl, African Gray Parrot) and millions of other animals.

Terrestrial Caves

Caves are home to many animals. A troglobiont ('troglo' means cave or hole in Greek and 'bio' means life) is an organism that lives in a cave.

Some animals live only in caves - they are called troglobites (meaning 'cave dwellers'). These animals are adapted to life in the dark (they are often colorless and many cannot see at all) and they cannot survive

outside the cave. Some examples include the blind Texas salamander, blind flatworms, eyeless shrimp, eyeless fish, cave beetles, cave crayfish, and some bristletails, isopods and copepods.

Some animals live in caves but also venture out of the cave to complete their life cycle - these animals are

called trogloxenes (meaning 'cave guests'). Some trogloxenes include some bats (who only roost in caves),

pack rats (who nest in caves), cave crickets (who feed outside the cave), flies and gnats.

Trogolophiles (meaning 'cave lovers') are animals who sometimes live in caves but also live elsewhere. Some Trogolophiles include cave crickets, cave beetles, salamanders, millipedes, snails, copepods,

segmented worms, mites, spider, and daddy longlegs (harvestman).

Some animals only enter caves occasionally - these animals are called incidentals. Some incidentals include raccoons, frogs, and people.

Temperature and Living Conditions: Different animals live in the different areas of the cave. Terrestrial

(land) caves are divided into three areas:

• The entrance zone: The area where the cave opens to the surface is called the entrance zone; it is a cool, shaded area. The entrance zone is home to some small rodents, spiders, beetles, earthworms,

salamanders, snakes, millipedes, and other animals seeking shelter in the cave entrance.

• The twilight zone: The next area is called the twilight zone, a cool, damp area with some light. It is home to cave crickets and cave beetles.

• The dark zone is deep within the cave; it is cool and dark all the time. The dark zone is home to blind crayfish, eyeless shrimp, and other dark-adapted life.


Freshwater Marsh

Freshwater marshes are a type of wetland that is teeming with both animal and plant life. Freshwater marshes are usually low-lying, open areas located near creeks, streams, rivers and lakes, where water flows into the marsh. Marshes are especially common at

the mouths of rivers. The water level in freshwater marshes usually ranges from 1 to 6 feet deep (for most of the year); this water is rich in minerals and the water level varies seasonally. In the United States, the biggest freshwater marsh in the United States is the Florida Everglades (in southwestern

Florida).

The waterlogged land in marshes supports many low-growing plants, like grasses and sedges; there are few trees in marshes. Some marsh plants are cattail, sawgrass, water lily, pickerel weed, spike rush, and

bullrush.

Some animals live in the water (including fish, crabs, shrimp, tadpoles, insect larvae, etc.), some animals live at the surface of the water (like frogs, turtles, beavers, etc.), some animals live above the water (like

birds, insects, frogs, etc.), and other animals live in the spongy areas of land surrounding the swamp (like raccoons, opossums, muskrats, deer, snails, earthworms, etc.), using the marsh for feeding, shelter, and/or

nesting areas.

Temperate Ponds


Ponds are teeming with both animal and plant life. Some animals live in the water (fish, crayfish, tadpoles,

etc.), some live above the water (ducks, insects, etc.), and others live in the area surrounding the pond (raccoons, earthworms, etc.).

Marine (ocean or sea) – includes:

o euphotic (sunlit) zone

� littoral or intertidal zones � coral reef (warm shallow salt-water environments based on coral formations)

� estuarine biomes (where rivers meet oceans) � pelagic biomes (open seas near the surface)

o disphotic (twilight) zone

o midnight (aphotic) zone � benthic biomes (bottom)

� sea trenches � sea Caves

Sunlit Ocean (Euphotic) Zone

The uppermost layer of the world's oceans is bathed in sunlight

during the daytime. This bright ocean layer is called the sunlit

zone or the euphotic zone (euphotic means "well lit" in Greek) or the epipelagic zone (epipelagic means "upon the sea"). The

depth of this zone depends on the clarity or murkiness of the water. In clear water, the euphotic zone can be quite deep; in

murky water, it can be only 50 feet deep. On average, it extends to about 660 feet (200 meters); the depth of the ocean averages about 13,000 feet or 4,000 m. The temperature in this zone

ranges from 104 to 27 degrees F.

In this zone, there is enough light for photosynthesis to take place, so many plants and other photosynthetic organisms live in this zone and food is abundant. Photosynthesis is a process in which


sunlight and carbon dioxide gas are converted into food (chemical energy contained in carbohydrates) and

oxygen gas. Photosynthesis in the oceans creates approximately 90% of the Earth's gaseous oxygen. Most of the oxygen is produced by phytoplankton. These primary producers (also called autotrophs) are the first link in the food chain in the oceans. Because of this food source, many animals also live in this zone. In

fact, most of the life in the ocean is found in this zone, although it is the smallest ocean zone in terms of volume of water.

Primary Producers (Algae, Phytoplankton, Plants): In the euphotic zone, photosynthesizers (autotrophs) include:

• Free-floating algae -- often called seaweed o Red algae ( Rhodophyta) -- Porphyra (from which edible nori is made), dulse, Ceramium and maerl o Green algae (Chlorophyta) --thongweed, sea lettuce (Ulva) o Brown algae (Phaeophyta) -- like fast-growing kelp, Sargassum, Turbinaria, Dictyota, and wrack

• Phytoplankton -- tiny, one-celled photosynthetic plankton like diatoms, dinoflagellates, and coccolithophorids

• Plants o Flowering plants (angiosperms)

� Submerged: Seagrasses -- flowering plants like eelgrass and thalassia � Not Entirely Submerged: Mangroves -- trees that root in the shallow seafloor but grow above

water.

Animals: Examples of euphotic zone animals include most ocean fish (including sharks and rays), man-o'-war, jellyfish, sea turtles, seals,coral, and zooplankton. Some bottom-dwellers live in the euphotic zone -

this zone is defined in terms of light, not depth.

Some of the animals in this zone have countershading. Countershading is when an animal is light on its underside and dark on its upper parts. When a predator looks down at a countershaded animal, it blends

into the darker waters; whan a predator looks at a countershaded animal from below, the light underbelly disappears into the light. This adaptation helps camouflage the organism, hiding it from predators and

allowing it to sneak up on prey. Most sharks, for example, are countershaded.

The Intertidal Zone aka The Littoral Zone

The intertidal area (also called the littoral zone) is where the land and sea meet, between the

high and low tide zones. This complex marine ecosystem is found along coastlines

worldwide. It is rich in nutrients and oxygen and is home to a variety of organisms.


An Inhospitable, Changing Environment: Much of this inhospitable environment is washed by the tides each day, so organisms that live here are adapted to huge daily changes in moisture, temperature, turbulence (from the water), and

salinity.

• Moisture: The littoral zone is covered with salt water at high tides, and it is exposed to the air at low tides; the height of the tide exposes more or less land to this daily tide cycle. Organisms must be adapted to both very wet and very dry conditions.

• Water Movement:The turbulence of the water is another reason that this area can be very difficult one in which to survive - the rough waves can dislodge or carry away poorly-adapted

organisms. Many intertidal animals burrow into the sand (like clams), live under rocks, or attach themselves to rocks (like barnacles and mussels).

• Temperature: The temperature ranges from the moderate temperature of the water to air temperatures that vary from below freezing to scorching.

• Salinity: Depressions on the shores sometimes form tide pools, areas that remain wet, although

they are not long-lasting features. The salinity of tidepools varies from the salinity of the sea to much less salty, when rainwater or runoff dilutes it. Animals must adapt their systems to these

variations. Some fish, like sculpin and blennies, live in tide pools.

Vertical Zones: The littoral zone is divided into vertical zones. The zones that are often used are the spray zone, high tide zone, middle tide zone, and low tide zone. Below these is the sub-tide zone,

which is always underwater.

• Spray Zone: Also called the Upper Littoral, the Supralittoral Fringe, the Splash Zone, and the Barnacle Belt. This area is dry much of the time, but is sprayed with salt water during high tides. It is only flooded during storms and extremely high

tides. Organisms in this sparse habitat include barnacles, isopods, lichens, lice, limpets, periwinkles, and whelks. Very little vegetation grows in this area.


• High Tide Zone: Also called the Upper Mid-littoral Zone and the high intertidal zone. This area is flooded only during high tide. Organisms in this area include anemones, barnacles, brittle stars,

chitons, crabs, green algae, isopods, limpets, mussels, sea stars, snails, whelks and some marine vegetation.

• Middle Tide Zone: Also called the Lower Mid-littoral Zone. This turbulent area is covered and uncovered twice a day with salt water from the tides. Organisms in this

area include anemones, barnacles, chitons, crabs, green algae, isopods, limpets, mussels, sea lettuce, sea palms, sea stars, snails, sponges, and whelks.

• Low Tide Zone: Also called the Lower Littoral Zone. This area is usually under water - it is only exposed when the tide is unusually low. Organisms in this zone are not well adapted to long periods of dryness or to extreme temperatures. Some of the organisms in this area are abalone,

anemones, brown seaweed, chitons, crabs, green algae, hydroids, isopods, limpets, mussels, nudibranchs, sculpin, sea cucumber, sea lettuce, sea palms, sea stars, sea urchins, shrimp, snails, sponges, surf grass, tube worms, and whelks.

Predators:

Animals that live in the littoral zone have a wide variety of predators who eat them. When the tide is in,

littoral organisms are preyed upon by sea animals (like fish). When the tide is out, they are preyed upon by

land animals, like foxes and people. Birds (like gulls) and marine mammals (like walruses) also prey on

intertidal organisms extensively.

Coral Reef

Coral reefs are warm, clear, shallow ocean habitats that are rich in life. The reef's massive structure is formed from coral polyps, tiny animals that live in colonies; when

coral polyps die, they leave behind a hard, stony, branching structure made of limestone.

The coral provides shelter for many animals in this complex habitat, including sponges, nudibranchs, fish (like Blacktip Reef Sharks, groupers, clown fish, eels, parrotfish, snapper, and scorpion

fish), jellyfish, anemones, sea stars (including the destructive Crown of Thorns), crustaceans (like crabs, shrimp, and lobsters), turtles, sea snakes, snails, and mollusks (like octopuses, nautilus, and clams). Birds

also feast on coral reef animals.


Types of Corals: There are two types of coral, hard coral and soft coral. Hard corals (like brain coral and elkhorn coral) have hard, limestone skeletons which form the basis of coral reefs. Soft corals (like sea

fingers and sea whips) do not build reefs.

Where are Coral Reefs?: Coral reefs develop in shallow, warm water, usually near land, and mostly in the tropics;

coral prefer temperatures between 70 and 85 ° F (21 - 30 °C). There are coral reefs off the eastern coast of Africa, off

the southern coast of India, in the Red Sea, and off the coasts of northeast and northwest Australia and on to Polynesia. There are also coral reefs off the coast of Florida,

USA, to the Caribbean, and down to Brazil.

The Great Barrier Reef (off the coast of NE Australia) is the largest coral reef in the world. It is over 1,257 miles (2000

km) long.

Types of Reefs: The different types of reefs include:

• Fringing reefs are reefs that form along a coastline. They grow on the continental shelf in shallow water.

• Barrier reefs grow parallel to shorelines, but farther out, usually separated from the land by a deep lagoon. They are called barrier reefs because they form a barrier between the lagoon and the seas,

impeding navigation.

• Coral Atolls are rings of coral that grow on top of old, sunken volcanoes in the ocean. They begin as fringe reefs surrounding a volcanic island; then, as the volcano sinks, the reef continues to grow,

and eventually only the reef remains.

Coral Reefs in Danger: Many coral reefs are dying. Major threats to coral reefs are water pollution (from sewage and agricultural runoff), dredging off the coast, careless collecting of coral specimens, and

sedimentation (when silt or sand from construction or mining projects muddies the waters of a reef and kills coral, which needs light to live).

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