Oceanic Zones
 Several factors used to divide the ocean in to distinct
life marine zones
 light availability
 distance from shore
 water depth
Zones of Light Availability
photic (light) zone: upper part of the ocean where light
penetrates
 euphotic zone is the topmost part of the ocean where
light is strongest
aphotic zone: lower part of the ocean where very little
or no light penetrates
Photic Zone
 euphotic zone is where nearly all of primary
production from photosynthesis occurs
 highest concentration of plants
 Algae, phytoplankton, and sea grass
 most ocean fish live in this zone
Plants and Animals of Photic Zone
Aphotic Zone
 no living plants
 high pressure, low temperatures
 animals survive by eating detritus or other animals
 animals must adapt to living with no light
Zones: Distance from the Shore
intertidal zone: where land an ocean overlap
neritic zone: seaward from the low tide line, the
continental shelf out to the shelf break
oceanic zone: beyond the continental shelf
Life in the Neritic Zone
 well oxygenated water
 low water pressure
 stable temperature and salinity levels
 home to photosynthetic life
 phytoplankton
 sargassum
Animals and Plants of the Neritic
Zone
Oceanic Zone
 larger creatures
 life decreases with increasing depth
 widest array of life (because it is a very broad area)
Animals of the Oceanic Zone
Water Depth
pelagic zone: open ocean of any depth
benthic zone: includes any sea bottom surface
abyssal zone: subdivision of benthic zone;
 deep
 extremely high water pressure
 low temperatures
Benthic Zone
 low oxygenation of water
 low temperatures
 animals here feed on detritus or other animals
 little or no plant life (depending on depth of water
Animals of the Benthic Zone
Abyssal Zone
 floor of deepest parts of ocean
 most bizarre animals found here
 incredible water pressure
 absolutely no light
 very cold temperatures
 hard to survive
Animals of the Abyssal Zone