an environment that has all
necessary requirements
for an organism to live
Marine habitats
Ocean Ecosystems
Habitat
Biogeography and Evolution of Marine Organisms
R ITA C AST I L HO
A group of interconnected
elements, formed by the
interaction of a community of
organisms with their
environment
Ecosystem = many habitats
Ecosystem
BEMO_T03_Ocean_Ecosystems.key - 17 February, 2015
Large marine ecosystems are
areas of the ocean characterized by distinct
bathymetry, hydrography, productivity, and
trophic interactions.
http://lme.edc.uri.edu
Marine habitats
Coastal
Coral Reef
Deep
Polar
Estuaries
Mangroves
BEMO_T03_Ocean_Ecosystems.key - 17 February, 2015
Marine habitats
Upwelling region
Open Ocean
Marine habitats
Continental shelf
How might they be defined?
Deep
Marine habitats
Marine habitats
BEMO_T03_Ocean_Ecosystems.key - 17 February, 2015
Marine habitats
Marine habitats
Marine habitats
Salinity
Marine habitats
Salinity
Low latitudes – salinity
decreases with depth
High latitudes – salinity
increases with depth
Deep ocean salinity
fairly consistent
globally
Halocline – separates
ocean layers of
different salinity
BEMO_T03_Ocean_Ecosystems.key - 17 February, 2015
Marine habitats
Temperature
Marine habitats ● Continental
Marine habitats
Productivity
Marine habitats ● Continental
BEMO_T03_Ocean_Ecosystems.key - 17 February, 2015
Marine habitats ● Continental
Marine habitats ● Continental
WHY CONTINENTAL SHELF HAVE HIGH PRIMARY PRODUCTIVITY?
Marine habitats ● Continental
Marine habitats ● Coral Reef
Continental shelves account for:
over 25% of global primary productivity
90-95% of the world’s marine fish catch
80% of global carbonate production
50% of global de-nitrification
90% of global sedimentary mineralization
BEMO_T03_Ocean_Ecosystems.key - 17 February, 2015
Marine habitats ● Coral Reef
Marine habitats ● Coral Reef
Structures in the shallow oceans that are built by animals called corals; serve as a
habitat for many diverse organisms.
Require two things: warm temperatures and sunlight
One of the most biological diverse and productive ecosystems.
Found in warm, clear and shallow tropical oceans
On CaCO3 substrate deposited by reef building corals (50% of all Ca
deposit in the sea) and other calcified organisms.
Provide shelters and food to fish
Marine habitats ● Coral Reef
Marine habitats ● Coral Reef
BEMO_T03_Ocean_Ecosystems.key - 17 February, 2015
Marine habitats ● Coral Reef
$ billion/year
Marine habitats ● Coral Reef
Marine habitats ● Coral Reef
Marine habitats ● Estuaries
Global Reefs at Risk successful at raising awareness.
Relatively coarse-scale (4km.)
Regional Reefs at Risk series
Higher resolution analysis – valuable
for management
More integration and improvement of
data
BEMO_T03_Ocean_Ecosystems.key - 17 February, 2015
Marine habitats ● Estuaries
Marine habitats
“Classic” Estuarine Circulation
Ocean
Mixing
river output greatly exceeds marine input and tidal effects have a minor importance
Freshwater
Marine habitats ● Salt marshes
Marine habitats ● Salt marshes
Salt marshes: low areas that is subject to regular, but
gentle, tides, dominated by grasses
Salt marshes: low areas that is subject to regular, but
gentle, tides, dominated by grasses
BEMO_T03_Ocean_Ecosystems.key - 17 February, 2015
Marine habitats ● Mangroves
Coastal wetlands located in tropical and subtropical
zones; characterized by salt-tolerant trees and
shrubs, such as mangrove trees
Taking nature’s value into
account: mangrove
conversion
$4000
Marine habitats ● Mangroves
75% of tropical coast lines (water temp above 24 C)
Marine habitats ● Mangroves
Public Net
Private
NetPresent
PresentValue
Valueper
per
hectare
Value
(per hectare)
Mangrove: $1,000
$91
to $3,600
Shrimp Farm: $-5,400
$2000 to $200
Coastal Protection
(~$3,840)
$2000
Net: $2,000 (Gross
$17,900 less costs
of $15,900)
Fishery nursery ($70)
0
Source: Millennium Ecosystem Assessment;
Sathirathai and Barbier 2001
Less subsidies (-$1,700)
Timber and Non-timber
products ($90)
Mangrove
Pollution Costs (-$230)
Shrimp Farm
Restoration (-$8,240)
BEMO_T03_Ocean_Ecosystems.key - 17 February, 2015
Marine habitats ● Continental
Marine habitats ● Upwelling
Coastal upwelling
Two Major Mechanisms: Equatorial upwelling
Marine habitats ● Upwelling
Coastal upwelling
Marine habitats ● Upwelling
Coastal upwelling
Winds moving water
along the shore
result in a curl Right
or Left (N or S
hemisphere)
BEMO_T03_Ocean_Ecosystems.key - 17 February, 2015
Marine habitats ● Upwelling
Equatorial upwelling
Marine habitats ● Upwelling
Marine habitats ● Upwelling
Equatorial upwelling
Marine habitats ● Deep Sea
Schematic of anchovy eggs
and larvae dynamics in the
southern Benguela. The eggs
and larvae are transported
from spawning areas in the
western Agulhas Bank to
nursery areas located on the
west coast
(Mullon et al. 2002)
The Benguela upwelling is both
highly productive and variable.
For example, estimates of
anchovy recruitment vary from
30 to 500 billion individuals!
BEMO_T03_Ocean_Ecosystems.key - 17 February, 2015
Marine habitats ● Deep Sea
Marine habitats ● Deep Sea
Light
Marine habitats ● Deep Sea
Light
Marine habitats ● Deep Sea
Light
BEMO_T03_Ocean_Ecosystems.key - 17 February, 2015
Marine habitats ● Deep Sea
Pressure
Marine habitats ● Deep Sea
Pressure
*
* A totally subjective measure of their deep sea prowess made up
Marine habitats ● Deep Sea
Pressure
Nereus: $8 million hybrid-transformer-multipurpose-all knowing-swiss army knife of
deep-sea research from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute
Marine habitats ● Deep Sea
Salinity
May 10, 2014, catastrophic implosion of the vehicle
BEMO_T03_Ocean_Ecosystems.key - 17 February, 2015
Marine habitats ● Deep Sea
Temperature
Marine habitats ● Deep Sea
Temperature ??
Marine habitats ● Deep Sea
Temperature
Marine habitats ● Deep Sea
Temperature
BEMO_T03_Ocean_Ecosystems.key - 17 February, 2015
Marine habitats ● Deep Sea
Marine habitats ● Deep Sea
Environmental characteristics
Light
No light, no photosynthesis, no plants.
Sources of energy?
Pressure
Pressure in the ocean increases by
about 1 atmosphere for every 10 meters
of depth, pressure is extreme
Salinity
Salinity is remarkably constant
throughout the deep sea, at about 35 ‱
Temperature
Below 3,000 to 4,000 m, the water is
isothermal between 0 to 3 °C.
Exceptions: hydrothermal vents.
Marine habitats ● Deep Sea
Marine habitats ● Polar
BEMO_T03_Ocean_Ecosystems.key - 17 February, 2015
Marine habitats ● Polar
Marine habitats ● Polar
Marine habitats
Marine habitats
What Limits Primary Productivity?
Stratified Ocean Condition
Light
Warm, low nutrients,
High light
Temp
Depth
Cold, high nutrients,
low light
Nutrients
BEMO_T03_Ocean_Ecosystems.key - 17 February, 2015
Marine habitats
Marine habitats
Marine habitats
Marine habitats ● Deep Sea
Sea Surface Temperature
These four areas, which account for only 1% of
surface area, account for 20% of fishery
landings
BEMO_T03_Ocean_Ecosystems.key - 17 February, 2015
Marine habitats ● Deep Sea
Marine habitats ● Deep Sea
Depth of the mixed layer is crucial
Cool Water / Anchovy Regime
Warm Water / Sardine Regime
Strong Trade Winds
Longitude
Marine habitats ● Deep Sea
Weak Trade Winds
Longitude
Marine habitats ● Deep Sea
BEMO_T03_Ocean_Ecosystems.key - 17 February, 2015
Marine habitats ● Deep Sea
Marine habitats ● Deep Sea
Pinsky, M. L., and M. Fogarty, 2012: Lagged social-ecological responses to climate and range shifts in fisheries. Climatic Change, 115, 883-891, doi:10.1007/s10584-012-0599-x
Marine habitats
Tidal Mixing on Continental Shelves
Marine habitats
Tidal Mixing on Continental Shelves
70% of fisheries production occurs on non-upwelling,
continental shelf systems
BEMO_T03_Ocean_Ecosystems.key - 17 February, 2015
BEMO_T03_Ocean_Ecosystems.key - 17 February, 2015