Ecosystem Of The Ocean Floor

Many of these newly discovered species live deep on the ocean floor in unique habitats that depend on plate movement underwater volcanoes and cold water seeps.

Ecosystem of the ocean floor.

Coral reefs alone are home to over 25 of all marine life despite occupying less than 1 of the ocean floor. Kelp forests occur worldwide throughout temperate and polar coastal oceans. Physically formed by brown macroalgae kelp forests provide a unique habitat for marine organisms and are a source for understanding many ecological processes. Coral reefs are amazing habitats.

But coral reefs only occupy less than one tenth of one percent of the ocean floor. An ecosystem is defined as a community and the interactions of living and nonliving things in an area marine ecosystems have distinct organisms and characteristics that result from the unique combination of physical factors that create them. Marine ecosystem includes saltmarsh mangroves mudflats lagoons coral reefs barrier islands estuaries the ocean floor and the deep sea etc. We know very little about the deep ocean floor and the life it holds due to the depth and the difficulties this creates for scientists.

The deepest reaches of the ocean were once thought to be devoid of life since no light penetrates beyond 1 000 meters 3 300 feet. Some coral reefs are so large they are even visible from outer space. Deep ocean hydrothermal vent ecosystems were discovered in 1977. Here are 15 crazy facts about the ocean floor.

The national park service has ten parks with coral reefs. Only about 1 of the sea floor has been explored by humans. Different areas of the ocean can be classified as different types of marine ecosystems. Like all ecosystems marine ecosystems are finely balanced and highly complex.

This sciencestruck article highlights facts structure and lifeforms belonging to this ecosystem. Over the last century they have been the focus of extensive research particularly. Like land the ocean floor is not completely flat but features abyssal plains valleys deep trenches massive mountains and other undulations. In fact humans know more about the surface of the moon than the ocean floor.

In fact it has been said that we know more about the surface of the moon than about the deeper ocean trenches. Offering vibrant colors and the greatest biodiversity of any marine ecosystem on the planet. Ocean floor and trench ecology. The ocean floor covers 70 of the earth s surface.

Contrary to popular belief most of the sea floor known as the open ocean is not really a habitat for animals just a place they pass by on the way to somewhere else. Nearly half of the world s sea floors are over 3 000 meters 9 800 ft deep. In 2007 kelp forests were also discovered in tropical waters near ecuador. There are many different parts that make up an ecosystem and each part plays a role in maintaining balance within the system.