All You Need to Know About The Marine Life

The earth's surface comprises more than 70 percent ocean and inhabits at least one million species of animals. The oceans are divided primarily into five sections: the Pacific, the Atlantic, the Indian, the Southern and the Arctic.

The ocean is home to diverse marine life. However, more than 80 percent of the ocean remains unexplored and unobserved. A significant portion of it remains surrounded by mystery. Here is everything discovered about the ocean or marine life.

What Are Coral Reefs?

Coral reefs are massive underwater structures. They are composed of the calcium carbonate skeletons of corals, small immobile animals related to the jellyfish. These individual corals live together in millions. Over thousands of years, they create enormous reefs.

The Great Barrier Reef in Australia is the largest coral reef in the world. Several species of coral live in warm, shallow, and clear water in the ocean.



The Marine Life

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In the ocean, you can find the smallest organism to the largest mammal ever existing on earth. Among the one million species that live in the ocean, 97 percent are invertebrates. You can only view the smallest species of animals like the zooplankton through a microscope.

In comparison, the blue whale, the world's largest mammal, is at least 110 feet long and weighs 7000 -150,000 kgs. Other species of dolphins, sharks, porpoises, manta rays and more also live in the ocean. The plant life in the ocean produces oxygen for marine animals. One of them is a tiny algae called phytoplankton that produce oxygen through photosynthesis. Others are seaweed and kelp that provide shelter and food to the animals in the ocean.



There are three sections or groups that divide marine life:

  • Plankton- They float in the ocean and remain unseen with an unaided eye. As they are unable to move on their own, ocean motions carry them along.
  • Nekton – These swim through the water and consist mainly of fishes and a few mammals.
  • Benthos – They live on the ocean floor and attach themselves to rocks or stay in one place. Some of the organisms include worms and clams.

Aquatic Food Web

The marine food web or food chain is a complex ecosystem in the ocean.



Photoautotrophs

The photoautotrophs form the base of the marine food chain. These are the nearly invisible phytoplankton organisms.

They seize the sun's energy and further convert nutrients and carbon dioxide into organic compounds.

Herbivores

The herbivores are animals that feed into the ocean's plant life. Jellyfish, barnacles, mollusks, and larval stage fishes belong to this group.

The larger herbivores such as manatees, green turtles, parrotfish and surgeonfish also feed on marine vegetation. As plant life in the ocean is abundant, herbivores have plentiful opportunities to graze.

Carnivores

The carnivores include sardines, menhaden and herring, which eat herbivores. This group also has larger animals such as octopuses that eat crabs and lobsters. Other fishes feed on invertebrates residing near the shore.

Top Predators

These predators sit on top of the food chain and are a diverse group. It has sharks, dolphins, seals, sea lions and more. But the apex predator of the ocean remains the killer whale that does not have any natural predators.

The marine life is intriguing, but only a section of it remains protected. Overexploitation of these water bodies can result in the depletion of resources.

Ocean conservation through planned management can protect marine life from various threats.

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