(IMO) Ocean Habitats Lesson

Instruction: Ocean Habitats

All marine organisms require the same things as terrestrial organisms. They must have water, air, food and a place to live.

Compared to the conditions on land, life in the sea is a very stable and constant environment. Marine organisms live in the water and this provides them with food, air, and support within their habitat. Furthermore, they have all the water they need because their bodies have adapted in a way which allows them to use the ocean water to meet their metabolic need for water. This water also provides essential gases and minerals for the organisms.

Gases like oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide dissolve into the ocean water at the surface. Producers living within the water column also make oxygen. Consumers use the oxygen for cellular respiration and produce carbon dioxide. You will learn more about this cycle later in this unit.

Salts are also important to marine organisms. Marine plants and animals take salt directly from the water. Salt such as phosphates and nitrates are used in photosynthesis. Calcium is used by mollusks, corals, and crustaceans to create their shells and skeletons.

The food supply in the ocean is incredibly dependable and obtainable. Water conditions are very stable and provide a steady supply of plant growth. This plant growth provides consistent nourishment for consumers in a marine food chain.

Organisms living in sea water tend to be weightless. This way they do not lose any energy by trying to stay afloat.

Taking all these things into consideration, the ocean habitat is a paradise for marine organisms. They have all the food, air, space and of course, water they could ever need!

Marine Ecosystems

Additionally, the food supply in the ocean is dependable and obtainable. Water conditions are typically stable and provide a constant supply of producers to support the food chain. Overall, marine organisms are well adapted for life in the ocean and the various environments in which they live.

Organisms that can not produce their own food must get their nutrients from the producers. These organisms are called consumers. Herbivores are organisms that eat plants. Carnivores are organisms that eat other animals and Omnivores are organisms that eat both plants and animals. Scavengers are organisms that eat dead organisms. Together, plants and animals form a food chain. A food chain represents the transfer of food and energy when one organism consumes another.

[CC BY 4.0] UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED | IMAGES: LICENSED AND USED ACCORDING TO TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION