Pelagic+Zone

The Pelagic Zone is the open ocean area outside of coastal areas. It is the largest aquatic biome in the ocean. The Pelagic Zone is the biggest area of the ocean and is where the largest marine life species are found. The Pelagic Zone is divided into sections based on different characteristics such as light intensity, pressure, temperature, salinity, the supply of dissolved oxygen and nutrients, and the submarine topography.The first zone is the epipelagic zone it starts from the surface of the water down to about 200 meters. This zone is known for the various species of photosynthetic life which are abundant because of the amount of sunlight the zone receives. The organisms that live in this area are fish such as tuna, sharks, and dolphin fish. There is also an abundance of jellies because of the large amount of fish. The second zone is the mesopelagic zone which begins from about 200 meters to around 1,000 meters. Although it receives some light, it is not enough to support photosynthetic life. Some of the animals that live here are swordfish, squid, a few species of cuttlefish, and other semi-deepsea creatures. The third zone is the bathypelagic where it is located from 1,000 meters to about 4,000 meters. This zone is completely dark because the light cannot penetrate this deep. Most of the animals that live here are bioluminescent such as the lantern fish. They are also carnivorous or feed of decomposed organisms that fall from other pelagic zones. Two other organisms known to live here are the Giant Squid and the dumbo octopus. The fourth zone the abyssopelagic zone is located from about 4,000 meters to right above the ocean floor. Like the bathypelagic zone no light is able to penetrate this deep, which causes the animals that live here to be blind, colorless or shades of red, which is because no red light can reach down making them camouflaged in the dark. The fifth and last zone is the hadopelagic zone which is the deep ocean trenches. Very little is known about this area and not many species are known to live in this area. Animals who survive usually live near hydrothermal vents such as the Giant tube worm. The animals that live here are put into three categories. The phytoplanktons are the food base of all the marine animals and are microscopic organisms that only live where the sunlight is located so that they can create photosynthesis. Zooplanktons are the marine animals that rely upon water motion for movement, although some, such as the jellyfish, are feeble swimmers. Nektons are the free swimmers and are dominated by the bony and cartilaginous fishes, molluscans, and decapods, with rarer mammals and reptiles.  //Pictures:// [|http://w3.shorecrest.org/~Lisa_Peck/MarineBio/syllabus/ch11_ecosystems/ecosystem_wp/pelagic_gentry_ray/home.html] [|Dumbo octopus] [] [|Giant Tube Worms] //Videos:// []
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