Marine Biology
Chapter Sixteen
The Ocean Depths
Layers of the Deep Sea
❖Mesopelagic – 200 to
1000 meters
❖Bathypelagic – 1000
to 4000 meters
❖Abyssopelagic – 4000
to 6000 meters
❖Hadopelagic – 6000
to benthic community
(can be as deep as
11,000 meters in
trenches)
Characteristics of the Deep Sea
✓ High pressure
✓ Extremely high/low temperature
✓ Limited photosynthesis-generated organic matter
✓ Darkness
✓ High levels of corrosion
Life in the Deep Sea
❖Less life Few
organisms live in the
deep sea compared
to other more shad
llow water layers due
to
❖ Shortage of food
❖ Limited
photosynthesis
Life in the Deep Sea
❖Food is limited, but not DO (dissolved oxygen)
because of due to exchange with of surface
waters via ocean currents
❖Oxygen Minimum Zone (OMZ) - where oxygen
levels are reduced - there is more respiration
(mostly from decaying bacteria) than
photosynthesis (to replace the oxygen) – at ~500
Life in the Mesopelagic
❖Mesopelagic (meso = middle) lies just below the
well light - epipelagic
❖Lots of primary production/phytoplankton and
zooplankton in the epipelagic
❖so, many mesopelagic species undergo vertical
migrations
❖Days are spent in the mesopelagic and nights
are spent feeding in the epipelagic
Stressors for Vertical Migrants
❖The main thermocline (rapid temp change) occurs
in the mesopelagic, so migrators must tolerate
these changes.
❖Changes in pressure must also be tolerated as well
Migrating Vs. Non Migrating Fish of the Mesopelagic
❖Comparison of fish that migrate versus
those that do not
DSL – Deep Scattering Layer
❖ A sound-reflecting layer made by sound
waves bouncing off of swim bladders (gas)
of vertically migrating fishes
❖ At ~ 300 to 500 m during the day
❖ Rises at sunset – deeper on the full moon
than the new moon
❖ Many other orgs live in the DSL
❖ Dominant DSL fauna – lanternfishes, krill,
shrimp, copepods, jellyfishes, squid
DSL – Deep Scattering Layer
DSL – Deep Scattering Layer
❖ Many other organisms live in the DSL
❖ Dominant DSL fauna – lanternfishes, krill,
shrimp, copepods, jellyfishes, squid
Adaptations of Non-Migrating Mesopelagic Fish
❖ Tend to have weak bones and
flabby, watery muscles
❖ This adaptation helps to make
them neutrally buoyant and
requires less energy
❖ These fish also tend to be
small (less energy required)
❖ These fish normally have long
sharp teeth and large jaws –
this these allows for them to
feed on most of prey (even if
the prey is larger than them
Adaptations of Non-Migrating Mesopelagic Fish
❖ Many of these fish lack a swim bladder as adjusting
the pressure in the swim bladder takes precious
energy
❖ Like fish in the epipelagic, these fish have counter
shading or transparency to escape notice from prey
or predators
❖ These fish normally have large sensitive eyes for
seeing in the extremely low light conditions
Adaptations of Non-Migrating Mesopelagic Fish
❖ Bioluminescence is also common, via photophores or
other specialized organs
❖ The presence of photophores on only the ventral
surface results in a type of camouflage sometimes
referred to as counterillumination
❖ Their hemoglobin is modified to operate at low levels
Examples of Mesopelagic Fish
Other Animals of the Mesopelagic
❖Zooplankton such
as krill and
copepods as well as
larger crustacean
such as shrimp,
ostracods,
amphipods and
isopods.
❖Cephalopods such
as octopus and
squid are also
found here.
Conditions in the Bathy-, Abysso- and Hadopelagic
❖ Uniformly dark
❖ Uniformly cold (about 2°C)
❖ Uniform salinity
❖ Water chemistry is also relatively
consistent
Organisms of the Bathy-, Abysso- and Hadopelagic
❖ No countershading
❖ Bioluminescence present in upper portions
of the deep sea; decreases with increasing
depth
❖ Bioluminescence used for courtship,
communication or prey attraction
❖ Unlike the organisms in the epipelagic, the
photophores are normally located near or on
the head as opposed to on the ventral side
❖ Eyes organisms are small or absent (eyes
only used to detect bioluminescence)
❖ Pressure resistant enzymes for metabolism
Organisms of the Bathy-, Abysso- and Hadopelagic
Organisms of the Bathy-, Abysso- and Hadopelagic
❖ Fish similar to
those in the
mesopelagic
▪ lack of swim bladders
▪ flabby, watery
muscles
▪ light, weak skeletons
❖ mouth is also
large with long,
pointed teeth
Example of a Deep Sea Fish
❖ The angler fish is one of the more most
interesting fish of the deep sea
❖Anglerfish possess a “lure” on the head
that contains symbiotic bioluminescent
bacteria to attract prey
❖Another interesting adaptation is male
parasitism
❖In male parasitism, a male angler fish
(which are much smaller than the females)
attach to the females and receive their
nutrition from them and fertilize the eggs
of the female
Example of a Deep Sea Fish
???????
Deep Sea Reproductive Strategies
❖Hermaphroditism = makes finding a mate
much easier
▪ ensures that reproduction can occur if encounters
occur betweenamong members of the same species
(chemical cues, pheromones, help attract these fish
together)
❖This is important in an environment where
the number of organisms is very low!
Survey of Deep Sea Organisms
❖26
Life with Depth:
❖Before 1850: “550 m”.
❖ “Have life”:
▪ 800 m, 2300 m in 1860.
▪ 4000 m in 1870…
❖Deepest fish – found in Puerto Rican Trench at
8.372 m depth in 2005 (Abyssobrotula
galatheae).
❖27
❖(Abyssobrotula galatheae)
Deep Sea Benthos
❖ Can scavenge
the bottom for
food that falls
from above
❖ Benthic
organisms
have a greater
chance at
finding food
Deep Sea Benthos
❖ Other organisms such as pteropods, snails
and worms can also be found in this area
❖ Decomposing bacteria can be found in the
deep sea sediments, but they decompose at
a much slower rate than bacteria at the
surface (as much as 1000 times slower)
❖ This is likely due to the extreme pressure
present in the deep sea
Deep Sea Benthos
❖ A wide variety of
meiofauna also live in deep
sea sediments
❖ Due to the bacteria and
meiofauna, deposit feeding
organisms are common
❖ Many organisms are quite
large compared to their
counterparts in other
marine communities
❖ This phenomenon is known
as deep sea
gigantism
Deep Sea Benthos
4.5 cm
Deep Sea Benthos
❖organisms tend to grow larger
▪ tend to grow slowly
▪ have an exceptionally long life
❖They tend to reproduce late in life and
have few, large well developed eggs (K –
for carrying capacity- reproductive
strategy)
Hydrothermal Vent Communities
❖ These communities are an oasis in the
otherwise nutrient poor deep sea
❖ The chemical laden water escaping from
cracks in the seafloor around the mid
ocean ridges “feed” chemoautotrophic
bacteria
Hydrothermal Vent Communities
❖ These vents contain large amounts of hydrogen
sulfide that serve as the energy source for these
bacteria
❖ These bacteria are the first link in the food chain
in this unique community
❖ Not only can they utilize this normally toxin
substance, but also they can withstand temps up
to 120°C
Hydrothermal Vent Communities
❖ These “black
smoker” vents and
the cooler “white
smokers” support a
WIDE variety of
organisms besides
bacteria such as
fish, shrimp, tube
worms, clams,
crabs, snails,
barnacles,
sponges, corals,
etc.
Hydrothermal Vent Communities
❖Interestingly, one
group of these
organisms – the
tube worm seen at
the right – actually
harbors the
chemoautotrophic
bacteria in their
body to support
their metabolic
needs
Hydrothermal Vent Communities
❖ These vents that may come and go as
geologic activity in any given area may
change
❖ For As long as they last, the vents
support a level of life that has not seen
elsewhere in the deep sea