Marine+1

__**//M//** ARINE BIOMES__ //__ Introduction!! __//  The largest of all the ecosystem are very large bodies of water. The water separates the Earth's surface. Like ponds, lakes and oceans regions are separated into Intertido, Pelagic, Abyssal, and Benthic those are the different zones. All of these four zones have a great diversity of species. Some people say that the ocean contains the most differences of species. Even though it contains a fewer amount of species than there are on land.

1. Where in the world is the biome located (try and find an image that you can can copy and paste into your page)?

The marine biome is the biggest biome in the world! It covers about 70% of the earth's surface. It includes five main oceans: the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic, and Southern, as well as smaller Gulfs and Bays. Marine regions are usually very salty. There's about a cup of salt for a gallon of water in the ocean.

2. What is the climate like (what is the temperature and the weather)?

The marine biome has an average temperature of all oceans is about 39°F (4°C). It provides rain for crops through evaporation, wind to help circulate air, and affects coastal temperatures. The ocean is a big influence on whether the weather might be sunny or cloudy. Temperatures in the ocean it's just around freezing at the pole and in the deep waters, to tropical clear waters it's warm as a bathtub. Heat from the sun warms only the surface of the water. Deep down, oceans everywhere are cold and dark.

3. What different types of plants exist in this biome?

Over 1 million species of plants and animals have been discovered in the oceans, and scientists say there may be as many as 9 million species they haven't found yet. Marine plants and algae provide much of the worlds oxygen supply and takes in huge amounts of carbon dioxide. This absorption of carbon dioxide may be a useful tool in reducing the severity of climate change. One type of marine algae is kelp. Kelp is important because it provides shelter and food to a lot of sea creatures. Kelp is also used by humans for many productsor things and e.t.c.

Another important marine plant is phytoplankton. These are tiny plants that are food for many of the ocean creatures from the small fishes to large whales. Phytoplankton provide the earth with almost half of its oxygen. Marine plants live in the euphotic zone of the ocean because they need energy from the sun for photosynthesis.

 4. What different types of animals exist in this biome?

The Earth's oceans are homes to most of the planet’s biodiversity. We can find mollusks, fish, whales, crustaceans, bacteria, fungi, sea anemones and many different animals. Animals have to deal with unique living situations in all zones of the ocean. The ocean is a salty place that is often cold. Many animals have adaptations to handle this environment.

Most marine mammals have blubber to survive in the cold water, but sea otters are unique because they don’t have blubber. Instead, they have fur more dense than any other mammal, with up to one million hairs per square inch.

One animal that exsists in the marine biome is the blue whale is the biggest animal on earth. It can be over 100 feet (30 meters) long. Blue whales are so large that a small person could crawl through their main arteries, and 20 people could stand on their tongue! Animals in the deep sea also live in a tough environment. Another creature, the anglerfish, deals with the darkness by attracting its prey with a lure lit up by light-producing bacteria. When the prey is drawn to the lure, the anglerfish captures it with its big mouth for a tasty meal.

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">5. How is this biome threatened by humans?

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">The biome is threatend by humans because humans heavily use the ocean for food, medicines, oil, other or different resources, and recreation. Resources from the ocean is damaging ecosystems and depleting these resources. Around the world, uncapibale fishing practices, including the poisoning, catching unwanted fish, dragging nets on the sea floor, overfishing popular species, and fishing.

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Pollution is also harming the marine ecosystem. Pollutants, such as fertilizers and household products that are put down the drain make their way through streams and rivers into **estuaries** and eventually to the ocean where they badly disrupt the ecosystem and can cause harm to the sea life such as animals and plants. Oil spills are also a large source of pollution in the oceans.

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">6. Give an example of a specific ecosystem that would be classified as this biome (i.e. Lake Ontario is specific ecosystem that is an example of a freshwater biome)

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> Atlantic is a specific ecosystem of the marine biome because the Atlantic you can find mollusks, fish, whales, crustaceans, bacteria, fungi, sea anemones and many different animals, it's also an ocean and it covers the earths surface and it also is one of the biggest biome in the world thats how its an marine biome.

<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;"> <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;"> <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;"> <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">__Food web__