Neritic+Ocean

__1)__ Neritic Ocean



__2)__ Lucy Hritzo and Jessica Oriente Honors Biology Period 8 Mr. Z

__3)__ Climate The neritc ocean zone is primarily in warm Tropical waters. This zone is the shallow region right before the continental shelf, since shallow allowing the sun to penetrate the water, causing the warmth. Since the climate is warm, many coral reefs exist on the shallow floor. The neritic zone is so sunny that another name for it is the Sunlit zone.



4) Soils and Geologic Characteristics The soil of the neritic zone is very rich, which causes for all the species to be able to live there. The richness of the soil depends on runoffs, waves, and currents to bring in the nutrients. The main geologic characteristic of the neritic zone is that it is low sea level which allows productivity to be high. The dolphin picture shows the shallowness and sunlit zone.

5) Latitudes where found, Geographic parts of Earth where found The latitude where an ocean region is situated affects the temperature of the region. A low latitude region will have colder water, while a higher latitude region will have warmer. Since the neritic ocean zone is the the part of the ocean before the continental shelf, it is at a higher level. Being at a higher level causes the neritic ocean to have a higher latitude region, therefore a warmer region. Neritic ocean zones are primarily found in warm Tropical waters.

6) Altitudes where found, how do changing altitudes change characteristics of biome? The altitude of the neritic ocean zone is a low sea level, which allows for its warmth,diverseness, and high productivity. A high altitude will have to have species that have adapted to that area, for it is harder to live in a high altitude than a normal or low altitude. In high altitudes there is less oxygen so that affects humans and water animals. In a low altitude the ocean animals are much more comfortable. That is why oceans are all at sea level, no oceans rise above land. If that happened the land would not exist anymore. High altitudes for oceans do not exist, there are only low altitudes with much pressure on the animals in the Benthic environment. In the neritic ocean zone the altitude is mainly normal, resuslting in the high species productivity.

7) Overall species diversity, how does this compare to other biomes? As you can see just from the above picture of the coral reef, there is an immense diversity in just that small area. Oceans themselves are one of the most diverse biomes in the world. Since the neritic ocean zone is shallow and the sun hits the floor, that allows for even more diversity of animals and plants. Every plant and animal species of the neritic zone, no matter how big or small, contribute to the amount of species in this zone. Compared to other biomes, the neritic ocean zone certainly has a lot of species diversity. Since oceans cover almost 70% of the earth, there certainly is plenty of room for diverseness. The pictues shown onlyl capture a small amount of the diversity of the ocean. Just as the temperature changes every day, so does the ocean. Every day, species die out and some may come about. Yet still, the ocean is one of the most diverse places of the world.



8) **Types of producers in biome, describe numbers, levels and locations of producers.** The neritic ocean zone spans from the seashore and covers most of the continental shelf, being the first 200 ft of the ocean. It has many producers, in which photosynthetic life lives. Photosynthetic life is "life that uses light enery to convert carbon dioxide and water into food." (ONR) The primary producers of the neritic ocean zone include: 100's of reefs in zone || No deeper than 70 m No less than 25 m  || Latitudes of 25 South and 25 North  || __7 Dominant Classes__ __in Neritic Zone:__ 1) Cyanophyceae 2) Dinophyceae 3) Chrysophyceae4) Dictyochophyceae5) Bacillariophyceae6) Euglenophyceae7) Prasinophyceae || 1.4 meters Down || West Coasts of:North America,South America,& Southern Africaa. || a. Watch for Changing Location of Phytoplankton: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/GlobalMaps/view.php?d1=MY1DMM_CHLORA#
 * **Producer** || **Number**  || **Level**  || **Location**  ||
 * Coral || About 10,00 in 1 reef;
 * Phytoplankton || __125 Species in__
 * Sargassum || 1000's of Floating Beds || 3 meters Down || Travels along the Gulf Stream ||
 * Zooplankton || 236,000 in 1 location || 41º 38' 03" N lat,71º 22' 17" W long41º 26' 47" N lat71º 25' 09" W long || Narragansett Bay, RI ||
 * Bacteria || 5 - 10 million Species || The entire Neritic Zone || Warm & Tropical Regionof Neritic Zone ||

9) **Types of primary consumers - herbivores - in the biome.** The neritic ocean zone has a few selective primary consumers, all of which are herbivores. The number of primary consumers is not very high, as most of these consumers are on the endangered species list. Here are the different classes of primary consumers in the neritic ocean zone: 1) Florida 2) Antillean 3) West African 4) Amazonian 5) Dugong ||< 5 Main Regions: 1) South East Coast of United States 2) Caribbean & Coast of Central America 3) Coast of Western Africa 4) Amazonia 5) Indian Ocean - Coasts of Eastern Africa, India, Asia, & Northern Australia || 1) Green 2) Hawksbill 3) Kemp's Ridley 4) Loggerhead ||< Gulf of Mexico & East Coast of Florida ||
 * < **Consumer** ||< **Number** ||< **Location** ||
 * < Parrot Fish ||< 6 Distinct Species: 1) Princess 2) Striped 3) Redband 4) Redtail 5) Stoplight 6) Yellowtail ||< Indo-Pacific Region;shallow tropical and subtropical ||
 * < Manatee ||< 5 Main Species:
 * < Sea Turtle ||< 4 Dominant Species:

10) **Types of secondary consumers - Omnivores, small carnivores** Secondary consumers are a very important part of the neritic ocean zone, and the are the consumer who eat both the producers as well as the primary consumers. This is the largest set of consumers and there are far to many classes and species to list them all, but here are the main dominant secondary consumers: 1) Great Blue 2) Humpback 3) Whale Shark 4) Basking || Polar Seas;rarely nearthe coast || 1) Tuna 2) Mackerel 3) Grouper || Atlantic Ocean;where the warmer waters meet the nutrient rich cooler waters || 1) Dusky 2) Tiger 3) Blacktip 4) Hammerhead 5) Sandbar 6) Spinner 7) Thresher 8) Atlantic Sharpnose || Gulf of Mexico ||
 * **Consumer** || **Number** || **Location** ||
 * Whales || 4 Prominent Species:
 * Fish || 3 Dominant Species:
 * Sharks || 8 Dominant Species:

11) T**y****pes of top consumers - Carnivores** The top consumers are those consumers that are widely varied in species and number, but are one of the most important parts of the neritic life. They eat both the primary consumers as well as the secondary consumers. The top consumers are at the top of the food chain, hence the name=), ad they keep the populations of the other two consumers at a reasonable number. Here is a list of the main top consumers: 1) California 2) Steller 3) Australian 4) Galapagos 5) New Zealand 6) South American 7) Japanese (extinct) ||< 6 Main Regions: 1) California 2) North Pacific; especially Alaska 3) South & West coast of Australia 4) Galapagos Island & Isla de la Planta 5) New Zealand 6) Peru, Chile, Argentina || 2 Dominant Species in Neritic Zone 1) Bottlenose 2) Striped ||< Warm waters, staying intropical and subtropical regions; & Pacific Ocean ||
 * < **Consumers** ||< **Number** ||< **Location** ||
 * < Killer Whales ||< 1 Species; Different Numbers for DifferentRegions ||< 12 Different Regions: 1) Arctic 2) Antarctic 3) Washington 4) Oregon 5) California 6) Baja CA 7) Eastern Coast of US 8) Hawaii 9) Australia 10) the Galapagos Islands 11) the Bahamas 12) Gulf of Mexico ||
 * < Sea Lion ||< 7 Known Species:
 * < Dolphin ||< 33 Different Species;

12) **Types of decomposers** Decomposers are a vital part of the neritic ocean zone. They are at the bottom of the food chain, as well as the bottom of the ocean floor.=) These important members of the neritic ocean zone clean up the ocean floor and keep the ocean free from debris and all kinds of waste. They eat the wastes of all the producers, primary, secondary, and top consumers of the ocean. Also, when these producers and consumers die, as all life does, they fall to the bottom of the ocean floor where the decomposers eat away the flesh before it rots. Then the decomposers' own waste goes into the ocean soil and thus the food chain begins all over again. Here is a list of just a few of the thousands of decomposers clean the neritic ocean floor: 1) Cephalaspidea 2) Sacoglossa 3) Acochildea 4) Anaspidea 5) Notaspidea 6) Thecosomata 7) Gymnosomata 8) Nudibranchia ||< All the world's oceans; from tropical to polar || on entire areas of the sea floor. reproduction as well as regenerative species hybrids. ||< Atlantic Ocean; Florida, Caribbean, Bermuda, and the Bahamas ||
 * < **Consumers** ||< **Number** ||< **Location** ||
 * < Marine Worms ||< 3 Types Classified by Life Strategies: 1) Sessile 2) Burrowing 3) Free Moving ||< 7 Different Regions: 1) Singapore River 2) Kallang Basin 3) Sungei Buloh 4) Sungei Punggol 5) Pulau Tekong 6) Pulau Semakau 7) Pulau Ayer Chawan ||
 * < Sea Slugs ||< 8 Main Orders:
 * < Hairy Brittle Stars ||< Thousands of Hybrid Species
 * Uncountable** due to numerous

13) **Human impact on the biome** Man has always had a large impact the world, and as God first commanded Adam to rule over all of the crawling, creeping, swimming creatures of the Earth, man has obeyed. He takes care of the all of the biomes, but as he too lives in these different biomes himself, he still depends on the different creatures populating them. The ocean has always been one of the main resources for man and he has taken care of it for hundred and hundreds of years. Man impacts each region of the sea, and he has a large impact on the neritic biome. The neritic biome is populated with many many sea creatures which both help feed man, but protect man as well. The different types of consumers are all consumed by man, even the top consumers. Thus, man is at the top of the food chain, and he rules over the neritic biome. He does not just eat the top consumers, but he eats some of the producers and the primary consumers, but not as often as the secondary and top consumers. Man uses these consumers not only as food, but in protection and medicine as well. There are new novel discoveries taking place in the study of neritic ocean creatures everyday. Take sea sponges for example. These are producers as well as decomposers, and it has been found that these brainless invertebrates have a regenerative characteristic as well as antibiotic properties. This is just one example of the endless supply that God has given man in the neritic ocean biome. The neritic biome is a very important part of nature and man's impact of using these useful resources has kept the ocean in a form of supply and demand, but man has also begun a terrible negative impact on the neritic zone. His overfishing, whaling, pollution, and garbage leaving have begun to affect the species in this biome. It has caused species to become endangered and even extinct (such as the Japanese Sea Lion). Man is steadily driving through this time though and has begun efforts to decrease these negative actives. As God told Adam in the garden, he had rule over everything, he understood that his impact affects each biome in a great way.

14) **Bibliography:** ONR: http://www.onr.navy.mil/focus/ocean/regions/bluewater1.htm Duke: http://www.biology.duke.edu/bio217/2001/sealevel/page2.html Biome Wiki: http://biomes7.wetpaint.com/page/Neritic+Zone Neritic Phytoplankton: http://plankt.oxfordjournals.org/content/25/7/703.full Phytoplankton Level: http://lepo.it.da.ut.ee/~olli/eutr/html/htmlBook_163.html Phytoplankton Location: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/GlobalMaps/view.php?d1=MY1DMM_CHLORA# Sargassum: http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/03edge/background/sargassum/sargassum.html Zooplankton: http://www.aslo.org/lo/toc/vol_10/issue_2/0185.pdf Herbivores: http://www.ehow.com/list_6803323_ocean-animals-eat-plants.html Parrot Fish: http://www.gloversreef.org/grc/pdf/lamp_report.pdf Manatees: http://www.thewildones.org/Animals/manatee.html Sea Turtles: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/health/oilspill/turtles.htm Whales: http://www.blue-whale.info/Blue_Whale_Habitat.html Tuna: http://www.bigmarinefish.com/map_bluefin_spawning_areas.html Sharks: http://www.fmap.ca/ramweb/papers-total/Baum_Myers_2004.pdf Carnivores: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_animals_are_carnivores_in_the_ocean Killer Whales: http://www.seaworld.org/infobooks/killerwhale/habdiskw.html Sea Lions: http://www.sealion-world.com/sea-lion-species.html Dolphins: http://www.everythingdolphins.com/SpeciesPG.html Decomposers: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_decomposers_of_the_ocean Worms: http://www.pznow.co.uk/marine/annelida.html Marine Worms Locations: http://rmbr.nus.edu.sg/polychaete/Introworms.html Sea Slugs: http://www.starfish.ch/reef/seaslugs.html Sea Slug Location: http://creationanswers.net/inteldesign/seaslug.htm Hairy Brittle Stars: [] Aquatic Biomes: [] Latitude:[] Geologic:[] Altitude:[]