Where is marine biodiversity the greatest?

Where is marine biodiversity the greatest?

A new study finds that sea surface temperature, as well as the size and variety of habitats are the main factors responsible for the proliferation of marine life in the Coral Triangle – the most biologically diverse marine region in the world.

Do you think the coastal ocean or the open ocean has more biodiversity?

Even though the coast is just a small sliver of the ocean, it is the more productive of the two marine biomes. This means the coasts hold more marine biodiversity, which provides food for many animals, including humans. The open ocean stretches from the edges of the coast between the continents for hundreds of miles.

Does the open ocean have high biodiversity?

The ecosystems that are marine, or made up of saltwater, include coral reefs and the intertidal zone, which are both highly diverse, as well as the open ocean, which has a fairly low biodiversity. Ecosystems that are based upon freshwater, such as lakes and rivers, also have high biodiversity.

How does water depth affect biodiversity?

Species richness decreases with depth in the ocean, reflecting wider geographic ranges of deep sea than coastal species. Unfortunately, these species are also the most threatened by human impacts.

Why is deep sea diversity so high?

He suggested that because the deep sea is monotonous and predictable (i.e., it is stable), populations have the evolutionary time to become newly specialized in how they feed. Over time, these populations become so specialized they evolve into totally new species, eventually driving diversity up.

What is marine biodiversity?

Marine biodiversity is an aggregation of highly inter-connected ecosystem components or features, encompassing all levels of biological organization from genes, species, populations to ecosystems, with the diversity of each level having structural and functional attributes (Table 1).

Why is biodiversity important in marine ecosystems?

As environmental conditions change, species need to evolve and adapt to these changing conditions. Ocean observations that monitor biodiversity and measure species distribution and density in marine ecosystems enable policy makers to respond to, protect and manage ecosystems that are under threat.

Why is high biodiversity advantageous over low biodiversity?

The higher the biodiversity of an ecosystem, the more sustainable it is. Conversely, lower biodiversity equals less sustainability. The biodiversity of an ecosystem contributes to the sustainability of that ecosystem. Higher/more biodiversity = more sustainable.

Why is the ocean high biodiversity?

Scientists estimate that 25 percent of all marine species live on coral reefs, making them one of the most diverse habitats in the world. Ocean life is not evenly distributed. Life in the euphotic zone is very diverse due to availability of sunlight and diversity of producers found in this zone.

What are two reasons why marine animals are more diverse than terrestrial ones?

Organisms living in the terrestrial ecosystems are influenced far more by gravity, while water supports marine organisms. Locomotion for terrestrial organisms requires much more energy than do marine organisms just to escape from risks of predation.

Does the deep sea have high diversity?

It is now accepted that the deep-sea has high diversity and it has been suggested that in the deep- sea there may be up to 10 million new species yet to be de- scribed (Grassle & Maciolek 1992; Am. Species diversity is very similar to that of the deep-sea and species- area curves have almost identical slopes.

Why is sea life so diverse?

“The oceans we see today are filled with a dizzying array of species in groups like fishes, arthropods, and mollusks, not because they had higher origination rates than groups that are less common, but because they had lower extinction rates over very long intervals of time.”

Which is more important open ocean or coastal biome?

This means the coasts hold more marine biodiversity, which provides food for many animals, including humans. The open ocean stretches from the edges of the coast between the continents for hundreds of miles. This biome also dives beneath the ocean surface to the very bottom of the deepest ocean trench.

How big is the open ocean compared to the coast?

This biome also dives beneath the ocean surface to the very bottom of the deepest ocean trench. As the largest biome, the open ocean covers over 45% of Earth’s surface. But compared to the coast, the open ocean is sparsely populated, almost like an ocean desert. The ocean is a large place and can be divided up in many ways.

How does life depend on the marine biomes?

Life also depends on sunlight in the marine biomes, but one other process is equally important. Because there is no dirt in the ocean to provide nutrients, plants and animals rely on upwelling. Upwelling delivers nutrients to the coastal biome.

What kind of biomes live on the coast?

Biodiversity: the variety of plants, animals, and all other life in an environment. Mangrove: a type of leafy tree that lives along the coast. The mangrove’s roots can survive in salty water. Imagine a world no human eyes have ever seen.