Characteristics of different environments of life. Unusual underwater inhabitants: who lives at the bottom of the ocean? The most diverse form of life and its economic value

Deep water is the lower level of the ocean, located at a distance of more than 1800 meters from the surface. Due to the fact that only a small fraction of light reaches this level, and sometimes light does not reach at all, historically it was believed that there was no life in this layer. But in fact, it turned out that this level is just teeming different forms life. It turned out that with each new dive to this depth, scientists miraculously find interesting, strange and outlandish creatures. Below are ten of the most unusual of them:

10. Polychaete Worm
This worm was caught this year at the bottom of the ocean at a depth of 1200 meters off the northern coast of New Zealand. Yes, it can be pink, and yes, it can reflect light in the form of a rainbow - but despite this, the polychaete worm can be a ferocious predator. The "tentacles" on its head are sensory organs designed to detect prey. This worm can twist its throat in order to grab a smaller creature - like an Alien. Fortunately, this type of worm rarely grows more than 10 cm. They also rarely come across our path, but are often found near hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor.

9 Squat Lobster


These unique lobsters, which look rather intimidating and look like headcrabs from the Half-Life game, were discovered on the same dive that polychaete worm, but at a greater depth, about 1400 meters from the surface. Despite the fact that squat lobsters were already known to science, they had never seen this species before. Squat lobsters live at depths of up to 5,000 meters, and are distinguished by their large front claws and compressed bodies. They can be detritivores, carnivores, or herbivores that feed on algae. Not much is known about individuals of this species, in addition, representatives of this species were found only near deep-sea corals.

8. Carnivorous Coral or Carnivorous Coral


Most corals get their nutrients from photosynthetic algae that live in their tissues. This also means that they must live within 60 meters of the surface. But not this species, also known as Sponge-Harp. It was discovered 2000 meters off the coast of California, but only this year scientists have confirmed that it is carnivorous. Similar in shape to a chandelier, it stretches along the bottom to increase in size. It catches small crustaceans with tiny Velcro-like hooks and then stretches a membrane over them, slowly digesting them with chemicals. In addition to all his oddities, he also reproduces in a special way - "sperm bags" - see these balls at the end of each process? Yes, these are packets of spermatophores, and from time to time they swim away to find another sponge and multiply.

7. Fish of the Cynogloss family or Tonguefish (Tonguefish)


This beauty is one of the species of tonguefish that are commonly found in shallow estuaries or tropical oceans. This specimen lives in deep waters and was fished from the bottom earlier this year in the Western Pacific Ocean. Interestingly, some tonguefish have been observed near hydrothermal vents spewing sulfur, but scientists have not yet figured out the mechanism that allows this species to survive in such conditions. Like all bottom tongue fish, both of its eyes are located on the same side of the head. But unlike other members of this family, his eyes look like sticker eyes or scarecrow eyes.

6. Goblin Shark or Goblin Shark


The goblin shark is a truly strange creature. In 1985, she was discovered in the waters of east coast Australia. In 2003, more than a hundred individuals were caught in northeastern Taiwan (reportedly after an earthquake). However, apart from sporadic sightings of this nature, little is known about this unique shark. This is a deep-sea, slow-moving species that can grow up to 3.8 meters in length (or even more - 3.8 is the largest of those that caught the eye of man). Like other sharks, the goblin shark can sense animals with its electro-sensing organs, and has several rows of teeth. But unlike other sharks, the goblin shark has both teeth adapted for catching prey and teeth adapted for cracking crustacean shells.

If you are interested to see how she catches prey with this mouth of hers, here is a video. Imagine that almost 4-meter shark rushes at you with such jaws. Thank God they (usually) live so deep!

5. Soft-bodied Whalefish (Flabby Whalefish)


This brightly colored individual (why do you need bright colors when colors are useless if you live where light cannot penetrate) is a member of the ill-named "soft-bodied whale-like fish" species. This specimen was caught off the east coast of New Zealand, at a depth of more than 2 kilometers. In the lower part of the ocean, in the bottom waters, they did not expect to find many fish - and in fact it turned out that the soft-bodied whale-like fish did not have many neighbors. This family of fish lives at a depth of 3,500 meters, they have small eyes that are actually completely useless given their habitat, but they have a phenomenally developed lateral line that helps them feel the vibration of the water.

This species also does not have ribs, which is probably why the fish of this species look “soft-bodied”.

4. Grimpoteuthys (Dumbo Octopus)

The first mention of Grimpoteuthys appeared in 1999, and then, in 2009, it was filmed. These cute animals (for octopuses, anyway) can live up to 7,000 meters below the surface, making them the deepest-dwelling species of octopus. known to science. This genus of animals, so named because of the flaps on both sides of the bell-shaped head of its representatives and never seeing sunlight, may have more than 37 species. Grimpoteuthis can float above the bottom with the help of jet propulsion based on a siphon-type device. At the bottom, grimpoteuthys feeds on snails, mollusks, crustaceans and crustaceans that live there.

3. Hellish vampire (Vampire Squid)


Hellish vampire (Vampyroteuthis infernalis name literally translated as: vampire squid from hell) is more beautiful than terrible. Although this species of squid does not live at the same depth as the squid that ranks first on this list, it still lives quite deep, or rather, at a depth of 600-900 meters, which is much deeper than the habitat of ordinary squids. IN upper layers its habitat has some sunlight, so it has developed the most big eyes(in proportion to the body, of course) than all other animals in the world in order to capture as much light as possible. But what is most amazing about this animal is its defense mechanisms. In the dark depths where he lives, he releases a bioluminescent "ink" that blinds and confuses other animals as he swims away. It works amazingly well just when the waters are not lit. He can usually emit a bluish light which, when viewed from below, helps him to disguise himself, but if he is seen, he turns inside out and wraps himself in his black-colored robe... and disappears.

2. Black East Pacific chimera (Eastern Pacific Black Ghost Shark)


Found deep off the coast of California in 2009, this enigmatic shark belongs to a group of animals known as chimeras, which may be the oldest group of fish to have survived. today. Some believe that these animals, separated from the genus of sharks about 400 million years ago, survived only because they live at such great depths. This particular species of shark uses its fins to "fly" through the water column, and the males have a pointed, bat-like, retractable sex organ that protrudes from its forehead. Most likely it is used to stimulate the female or draw her closer, but very little is known about this species, so its exact purpose is unknown.

1. Colossal squid (Colossal Squid)


The colossal squid really deserves its name, having a length of 12-14 meters, which is comparable to the length of a bus. It was first "discovered" in 1925 - but only its tentacles were found in the belly of the sperm whale. The first intact specimen was found near the surface in 2003. In 2007, the largest known specimen, measuring 10 meters in length, was caught in the Antarctic waters of the Ross Sea and is currently on display at the National Museum of New Zealand. The squid is believed to be a slow ambush predator that feeds on big fish and other squid attracted by its bioluminescence. The scariest fact known about this species is that sperm whales have been found to have scars left by the curved hooks of the colossal squid's tentacles.

+ Bonus
Cascade Creature

Strange the new kind deep sea jellyfish? Or maybe a floating whale placenta or a piece of garbage? Until the beginning of this year, no one knew the answer to this question. Heated discussions about this creature began after this video was posted on YouTube - but, marine biologists have identified this creature as a species of jellyfish known as Deepstaria enigmatica.

LIFE IN THE OCEAN

IN ocean water contains substances necessary for life. Living beings are found in the ocean at any depth. They exist even at the bottom of the Mariana Trench - the most deep point of the World Ocean - at a depth of 11,000 meters, even where hot magma comes from the depths of the Earth through faults, even where high temperatures and great pressure. We can safely say that life in the ocean is all-pervasive.

Life in the ocean is extremely diverse, since its conditions are very different from the poles to the equator, from the surface of the water masses to the depths. In terms of the diversity of plant and animal species, the ocean is comparable to land. The ocean is still full of mysteries even now. When researching sea ​​depths find organisms unknown to science.

According to most scientists, the ocean is the cradle of life on Earth, since all life on our planet came out of the ocean. The development of life in it has led to a change in the properties of water masses (salinity, gas content, etc.). For example, the appearance of green plants in the ocean led to an increase in the oxygen content in the water. Oxygen was released from the water into the atmosphere, changing its composition at the same time. The appearance of oxygen in the atmosphere led to the possibility of settling the land by organisms that came from the oceans.

According to the conditions of their habitat, all inhabitants of the World Ocean can be grouped into 3 groups:

1) organisms that live on the surface of the ocean and in the water column and do not have active means of transportation;

2) organisms actively moving in the water column;

3) organisms living on the bottom.

An analysis of living organisms and their habitats suggests that the ocean is inhabited by organisms unevenly. Especially densely populated are coastal areas with depths of up to 200 meters, well-lit and warmed by the sun's rays. On the mainland, you can see forests and meadows of algae - pastures for fish and other inhabitants of the ocean. Away from the coast, large algae are rare, since the sun's rays hardly penetrate the water column. Plankton reigns here (Greek planktos - wandering). These are plants and animals that are not able to withstand currents that carry them over considerable distances. Most of these organisms are very small, many of them only visible under a microscope. There are phytoplankton and zooplankton. Phytoplankton are various algae that develop in the upper, illuminated layer of water. Zooplankton inhabits the entire water column: it is small crustaceans, numerous protozoa (single-celled animals having microscopic dimensions). Plankton is the main food of most ocean inhabitants. Naturally, areas rich in it are also rich in fish. Baleen whales can also live here, in the diet of which plankton occupies the main place.

Benthos lives at the bottom of the sea or ocean (Greek benthos - deep). This is a collection of plant and animal organisms that live on the ground or in the soil of the seabed. Benthos include brown and red algae, mollusks, crustaceans and others. Among them, shrimp, oysters, scallops, lobsters, and crabs are of great commercial importance. Benthos is an excellent food base for walruses, sea otters and some fish species.

The depths of the ocean are sparsely populated, but they are not lifeless. Plants are no longer there, of course, but in complete darkness, under great pressure, in cold water swim amazing fish: they have huge toothy mouths, luminous torsos, "lanterns" on their heads. Some of them are blind, others can barely see in the dark. They feed on the remains of organisms falling from above, or eat each other. Many bacteria live in the water column, which also live in the deepest water masses. Thanks to their activity, dead organisms decompose, and the elements necessary for the nutrition of living beings are released.

Actively moving organisms live everywhere in the ocean. This is a variety of fish marine mammals(dolphins, whales, seals, walruses), sea snakes, squids, turtles and others.

Life in the ocean is distributed unevenly not only in depth, but also depending on geographical latitude. Polar waters from behind low temperatures and the long polar night are poor in plankton. Most of it develops in the waters temperate zone both hemispheres. Here the currents strong winds contribute to the mixing of water masses and the rise of deep waters, enriching them nutrients and oxygen. Due to the strong development of plankton, various types of fish also develop, therefore temperate latitudes- the most fishy areas of the ocean. IN tropical latitudes the number of living organisms is decreasing, since these waters are very warm, very salty and poorly mixed with deep water masses. In equatorial latitudes, the number of organisms increases again.

The ocean has long been the breadwinner of man. Fish, invertebrates, mammals are harvested in it, algae are collected in it, mineral wealth is mined, and substances that are raw materials for medicines. The ocean is so rich that it seemed inexhaustible to people. Entire fleets of ships from different states went to fish and whale fishing. The largest whales are blue. Their mass reaches 150 tons. As a result of predatory fishing of this animal blue whales were under threat of extermination. In 1987 Soviet Union stopped whaling. The number of fish in the ocean has also drastically decreased.

The problems of the World Ocean are not the concern of any one state, but of the whole world, and they cannot be solved within the framework of one state. On how intelligently humanity solves them, its future depends.

Plankton, nekton, benthos - three groups into which all aquatic living creatures can be divided. Plankton is formed by algae and small animals that swim near the surface of the water. Nekton consists of animals that can actively swim and dive in the water, these are fish, turtles, whales, sharks and others. Benthos are organisms that live in the most lower layers aquatic habitat. It includes bottom-dwelling animals, including many echinoderms, demersal fish, crustaceans, molluscs, annelids and so on.

Types of marine life

They are divided into three groups: plankton, nekton, benthos. Zooplankton is represented by drifting animals, which are usually small in size, but can grow to quite large sizes (for example, jellyfish). Zooplankton may also include temporary larval forms of organisms that may grow up and leave planktonic communities and join groups such as nekton, benthos.

The nekton class makes up the largest part of the animals that live in the ocean. A variety of fish, octopuses, whales, moray eels, dolphins and squid are all examples of nekton. This large-scale category includes a number of very diverse creatures that are very different from each other in many ways.

What is benthos? The third type of marine animal that spends their entire life at the bottom of the ocean. This group includes lobsters, starfish, all kinds of worms, snails, oysters and many others. Some of these creatures, such as lobsters and snails, can move on their own along the bottom, but their lifestyle is so closely connected to the ocean floor that they could not survive away from this environment. Benthos are organisms that live on the ocean floor and include plants, animals, and bacteria.

Plankton is the most common form of life in the aquatic environment.

When you imagine life in the ocean, then usually all associations are somehow connected with fish, although in fact fish are not the most common form. The most numerous group is plankton. The other two groups are nekton (actively swimming animals) and benthos (these are living organisms that inhabit the bottom).

Most plankton species are too small to see with the naked eye.

There are two main types of plankton

• Phytoplankton that produce food through photosynthesis. Most of them are various algae.
• Zooplankton that feed on phytoplankton. It includes tiny animals and fish larvae.

Plankton: general information

Plankton are the microscopic inhabitants of the pelagic environment. They are essential components of food chains in aquatic environment habitats, as they provide food for nekton (crustaceans, fish and squid) and benthos. They also have a global impact on the biosphere, since the balance of the components of the Earth's atmosphere is largely dependent on their photosynthetic activity.

The term "plankton" comes from the Greek planktos, which means "wandering" or "drifting". Most plankton spend their existence swimming with ocean currents. However, not all species go with the flow, many forms can control their movements, and their survival depends almost entirely on their independence.

Sizes and representatives of plankton

Plankton range in size from tiny microbes that are 1 micrometer long to jellyfish, whose gelatinous bell can be up to 2 meters wide and whose tentacles can extend over 15 meters. However, most planktonic organisms are animals less than 1 millimeter in length. They survive on the nutrients in seawater and through photosynthesis.

Plankton representatives are a wide variety of organisms, such as algae, bacteria, protozoa, larvae of some animals and crustaceans. Most planktonic protists are eukaryotes, predominantly unicellular organisms. Plankton can be divided into phytoplankton, zooplankton and microbes (bacteria). Phytoplankton carries out photosynthesis, and zooplankton is represented by heterotrophic consumers.

Nekton

Nekton are active swimmers and often the best known organisms in the world. sea ​​waters. They are top predators in most marine food chains. The distinction between nekton and plankton is not always sharp. Many large animals (such as tuna) spend their larval stage in the form of plankton, while in the adult stage it is quite a large and active nekton.

The vast majority of nekton are vertebrates, these are fish, reptiles, mammals, mollusks and crustaceans. The most numerous group is made up of fish, in total there are approximately 16,000 species. Nekton is found at all depths and latitudes of the sea. Whales, penguins, seals are typical representatives of nekton in polar waters. The greatest variety of nekton can be found in tropical waters.

The most diverse form of life and its economic value

This also includes the largest mammal on planet Earth, the blue whale, which grows up to 25-30 meters in length. These giants, as well as others, feed on plankton and micronekton. The largest representatives nekton are whale sharks, which reach a length of 17 meters, as well as toothed whales (killer whales), great white sharks, tiger sharks, bluefin tuna and others.

Nekton forms the basis of fisheries around the world. Anchovies, herring, sardines usually make up one quarter to one third of the annual marine harvest. Economically valuable nekton are also squids. Halibut and cod are demersal fish that are commercially important as food for humans. As a rule, they are mined in the waters of the continental shelf.

Benthos

What is the meaning of the word "benthos"? The term "benthos" comes from the Greek noun bentos and means "depths of the sea". This concept is used in biology to refer to the community of organisms at the bottom of the sea, as well as fresh water bodies such as lakes, rivers and streams.

Benthic organisms can be classified according to size. Macrobenthos refers to organisms larger than 1 mm. These are various gastropods, sea ​​lilies, predatory sea ​​stars And gastropods. Organisms with sizes from 0.1 to 1 mm are large microbes that dominate the benthic food chains, acting as a biogenic utilizer, primary producer, and predator. The microbenthos category includes organisms smaller than 1 millimeter, these are diatoms, bacteria and ciliates. Not all benthic organisms live in sedimentary rocks, some communities live on rocky substrates.

There are three different types of benthos

1. Infauna are organisms that live at the bottom of the ocean, buried in the sand or hiding in shells. They have very limited mobility, live in sediment, are exposed to environment and have quite longer duration life. These include sea shells and various molluscs.
2. Epifauna can live and move on the surface of the seabed to which they are attached. They live by attaching themselves to rocks or moving along the surface of sediments. These are sponges, oysters, snails, starfish and crabs.
3. Organisms that live at the bottom of the ocean but can also swim in the water above it. These include soft - pufferfish, flounders, using crustaceans and worms as a food source.

Relationship between pelagic environment and benthos

Benthos are organisms that play essential role in maritime biological community. Benthic species are a heterogeneous group that is the main link in the food chain. They filter water in search of food, remove sediment and organic matter, thus purifying the water. Unused organic matter settles at the bottom of the seas and oceans, which are then processed by benthic organisms and returned to the water column. This process of mineralization of organic matter is important source nutrients and is critical to ensure high primary production.

The concepts of pelagic and benthic environments are interconnected in many ways. For example, pelagic plankton are an important food source for animals that live on soft or rocky ground. Anemones and sea ducks serve as a natural filter surrounding water. The formation of the pelagic environment at the bottom is also due to the molting of crustaceans, metabolic products and dead plankton. Over time, plankton forms marine sediments in the form of fossils, which are used to determine the age and origin of rocks.

Aquatic organisms are classified according to their habitat. Scientists believe that the habitat of these animals has a huge impact on their evolution. Moreover, most of them have adapted well to life in the specific environment they inhabit. What is the main difference between the groups called plankton, benthos and nekton?

Plankton are microscopic or small animals compared to the other two types. Nekton are free-swimming animals. What is benthos? It includes both freely moving and those organisms that cannot imagine their existence without the ocean floor. And what about organisms that live mostly on the bottom, but can also swim - octopus, sawfish, flounder? Such forms of life can be called nektobenthos.

- (from Greek benthos depth), benthic organisms, a set of organisms living at the bottom of water bodies, adapted to the corresponding substrate (litho, psammo, pelo, argillo, phytophilic species). Benthos is divided into vegetable (phytobenthos), ... ... Ecological dictionary

- (from the Greek benthos depth) a set of organisms that live on the ground and in the soil of the bottom of reservoirs. Marine benthos serves as food for many fish and other aquatic animals, and is also used by humans (e.g. algae, oysters, crabs, some fish) … Big encyclopedic Dictionary

- (from the Greek benthos depth), a set of organisms that live on the ground and in the soil of marine and continental reservoirs. B. is divided into vegetable (phytobenthos) and animal (zoobenthos). In the zoobenthos, animals that live in the thickness of the soil are distinguished ... ... Biological encyclopedic dictionary

BENTOS, flora and fauna of near-bottom or bottom areas of the sea. The fauna includes immovably attached forms, such as sponges, crabs and snails that freely move along the bottom, as well as burrowing into the ground, such as worms, as well as countless ... ... Scientific and technical encyclopedic dictionary

The totality of organisms that live on the ground and in the soil of water bodies. (Source: "Microbiology: a dictionary of terms", Firsov N.N., M: Bustard, 2006) ... Dictionary of microbiology

Ex., number of synonyms: 7 macrobenthos (1) mesobenthos (1) microbenthos (1) ... Synonym dictionary

Organisms that inhabit the bottom of a reservoir. There are halobenthos inhabiting the bottom of the sea, and limnobenthos inhabiting the bottom of fresh water bodies. Depending on the way of life of animals, B. can be sedentary and mobile. Geological dictionary: in 2 volumes. M .: Nedra ... Geological Encyclopedia

Benthos- set of macroorganisms living at the bottom of reservoirs... Source: MU 1.2.2743 10. 1.2. Hygiene, toxicology, sanitation. Sampling procedure for detection and identification of nanomaterials in water bodies. Guidelines(approved… … Official terminology

A group of organisms that live at the bottom of water bodies. It consists of organisms of different trophic groups: *producers (microscopic and large algae, flowering plants and horsetails); *detritophages eating the remains of dead animals and ... ... Glossary of business terms

BENTHOS- (from the Greek benthos depth), a community of marine or freshwater plants and animals, covering those forms of them, which in their development are closely related to the surface of the bottom, coasts and various underwater objects. KB. are related as forms motionless ... ... Big Medical Encyclopedia

benthos- Organisms leading a benthic lifestyle. B. can be sedentary and mobile. [Glossary of geological terms and concepts. Tomsk State University] Topics geology, geophysics Generalizing terms geological activity of the sea exogenous ... Technical Translator's Handbook

Books

• Life at the bottom. Bio-geography and bio-ecology of benthos, O. V. Maksimova. The book analyzes different approaches and views on the structure of the biosphere, mainly on the example of the biogeography and ecology of marine benthos. The main aspects of biology are considered ... eBook
• Benthos of salmon rivers of the Urals and Timan, Shubina V.. The monograph summarizes the results of long-term (1958-2004) hydrobiological studies carried out on watercourses flowing from the Timan Ridge and the western slope Ural mountains And…

Ocean water contains substances necessary for life. Living beings are found in the ocean at any depth. They exist even at the bottom of the Mariana Trench - the deepest point of the World Ocean - at a depth of 11 thousand meters, even where hot magma comes from the depths of the Earth through faults, even where there are high temperatures and enormous pressure. We can safely say that life in the ocean is all-pervasive.

Life in the ocean is extremely diverse - more than 200,000 species of organisms live there, due to the fact that its conditions are very different from the poles to the equator, from the surface of the water masses to the deep ones. In terms of the diversity of plant and animal species, the ocean is comparable to land. The ocean is still full of mysteries even now. When studying the depths of the sea, organisms unknown to science are found.

Inhabitants of the oceans

According to the conditions of their habitat, all inhabitants of the World Ocean can be grouped into 3 groups:

1) Organisms that live on the surface of the ocean and in the water column and do not have active means of movement (plankton).

2) Organisms actively moving in the water column (nekton).

3) Organisms living on the bottom (benthos).

Plankton

An analysis of living organisms and their habitats suggests that the ocean is inhabited by organisms unevenly. Especially densely populated are coastal areas with depths of up to 200 meters, well-lit and warmed by the sun's rays. On the mainland, you can see forests and meadows of algae - pastures for fish and other inhabitants of the ocean.

Away from the coast, large algae are rare, since the sun's rays hardly penetrate the water column. Plankton reigns here (Greek planktos - wandering). These are plants and animals that are not able to withstand currents that carry them over considerable distances. Most of these organisms are very small, many of them only visible under a microscope. There are phytoplankton and zooplankton. Phytoplankton are various algae. Zooplankton inhabits the entire water column: these are small crustaceans, numerous protozoa.

Plankton is the main food of most ocean inhabitants. Naturally, areas rich in it are also rich in fish. Baleen whales can also live here, in the diet of which plankton occupies the main place.

Actively moving organisms live everywhere in the ocean - nekton (Greek nektós - floating, floating) nekton includes most fish, pinnipeds (seals and walruses), cetaceans (whales, sperm whales), cephalopods(squid, octopus, etc.), sea snakes and turtles. All nektons usually have a well-streamlined body shape that helps them move quickly in the water.

Benthos lives at the bottom of the sea or ocean (Greek benthos - deep). This is a collection of plant and animal organisms that live on the ground or in the soil of the seabed. Benthos include brown and red algae, mollusks, crustaceans and others. Benthos serves as food for many fish and other aquatic animals.

In the distribution of benthos, vertical zonality is observed: mollusks and crustaceans predominate in the upper horizons, mollusks and echinoderms dominate in the middle ones, and crustaceans and echinoderms predominate in deeper ones.

ocean depths

The depths of the ocean are sparsely populated, but they are not lifeless. Of course, there are no plants there anymore, but amazing fish swim in complete darkness, under great pressure, in cold water: they have huge toothy mouths, luminous bodies, and “lanterns” on their heads. Some of them are blind, others can barely see in the dark. They feed on the remains of organisms falling from above, or eat each other.

accommodation life

Life in the ocean is distributed unevenly not only in depth, but also depending on geographic latitude. Polar waters are poor in plankton due to low temperatures and long polar nights. Most of all it develops in the waters of the temperate zone of both hemispheres. Here, currents and strong winds contribute to the mixing of water masses and the rise of deep waters, enriching them with nutrients and oxygen. Due to the strong development of plankton, various types of fish also develop, so temperate latitudes are the most fishy areas of the ocean. In tropical latitudes, the number of living organisms decreases, since these waters are very warm, highly saline and poorly mixed with deep water masses. In equatorial latitudes, the number of organisms increases again. The ocean has long been the breadwinner of man.

The work was prepared by a student of 6 "a" class Khrabrov Nikita