They release heated minerals from deep within Earth, into the ocean. Hydrothermal vents are openings in the ocean floor. This energy enters the ocean through hydrothermal vents. There are other, separate deep-ocean ecosystems. However, it does not include all of them. Alternative Food Chains The main marine food web is based on sunlight and plants. Then, animals that live on plants no longer have enough food. These smaller animals might then nearly wipe out populations of even smaller animals. For example, populations of smaller animals that top predators normally feed on can become too large. These problems ripple through the entire food web. The loss of top predator species can create serious problems. Because such animals reproduce slowly, it can take years for their populations to recover. Overfishing by humans can greatly shrink top predator populations. They are hunted by humans, the most deadly of all hunters. Many of the marine food chain's top predators are eaten too. Females of these species do not give birth that often. Most top predators are large, fast and very good hunters. Yet others are animals with flippers, like seals and walruses. ![]() Others are feathered animals, like pelicans and penguins. Some are finned animals, such as sharks, tuna, and dolphins. Level Four: Top Predators Large predators sit at the top of the marine food chain. Such smaller fish eat a great amount of zooplankton. However, they themselves are often eaten. It includes fish, like sardines, herring and menhaden. Level Three: Carnivores The third level of the food chain consists of a large group of small carnivores. Carnivores make up the food chain's top two levels. They become food for the carnivorous, or flesh-eating, animals. Together, herbivores eat up a huge amount of plant life. There are smaller ones, such as surgeonfish and parrotfish, and bigger ones, like green turtles and manatees. They come in a huge range of sizes, though. Many herbivores are big enough for us to see. As they drift, they graze on whatever plants they come across. Many are microscopic animals known as zooplankton. They drift across the ocean's surface. Level Two: Herbivores The next level of the marine food chain is made up of plant-eaters, or herbivores. They also produce more than half of the oxygen we breathe on Earth. They are the main producers of the carbon all ocean animals need to survive. Together, these tiny organisms play a large role. This chemical energy allows them to survive and grow. Through photosynthesis, they turn the sun's light energy into chemical energy. Billions of phytoplankton live in the upper part of the ocean. They are so small they cannot be seen without a microscope. Level One: Photo autotrophs The bottom level of the ocean's food chain is made up of one-celled organisms called phytoplankton. They are linked to each other because those on top eat those below. A food chain is a top-to-bottom set of animals and plants. A food web is a system of interconnected food chains. Most marine species are tied together through the food web. Together, these different species make up about 15 percent of the planet's plants and animals. ![]() A species is a particular kind of plant or animal. The marine fissipeds offsite link are considered marine mammals, but spend most of their time on land and only part of the time in the water, mainly to hunt for their food.There are around 300,000 known marine, or ocean, species. Some think historic mermaid sightings were actually sirenians, not the mythical half women, half fish. Sirenians are named for sirens, the legendary Greek sea beauties who lured sailors into the sea. DOWNLOAD GAME BOARD Can you make it down to the ocean floor Along the way, discover what makes water special. Instructions for how to play are on the game board. Trim off the white edges, line up the two pages, and tape them together. They are the only entirely herbivorous group of marine mammals. To make your game board, download and print this PDF. Like cetaceans, sirenians offsite link also spend their whole lives in water. Pinnipeds spend the majority of their lives swimming and eating in water and come onto land or ice floes to bear their young, rest, and molt. Pinnipeds offsite link are in the suborder pinnipedia, which means “fin-footed.” These carnivores use flippers to move both on land and in the water. They spend their lives in water, and have many adaptations offsite link to their entirely aquatic lifestyle. There are over 70 different species of cetacean. Conservation Service Corp Act Direct Hiring AuthorityĬetaceans offsite link (whales, porpoises, and dolphins) are categorized into two main groups: baleen whales (mysticetes) and toothed whales (odontocetes).Information for NOAA student opportunity alumni.About the education resource collections.NOAA Sea to Sky: Education resource database.NOAA in your backyard: Education contacts near you.
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