bears. What is your opinion? Explain.- What are four major habitats of ocean organisms?
- Describe adaptations that an organism that lives in a reef might have. How might
these adaptations be different from an organism that lives in the open ocean? - Describe the importance of maintaining the ecosystem in the ocean.
Vocabulary
chemosynthesis Using inorganic compounds to produce food.
invertebrates Animals with no spinal column.
phytoplankton Plankton that can photosynthesize and therefore create oxygen and sug-
ars.
plankton A diverse group of tiny animals and plants that freely drift in the water.
reef A large underwater structure created from the calcium carbonate skeletons of coral.
vertebrates Animals with a spinal column.
zooplankton Plankton that are tiny animals; they usually consume phytoplankton or
other zooplankton as food.
Points to Consider
- How does the ocean interact with the atmosphere?
- How is energy transferred around the planet and how does this affect life on Earth?
- What does global warming mean for the oceans and how might this affect the entire
globe?
Image Sources
(1) http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mussels.jpeg. Public Domain.(2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Blue_Linckia_Starfish.JPG. GNU-FDL.(3) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_tube_worm. GNU-FDL.