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[1] [2] Conditions within the deep sea are a combination of low temperatures, darkness, and high pressure. [3] The deep sea is considered the least explored Earth biome as the extreme conditions make the environment difficult to access and explore. [4] Organisms living within the deep sea have a variety of adaptations to survive in these ...
The physiology of underwater diving is the physiological adaptations to diving of air-breathing vertebrates that have returned to the ocean from terrestrial lineages. They are a diverse group that include sea snakes, sea turtles, the marine iguana, saltwater crocodiles, penguins, pinnipeds, cetaceans, sea otters, manatees and dugongs.
Deep-sea organisms generally inhabit bathypelagic (1-4 km, 0.6-2.5 mi deep) and abyssopelagic (4-6 km, 2.5-3.7 mi deep) zones. However, characteristics of deep-sea organisms, such as bioluminescence can be seen in the mesopelagic (200-1,000 m, 650-3,300 ft deep) zone as well. The mesopelagic zone is the disphotic zone, meaning light there is ...
The science ROV 'Hercules' (IFE/URI/NOAA) during a launch in 2005. Note the array of sampling devices and robotic arms that are used to conduct deep-sea research. There is a dearth of knowledge about the mesopelagic zone so researchers have begun to develop new technology to explore and sample this area.
For the deep-sea ecosystem, the death of a whale is the most important event. A dead whale can bring hundreds of tons of organic matter to the bottom. Whale fall community progresses through three stages: [32] Mobile scavenger stage: Big and mobile deep-sea animals arrive at the site almost immediately after whales fall on the bottom.
Adaptations to pressure must deal with the mechanical effects of pressure on gas filled cavities, solubility changes of gases under pressure, and possible direct effects of pressure on the metabolism, while adaptations to breath-hold capacity include modifications to metabolism, perfusion, carbon dioxide tolerance, and oxygen storage capacity.
The biologist Stephen Jay Gould said the ichthyosaur was his favourite example of convergent evolution. [34] The earliest marine reptiles arose in the Permian . During the Mesozoic many groups of reptiles became adapted to life in the seas, including ichthyosaurs , plesiosaurs , mosasaurs , nothosaurs , placodonts , sea turtles , thalattosaurs ...
It is apparently the top predator along certain stretches of the Mariana Trench, feeding on tiny crustaceans in a deep-water habitat with few larger predators. [4] Pseudoliparis swirei are abundant in their deep-sea habitat and lay relatively large eggs that are almost 1 cm (0.4 in) in diameter.