Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
A marine habitat is a habitat that supports marine life. Marine life depends in some way on the saltwater that is in the sea (the term marine comes from the Latin mare, meaning sea or ocean). A habitat is an ecological or environmental area inhabited by one or more living species. [1] The marine environment supports many kinds of these habitats ...
The marine pelagic environment is the largest aquatic habitat on Earth, occupying 1,370 million cubic kilometres (330 million cubic miles), and is the habitat for 11% of known fish species. The oceans have a mean depth of 4,000 metres (2.5 miles). About 98% of the total water volume is below 100 metres (330 ft), and 75% is below 1,000 metres ...
Some ocean habitats are not technically in the ocean and these are called estuaries, areas when oceans and rivers meet creating a mixture of salt water and freshwater making a different habitat for different types of fish and creatures to live in. [5] [6] The ocean is home to organisms as large as whales and as small as microscopic marine ...
Alternatively, marine habitats can be divided into pelagic and demersal habitats. Pelagic habitats are found near the surface or in the open water column, away from the bottom of the ocean and affected by ocean currents, while demersal habitats are near or on the bottom. Marine habitats can be modified by their inhabitants.
Only 13 per cent of all fish species live in the open ocean, off the shelf. Of these, 1 per cent are epipelagic, 5 per cent are pelagic, and 7 per cent are deep water. [16] Fish are found in nearly all natural aquatic environments. [23] Most fish, whether by species count or abundance, live in warmer environments with relatively stable ...
Reef habitats are a sharp contrast to the open water habitats that make up the other 99% of the world oceans. However, loss and degradation of coral reef habitat, increasing pollution , and overfishing including the use of destructive fishing practices , are threatening the survival of the coral reefs and the associated reef fish.
A remarkable diversity of fish spend their early life at the ocean's surface. This list includes many well-known, ecologically, and economically important species from a variety of habitats. Pelagic fish species include some anchovy, mahi-mahi, marlins, swordfish, amberjack and Atlantic mackerel.
Coastal fish are found in the waters above the continental shelves that extend from the continental shorelines, and around the coral reefs that surround volcanic islands. . The total world shoreline extends for 356,000 km (221,000 mi) [3] and the continental shelves occupy a total area of 24.3 million km 2 (9 376 million sq mi)