Marine ecosystem
What is Ecosystem?
It is a
system consisting of biotic
An ecosystem consists of (includes all living things)
all organisms and the and abiotic (includes all
physical environment with non-living things)
which they interact. components that
function together as a
unit.
What is Marine
ecosystem?
• Marine ecosystems can be defined as
the interaction of plants, animals and
the marine environment.
• By "marine" we mean of, or produce
by, the sea or ocean.
The term encompasses the salty waters
of the Earth and is also known simply
as a salt water ecosystem.
• As over 70% of Earth's surface is
covered in water and 97% of that water
is salt water, marine ecosystems
are the largest types of the ecosystems
on the planet.
There are various types of marine ecosystem, which includes:
Salt marshes
Estuaries
Types of Ocean floor
marine Broad ocean
ecosystem
Inter-tidal zones
Coral reef
Lagoons
Mangroves
Components
Biotic components Abiotic components
• Biotic components are living
organisms in Abiotic components in the
an ecosystem. A biotic factor marine ecosystem differ from location in
terms of light, current and temperature.
is a living organism that affects
another organism in
its ecosystem. Examples For example: the cold temperature
include plants and animals that of the Antarctic results in
the organism consumes as higher dissolved oxygen concentrations
compared with warmer tropical waters.
food, and animals that
consume the organism.
Biotic components
• Producers: they convert the energy (from sun) into food.
• It includes phytoplankton, large seaweeds and mangrove vegetation.
• Consumers: they depend upon producers for food.
These includes:
Primary consumers: they are herbivores and feed directly on producers
Secondary consumers: they are carnivorous
Tertiary consumers: they are top carnivorous
• Decomposers: They break down chemicals from
producers and consumers into simpler form which can be reused.
Abiotic components
1. Light
•Light is an essential factor for photosynthesis.
•Fishes and invertebrates shun sunny spots within the stream in
order to be less visible to predators. Most of the life forms are found
in places where higher density of life is present.
•In areas of lower light density, very few species such as amphipods
and springtails are found.
2. Current
Current is a factor that interacts with many abiotic and
biotic effects. Many organisms occupy a certain range
of water velocities while they get stressed at water with
higher velocities.
Current perform an essential function of transferring
food to waiting organisms. It also transfers oxygen
to organisms, which aids with their respiration. The
same flow carries nutrients and carbon dioxide to plants
3. Temperature
The metabolic rate of almost all the organisms thriving in this
ecosystem is influenced by the water temperature.
Some organisms such as the trout grow at relatively cool
stream temperatures. Other organisms such as the small mouth
bass perform optimally at higher temperature
Ocean dumping
Land runoff
Dredging
Limitations Ocean acidification
Sea water level rising
Oil spills
Plastic pollution
Ocean dumping
• Dumping of waste materials from industries,
ships and sewage plants into oceans has
polluted the marine ecosystem to a great extent.
For years the oceans have been targeted as a
dumping site of sewage, chemicals, industrial
waste, garbage, and other debris from the land.
• around two-thirds of the marine lives in the
world have been under threat from the
chemicals we use every day
• Since we depend on the marine ecosystem
extensively, the adverse effects of ocean
dumping have not only been felt by marine life
but by humans as it poses health risks
Land Runoff
• Surface runoff from both
agricultural land and areas carry
soil and particles mixed with
carbon, phosphorus, nitrogen
and minerals, posing threat to
the marine life in alarming scale.
• This kind of water pollution
threatens the species of fish,
turtles, and shrimp etc. and also
humans through the food chain.
Dredging
• dredging is an important activity that
enhances marine transportation and
other related activities. As much as
important it is, it also posses a threat
to marine life
• dredging is to remove the deposits
submerged underwater, the activity
alters the pre-disposed composition of
soil, leading to the destruction habitat
of creatures and organisms. Similarly,
dredging of contaminated materials
will result in the regrouping of harmful
particles and contaminate large of
areas of water bodies
Ocean
Acidification
• The issue of ocean acidification is
quickly becoming a threat to both
marine lives and humans. Ocean
acidification is the continuing decrease
of seawater pH caused by the
absorption of carbon dioxide (CO2)
from the atmosphere. Ocean
acidification has the power to greatly
endanger the lives of marine
organisms and also humans who
depend on fish and fish products for
their daily sustenance
Sea Water Level
Rising
• Global warming is alarmingly
increasing seawater levels,
threatening the marine
ecosystem. The rise in seawater
level means more wetland
flooding, destructive erosion and
agricultural land contamination
and more importantly a serious
threat to the habitat of several
plants, fishes and birds.
Oil Spills
• The world has witnessed several oil
spill disasters that have been one of
the major concerns of pollution to
the marine environment. Disasters
such as the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill
and Deepwater Horizon etc. have
resulted in the extreme pollution of
the marine ecosystem, killing
thousands of marine species. The
oil spilt destroys the insulating
ability of several marine species and
also the water repellency of bird’s
feathers, exposing these creatures
to life-threatening risks.
Plastic Pollution
• It is important to mention this
environment degrading agent
separately for the sole fact that it
has and is the reason for several
environmental problems both at
sea and land. The plastic
pollution has a direct effect on
wildlife as it- plastic bags, fishing
nets and other debris-chokes
tens and thousands of seabirds
and sea turtles every year. The
ingestion micro plastics fish and
other species also pose risk to
their life as well as humans.
Factors impacting Marine ecosystem
• A number of different factors can impact marine
ecosystems, causing changes that can be harmful or
beneficial depending on the circumstances. Ecosystems
are delicate, and small changes can have a profound
impact on them when the conditions are right.
1. Ocean Currents
2. Temperatures
3. Chemical Levels
4. Pollution
5. Bioaccumulation
Chemical Levels
• Water temperatures can impact a variety of marine
ecosystems, such as warm temperatures bleaching coral
and causing algae to bloom and turn the water different
colours. Rising ocean temperatures seem to be more of a
problem than temperatures that are cooler than normal,
and marine biologists are working to figure out how to
stabilize the ecosystem and combat water temperature
changes.
Bioaccumulation
• Bioaccumulation is the leaching of contaminants into the
bodies, usually the fat tissues, of marine animals from
substances that are in the water. This usually happens over
time and can lead to contamination of food sources, such
as mercury in tuna and salmon. Bioaccumulation can also
result in biomagnification when those close to the top of
the food chain consume marine animals that have
bioaccumulated contaminants and end up with high levels
of those contaminants in their systems.
Thank you
Created by:
Krsna s Patel
