Marine ecosystem: What is, characteristics, flora and fauna

Marine ecosystems are a type of aquatic ecosystemcharacterized by the presence of salt water as its main component. Marine ecosystems include, in turn, different ecosystems, such as oceans, seas, marshes, reefs, shallow coastal waters, estuaries, salt water coastal lagoons, rocky coasts and coastal areas.

As we can imagine, this great variety of marine ecosystems support, as a whole, an amazing diversity of animal and plant life. In the next sections we will see what groups of marine plants and marine animals They constitute the biodiversity of these ecosystems, as well as the main physical-chemical characteristics that define them.

The set of all marine ecosystems occupy the 70% of the planet’s surface. Distributed in different biogeographic areas, Marine ecosystems They present the following Common characteristics To all of them:

• They are included within the group of aquatic ecosystems.
• They are composed of waters with dissolved salts as the main component.
• This salt water has greater density than those other freshwater aquatic ecosystems, guaranteeing the survival of marine plants and marine animals adapted to this high density of water.
• In them there are two types of regions as the rays of sunlight receives or not, thus differentiating the photic (with light) and the apostics (without light).
• The correct functioning of marine ecosystems depends largely on sea currents, whose function is based on mobilizing and transporting the various nutrients that allow the development and survival of the flora and fauna that inhabit these complex ecosystems.
• Marine ecosystems are a source of great biological wealth, being constituted by different biotic factors such as the presence of producing organisms (vegetables) and primary consumers (fish and mollusks), secondary consumers (small carnivorous fish) and tertiary (large carnivorous fish), as well as decomposing organisms (bacteria and fungi).
• In turn, certain abiotic factors define the properties and characteristics of these natural ecosystems, such as the temperature, salinity and pressure of its waters, as well as the amount of sunlight it receives.

Numerous plants, both submerged and emerging species constitute the rich plant biodiversity of each and every one of the marine ecosystems. Directly related to the physical-chemical characteristics of the type of the marine ecosystem in which they live, these species will present some or other forms of life, also with certain vital needs.

Sea algae: the most widespread

The sea ​​algae (algae kingdom) They constitute the flora of marine ecosystems. A wide variety of families, genres and species, fill marine ecosystems with life and color, grouped in those commonly known as brown algae (protist organisms- Phaeophyceae class), red (rodophyta edge) or green (eukaryotic plants-Division chlorophyta). Some are microscopic (diatomea and dinoflagellates), others instead are considered macroalgas, highlighting the gigantic laminar algae of the macrocystis genus. They have very varied ways of life and different habits, thus existing algae that float and many others that live fixed to the seabed, on rocks or sometimes even on animals or other plants. Always adapted to temperatures and other physical-chemical characteristics of the waters in which they grow and live, algae are distributed by marine ecosystems of all regions of the world.

As a curiosity, we recommend reading this other ecology article about the similarities and differences between plants and algae.

More important marine flora

In addition to sea algae, the flora of marine ecosystems is represented by various plant species, including those called Marine pastures (Zosteraceae families species, Cymodoceaceae, Ruppiaceae and posidoniaceae), the only flowers with flowers of these ecosystems; The mangroves (With species such as red mangroves: Rhizophora Mangle and the white mangrove: Racy Laguncularia) and the abundant Phytoplankton.

The seas, oceans, coasts and other marine ecosystems, constitute some of the more biodiverse habitats of the world, in which animals from different groups, families and species live in biological balance.

Both vertebrates and small and large invertebrates, as well as microorganisms, live in harmony in the marine ecosystems of the planet. Let’s put some Examples of the fauna of marine ecosystems To learn more about how characteristic and varied it is:

Marine ecosystems mammals

• Southern frank whale (Eubalaena Australis)
• Mular Dolphin or Bottle Nose (Tursiops truncatus)
• Black or false orca (Pseuorca Crassidens)
• Manaties or marine cows (Trichchidae family)
• Gray Calderón (GRAMPUS GRUSEUS)

Marine fish

• White shark (Carcharodon Carcharias)
• Jaspeada stripe (Aetobatus narinari)
• Common beautiful (Sarda Sarda)
• Swordfish (Xiphias gladius)
• Sea horses (Hippocampus genre)

Marine reptiles

• Lute turtle (Dermochelys Coriacea)
• Carey turtle (Imbricata eretmochelys)
• Doo turtle (CARETTA CARETTA)
• Marine crocodile (Crocodylus porosus)
• Marina iguana (Amblyrhynchus Cristatus)

Sea birds

• Cooking seagull (Larus Dominicanus)
• Andean seagull (Chroicocephalus saw)
• Mediterranean seagull (Ichthyaetus melanocephalus)
• Traveling albatros (Diomedea exulans)
• Pingüinos (Spheniscidae family)

Invertebrates

• Bivalve molluscs: oysters (ostreooid family), clams (Veneroida family) and mussels (mythylidae family).
• Cephalopod molluscs: octopus (octopoda order), squid (teuthida), nautilos (nautilos (Nautilus pompilius) and Sepias (Sepiida Order)
• Equinodermos: sea stars (asteroid class), sea urchins (Echinoid class) and Holoturias (Holothuroid class).
• Cnidarians: jellyfish (Medusozoa subfilos), anemones and corals (anthozoa subfilos)

Microorganisms

Protozoa and the characteristic marine zooplankton (mostly composed of Kril: Meganyctiphanes Norvegica).

If you want to read more articles similar to Marine ecosystem: What is, characteristics, flora and faunawe recommend that you enter our category of ecosystems.