Why is life abundant in photic zones?

1. Why is life so abundant in the photic zones?
2. What is abundant in the photic zone?
3. Why does the photic zone have higher concentrations of life than the Aphotic zones?
4. Why are photic zones so important to the Earth's atmosphere?
5. Why do more plants grow in the photic zone of the ocean?
6. Why does the depth of the photic zone vary?
7. What lives below the photic zone?
8. Does the photic zone have light?
9. Why is there little life at the bottom of the ocean?
10. How does life in an aphotic zone differ from life in a photic zone?
11. What is the difference between the photic Aphotic and benthic zones in the ocean?
12. How does the sunlight affect the different ocean zones?
13. What is the most important characteristic of the photic zone?
14. What are two important adaptations to life in the Disphotic zone?
15. What happens in a photic part of a body of water apex?

Why is life so abundant in the photic zones?

The photic zone, also called the euphotic or limnetic zone, is the part of a lake or ocean where the rate of photosynthesis is greater than the rate of respiration by phytoplankton. ... Above this point, the phytoplankton population grows rapidly because there is abundant sunlight to support fast rates of photosynthesis.

What is abundant in the photic zone?

Phytoplankton. ... Phytoplankton are abundant in the photic zone, they perform up to 95 percent of all the photosynthesis that occurs in the ocean. Dinoflagellates, diatoms, cyanobacteria, coccolithophorids, cryptomonads and silicoflagellates are the most common phytoplankton.

Why does the photic zone have higher concentrations of life than the Aphotic zones?

The difference is about the primary production and the oxygen concentration and so the pH of the water. ... In the aphotic zone, there is no light, so vegetal organism can't grow and realize the photosynthesis, the CO2 is accumulated, there is less Oxygen and the pH is lower than in the photic zone.

Why are photic zones so important to the Earth's atmosphere?

Organisms that photosynthesize depend on sunlight for food and so are restricted to the photic zone. Since tiny photosynthetic organisms, known as phytoplankton, supply nearly all of the energy and nutrients to the rest of the marine food web, most other marine organisms live in or at least visit the photic zone.

Why do more plants grow in the photic zone of the ocean?

Photic Zone is the top layer, nearest the surface of the ocean and is also called the sunlight layer. In this zone enough light penetrates the water to allow photosynthesis. ... In this zone only a small amount of light penetrates the water. Plants do not grow here due to the insufficient amount of light.

Why does the depth of the photic zone vary?

The thicknesses of the photic and euphotic zones vary with the intensity of sunlight as a function of season and latitude and with the degree of water turbidity.

What lives below the photic zone?

Below the photic zone is the dark aphotic zone, where photosynthesis cannot occur. Many aquatic organisms live on, or in, rocks and sediments on the bottoms of lakes, streams, and oceans. These organisms are called the benthos, and their habitat is the benthic zone.

Does the photic zone have light?

'Photic' is a derivative of 'photon,' the word for a particle of light. ... In this zone, the intensity of light rapidly dissipates as depth increases. Such a minuscule amount of light penetrates beyond a depth of 200 meters that photosynthesis is no longer possible. The aphotic zone exists in depths below 1,000 meters.

Why is there little life at the bottom of the ocean?

What makes it so hard to live at the bottom of the ocean? The three major factors that make the deep ocean hard to inhabit are the absence of light, low temperature, and extremely high pressure.

How does life in an aphotic zone differ from life in a photic zone?

Photic zone receives sunlight which penetrates the photic zone, enabling photosynthesis. ... The aphotic zone is the portion of the ocean that does not receive sunlight. Sunlight does not penetrate this zone. Photosynthetic organisms cannot survive in this zone due to the lack of sunlight.

What is the difference between the photic Aphotic and benthic zones in the ocean?

Phytoplankton, microscopic algae and cyanobacteria that carry out photosynthesis, live in the photic zone, along with water plants. The deep, murky areas of a lake, where light levels are too low to support photosynthesis, are called the aphotic zone. The bottom of any aquatic ecosystem is called the benthic zone.

How does the sunlight affect the different ocean zones?

From Sunlight to Darkness

This is the ocean zone that sunlight penetrates. Because this zone gets sunlight, photosynthesis can occur and plants can grow here. The sunlit zone goes down to about 660 feet. The next zone is the dysphotic or twilight zone.

What is the most important characteristic of the photic zone?

The photic zone is the region of water that is penetrated by light and is therefore characterized by the presence of plant life, notably phytoplankton and larger attached algae.

What are two important adaptations to life in the Disphotic zone?

The animals that live in the disphotic zone are adapted to life in near darkness, cold water and high pressure. Many of the animals in this zone have large eyes, helping them see in the nearly dark waters. Most are small, dark and thin (to help camouflage them). Many have large teeth and jaws.

What happens in a photic part of a body of water apex?

The word photic means referring to light. This the zone of a body of water that light can penetrate and photosynthesis can still occur. It usually starts at the surface and goes to a depth that is about 1% of the light intensity that is found at the surface.