The marine ecosystem, origin of life and source of a gigantic and sometimes unknown diversity of regions, marine plants, marine animals, microorganisms and organic molecules. Although the appearance of marine ecosystems seems homogeneous, the reality is that it is one of the most heterogeneous ecosystems on the planet, with very different characteristics from the poles to the tropics, as well as from one side of the world to the other. The communities of living beings that coexist in the saltwater ecosystems They demonstrate the great variety and richness of these regions, thus constituting places full of life in mangroves and reefs, in the pelagic systems of the open sea and even in the deep sea.
In this article by Ecologist Verde you will discover one of the most precious and at the same time threatened ecosystems on the planet, the marine ecosystem: what is it, characteristics, flora and fauna.
Marine ecosystems are a type of aquatic ecosystem, characterized by the presence of saltwater as its main component. Marine ecosystems include, in turn, different ecosystems, such as oceans, seas, marshes, reefs, shallow coastal waters, estuaries, coastal saltwater lagoons, rocky coasts and coastal areas.
As we can imagine, this great variety of marine ecosystems together support an astonishing diversity of plant and animal life. In the next sections we will see which 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 present the following common features to all of them:
Numerous plants, both submerged and emerging and floating 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 marine ecosystem in which they inhabit, these species will present some or other forms of life, also having certain vital needs.
The seaweed (Kingdom Algae) they constitute par excellence the flora of marine ecosystems. A great variety of families, genera and species fill marine ecosystems with life and color, grouping themselves into those commonly known as brown algae (protist organisms - Class Phaeophyceae), red (Phylum Rodophyta) or green (Eukaryotic Plants - Clorophyta Division). Some are microscopic (diatoms and dinoflagellates), while others are considered macroalgae, highlighting the gigantic laminar algae of the genus Macrocystis. They have very varied forms 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 the temperatures and other physical-chemical characteristics of the waters in which they grow and live, algae are distributed throughout marine ecosystems in all regions of the world.
As a curiosity, we recommend reading this other Green Ecology article about the Similarities and differences between plants and algae.
In addition to seaweed, the flora of marine ecosystems is represented by various plant species, including the so-called seagrasses (species of the families Zosteraceae, Cymodoceaceae, Ruppiaceae and Posidoniaceae), the only flowering plants in these ecosystems; the swamps (with species such as the red mangrove: Rhizophora mangle and the white mangrove: Laguncularia racemosa) 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 of different groups, families and species coexist in biological balance.
Both small and large vertebrates and invertebrates, as well as microorganisms, coexist in harmony in the planet's marine ecosystems. Let's put some examples of fauna from marine ecosystems to learn more about how characteristic and varied it is:
Protozoa and the characteristic marine zooplankton (composed mainly of krill: Meganyctiphanes norvegica).
If you want to read more articles similar to Marine ecosystem: what it is, characteristics, flora and fauna, we recommend that you enter our Ecosystems category.
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