MARINE ECOSYSTEM

GROUP 2 : Aclao, Canama, Clarin, Dula, Arcadio, Padilla, Quicoy, Maquiling, Ongcoy, Pareja,
Quinlaje, Del Pozo, Cabalog, Pacete, Subrado

Marine Ecosystem
 as the interaction of plants, animals, and the marine environment.
 encompasses the salty waters of the Earth, and is also known simply as a salt
water ecosystem
 are the largest types of ecosystems on the planet.

 Marine Animals
 Marine Plants
 Marine Biomes
 Marine Conservation

Marine Ecosystem Animals

MARINE ANIMALS
Marine ecosystems support a great diversity of life with a variety of different habitats.
 Categorized into groups:
 based on where they live  by shared characteristics
 benthic  vertebrates
 oceanic  invertebrates
 neritic  plankton
 intertidal

 CLASSIFICATION BY SHARED CHARACTERISTICS

 Plankton  Vertebrates
 Phytoplankton  Fishes
 Zooplankton  Reptiles
 Invertebrates  Seabirds
 Marine Mammals

Plankton
 are organisms that cannot swim but that float along with the current
 "plankton" comes from the Greek for wanderer
 most are microscopic, but some are visible to the naked eye
 Kinds of Plankton
 Phytoplankton  Zooplankton
 are tiny plants that  or animal plankton,
make food eat phytoplankton as
by photosynthesis. their source of food
 live in the photic  Some zooplankton
zone. live as plankton all
 responsible for about their lives
half of the  others are juvenile
total primary forms of animals that
productivity (food en will attach to the
ergy) on Earth. bottom as adults.
 release oxygen as a  Some small
waste product. invertebrates live as
zooplankton.
Marine Invertebrates
 animals without a backbone
 include sea slugs, sea anemones, starfish, octopuses, clams, sponges, sea worms, crabs,
and lobsters
 Most of these animals are found close to the shore, but they can be found throughout the
ocean.
Marine Vertebrates
 marine animals that have backbones
Fishes
 are vertebrates; they have a backbone.
All fish have most or all of these traits:
 Fins with which to move and steer.
 Scales for protection.
 Gills for extracting oxygen from the water.
 A swim bladder that lets them rise and sink to different depths.
 Ectothermy (cold-bloodedness), so that their bodies are the
same temperature as the surrounding water.
 Bioluminescence, or light created from a chemical reaction that can attract
prey or mates in the dark ocean.
 Included among the fish are sardines, salmon, and eels, as well as the sharks and
rays (which lack swim bladders).

Reptiles
 Only a few types of reptiles live in the oceans and they live in warm water.
  Sea turtles, sea snakes, saltwater crocodiles, and marine iguana sum up the marine
reptile groups
 Sea snakes bear live young in the ocean, but turtles, crocodiles, and marine
iguanas all lay their eggs on land.

Seabirds
 Many types of birds are adapted to living in the sea or on the shore.
 With their long legs for wading and long bills for digging in sand for food,
shorebirds are well adapted for the intertidal zone.

Marine Mammals
 Mammals are endothermic (warm-blooded) vertebrates that give birth to live
young, feed them with milk, and have hair, ears, and a jaw bone with teeth.
TRAITS
 For swimming: streamlined bodies, slippery skin or hair, fins.
 For warmth: fur, fat, high metabolic rate, small surface area to volume,
specialized blood system.
 For salinity: kidneys that excrete salt, impervious skin.

Marine Ecosystem Plants

MARINE PLANTS
 The few true plants found in the oceans include salt marsh grasses and mangrove trees.
 Although they are not true plants, large algae, which are called seaweed, also
use photosynthesis to make food.
 found in the neritic zone, where the light they need penetrates so that they can
photosynthesize

Marine algae
 Marine algae (seaweeds and phytoplankton) are a loose group of some of the simplest
organisms that contain chlorophyll (like plants) but include members of both the Empires
Prokaryota (Kingdom Bacteria – e.g., cyanobacteria) and Eukaryota (Kingdoms
Chromista, Plantae and Protozoa…).
 Marine algae though are abundant throughout the ocean and can either float freely or
cling to substrate such as rocks and reefs.
 The majority of seaweeds are classified as red algae. There are also brown
algae and green algae.
 None of the algae species are known to be poisonous, and many species are harvested for
human consumption.
Seagrasses
 unlike seaweed, are flowering marine plants that live submerged in the marine
environment.
 There are an estimated 50 species of seagrasses worldwide, most of which are found in
the tropics.
 Seagrass beds grow in shallow waters forming thick beds that provide an important
habitat for marine life in temperate and tropical seas.

Mangroves
 are trees that live along tropical coastlines, rooted in salty sediments, often underwater
 Like seagrasses, mangroves are flowering plants, but unlike seagrasses, most of the plant
lives above water

Marine Ecosystem Biomes

Marine Ecosystem Zones
 intertidal zone- is where the ocean meets the land — sometimes it is submerged and at
other times exposed, as waves and tides come in and out
 pelagic zone- includes those waters further from the land, basically the open ocean.
 Divided to neritic and oceanic zones
 benthic zone- is the area below the pelagic zone, but does not include the very deepest
parts of the ocean
 abyssal zone-deep ocean; water in this region is very cold (around 3° C), highly
pressured, high in oxygen content, but low in nutritional content.
 Marine Ecosystem Light Zones
 Photic Zone
 Sunlit or euphotic zone - This is the top layer of the ocean and it gets the most
sunlight.
 Twilight or disphotic zone - The twilight zone is the middle zone in the ocean.
There is too little sunlight for plants to live here.
 Midnight or aphotic zone - There is no light here, it is completely dark.

Marine Ecosystem Biomes

 Ocean  Estuaries
 Hydrothermal Vent (Ocean Floor)  Foreshore
 Intertidal Zones  Lagoons
 Mudflats  Mangroves
 Beach  Seagrass beds
 Coral Reefs  Salt marshes
Oceans
 The largest of all the ecosystems, oceans are very large bodies of water that dominate the
Earth's surface.
 separated into zones: intertidal, pelagic, abyssal, and benthic.
Importance of Oceans
 The UN calls oceans “lungs of the earth”, as they generate most of the oxygen we
breathe.
 The world’s oceans provide food and clean water.
 They absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and reduce climate change
impacts.
 Aside from these life-supporting products and services, oceans provide wondrous
recreational areas and limitless inspiration to millions of people.

Hydrothermal Vent Ecosystem (Ocean Floor)

 ecosystem on the deep ocean floor that doesn't need sunlight to process food
 rely on the chemosynthesis process wherein organisms they rely on chemicals
 feed on chemicals such as hydrogen sulfide
Importance of Hydrothermal Vents
 Releasing sulfide, methane, and heat from beneath the Earth’s crust, they provide
both homes to attach to and food to eat – some species, called chemotrophs, use
the elements and energy within these vents as food and cycle that energy up the
food chain.
 Iron, another element the vents release, acts as a limiting agent for plankton
populations, keeping their numbers in check.

Intertidal Zones
 is the area of the marine shoreline that is exposed to air at low tide, and covered with
seawater when the tide is high.
 Matawe Intertidal Zone - Dingalan, Aurora Province
Importance of Intertidal zones
 The intertidal or littoral zone maintains a balance between the land and the sea.
  It provides a home to specially adapted marine plants and animals.
 The intertidal zone also staves off erosion caused by storms.

Mudflat
 refer to land near a water body that is regularly flooded by tides and is usually barren
(without any vegetation)
 Also known as tidal flats, mudflats are formed upon the deposition of mud by tides or
rivers.
 Tambo Mudflats - Paranaque
Importance of Mudflats
 Intertidal mudflats are very important for migrating birds. During migration they
visit the flats to increase their fat reserves before flying further to areas where the
food supply is less certain.

Beach
 is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles.
 are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles.
 Laiya Beach - Laiya-Aplaya, San Juan, Batangas
Importance of Beaches
 Beaches provide many recreational opportunities for millions of people.
 Beaches provide protection to residents living near the ocean by acting as a buffer
against the high winds and waves of powerful storms or rough seas.
 Beaches also play an important role in the economy.

Coral Reef
 is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals.
 are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate.
 Apo Reef - Occidental Mindoro, Mindoro Strait
Importance of Coral Reefs
 protect coastlines from the damaging effects of wave action and tropical storms
 provide habitats and shelter for many marine organisms
 are the source of nitrogen and other essential nutrients for marine food chains
 assist in carbon and nitrogen fixing
 help with nutrient recycling

Estuaries
 the part of a river or other area of water where it joins the sea, and where freshwater and
salt water are mixed
 Estero de San Miguel - P. Casal Bridge, Pasig River, Manila
 Importance of Estuaries
 Estuaries support a diversity of species of fish, shellfish, aquatic plants and
animals. The protected waters provide vital nesting, breeding and feeding habitats
for many species.
 Estuaries also filter pollutants out of the water flowing through them, including
pesticides, herbicides and heavy metals.

Foreshore
 the ground between the water's edge and cultivated land; land along the edge of a body of
water
 Canigao Island Foreshore - Leyte, Philippines
Importance of Foreshore
 As buffer zones. Foreshore improves water quality by filtering runoff to remove
sediment and associated insoluble contaminants, to allow increased infiltration
opportunity time for soluble nutrients or pesticides to drain into the soil, to provide
shade to watercourses to help maintain temperature norms of the water thereby
protecting or providing habitat for aquatic life, and to provide sound barrier to or
from outside areas (roads, factories, parks).
 Recreational activities. Different activities happen in the foreshore areas that are
directly and intimately have contact with water and thus should be protected for the
benefit of the public. Activities include among many others camping, picnic,
swimming, hiking, wading, and recreational fishing.
 As ecotone. Foreshore area is the transition zone between two ecological
communities (the ocean and the land) usually exhibiting competition between
organisms common to both. These area are typically the most productive and
diverse zones which should then be preserved and protected.
 Public access. Foreshore area provides for access of fisherfolk and the public to
and from the sea

Lagoons
 is a body of water separated from larger bodies of water by a natural barrier.
 The word "lagoon" derives from the Italian word laguna, which means "pond" or "lake."
There are two types of lagoons
 Atoll Lagoons
 Coastal Lagoons
 Twin Lagoons - Coron Palawan, Philippines
Importance of Lagoons
 Coastal lagoons are important on account of their biological, geological, physical
and chemical characteristics.
  Man makes them useful for transportation, food supply, mining, recreation and
preservation activities.

Mangrove
 is a shrub or small tree that grows in coastal saline or brackish water.
 are salt-tolerant trees, also called halophytes, and are adapted to life in harsh coastal
conditions.
 Candijay Mangrove Forest - Candijay,Bohol
Importance of Mangroves
 Shoreline Protection- Mangroves protect shorelines from erosion.
 Nursery- Mangroves serve as valuable nursery areas for fish and invertebrates.
 Threatened and Endangered Species- Mangroves Support Threatened and
Endangered Species.
 Renewable Resource- Mangroves are utilized in many parts of the world as a
renewable resource.

Seagrass Beds
 are not true grasses but are flowering plants that carry out their entire lifecycles
underwater
 Seagrasses that usually inhabit sandy and soft-bottom areas are the only submerged
flowering plants in the marine environment.
 Seagrasses are a vital part of the marine ecosystem.
 Stabilizing the sea bottom
 Providing food and habitat for other marine organisms
 Maintaining water quality
 Supporting local economies
 Nueva Valencia - Guimaras, Philippines

Salt marches
 are coastal wetlands that are flooded and drained by salt water brought in by the tides.
 are marshy because the soil may be composed of deep mud and peat.
Importance of Salt Marshes
 These intertidal habitats are essential for healthy fisheries, coastlines, and
communities—and they are an integral part of our economy and culture.
 They also provide essential food, refuge, or nursery habitat for more than 75
percent of fisheries species, including shrimp, blue crab, and many finfish.
 Salt marshes also protect shorelines from erosion by buffering wave action and
trapping sediments. They reduce flooding by slowing and absorbing rainwater and
protect water quality by filtering runoff, and by metabolizing excess nutrients.
Marine Ecosystem Conservation
HOW MARINE ECOSYSTEMS ARE AFFECTED?
 Water pollution
 Coral bleaching
 Rapid sea level rise
 Oil Spills

WHAT ARE THE POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS TO PROTECT MARINE LIFE?

 Reduce plastic usage
 Influence change in the community
 Avoid trawling during fishing.
 Implementing laws and regulations.

Executive Order No. 533: Integrated Coastal Management Policy

 a national strategy to ensure the sustainable development of the country’s coastal and
marine environment and resources
 was signed by former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on June 6, 2006.
 covers all coastal and marine areas, addressing the inter-linkages among associated
watersheds, estuaries and wetlands, and coastal seas, by all relevant national and local
agencies

Republic Act No. 8550: The Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998

 Fishery specific policies in the Philippines were not apparent until 1932 when the first
Fisheries Act was introduced placing fisheries management under the jurisdiction of the
Secretary of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
 Notable provision in the Act is on trade which limits the importation and exportation of
any fish, mollusks, crustaceans, or amphibian or other aquatic animal, adult, young, or
fry, or fish eggs.

REFERENCES
Biology Dictionary. (2019). Marine Ecosystem - Definition, Food Chain and Quiz | Biology
Dictionary. [online] Available at: https://biologydictionary.net/marine-ecosystem/
[Accessed 24 Aug. 2019].
Kennedy, Jennifer. (2019, July 3). 9 Types of Marine Ecosystems. Retrieved from
https://www.thoughtco.com/types-of-marine-ecosystems-2291779
Desonie, D. (2012). Types of Marine Organisms. Retrieved 24 August 2019, from
https://www.ck12.org/earth-science/types-of-marine-organisms/lesson/Types-of-Marine-
Organisms-HS-ES/
Nelson, Ken. (2019). Science for Kids: Marine or Ocean Biome. Ducksters. Retrieved from
https://www.ducksters.com/science/ecosystems/marine_biome.php