DEEP SEA ADVENTuRES - the Scientia Review

Deep Sea Adventures
L. Morales • R. Meyers
N. Senthilkumar
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Different Parts of the Ocean
When most people think about the ocean they imagine the intertidal
zone (this is where the water meets the land), or the epipelagic zone
(the water where sunlight reaches). While these regions contain an
abundance of life, it makes up only a tiny fraction of the entire
ocean biome. Photosynthesis only occurs 100-200 meters into the
ocean and after 1000 meters there is no sunlight whatsoever. So
what exists beneath in the depths? Consider that 79% of all of the
earth’s biome exists at depths greater than 1000 meters. As a
species we know more about the surface of the moon and mars than
we do about our own seas!
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Pelagic
vs.
Benthic
Scientists divide ocean life into two broad realms: the pelagic and the benthic.
Pelagic refers to the open water in which swimming and floating organisms live.
Organisms living there are called the pelagos. From the shallowest to the deepest,
biologists divide the pelagic into the epipelagic (less than 200 meters, where there
can be photosynthesis), the mesopelagic (200 - 1,000 meters, the "twilight" zone
with faint sunlight but no photosynthesis), the bathypelagic (1,000 - 4,000 meters),
the abyssopelagic (4,000 - 6,000 meters) and the deepest, the hadopelagic (the
deep trenches below 6,000 meters to about 11,000 m or 36,000 feet deep). In the
last three zones there is no sunlight at all. The second type of life is found in the
benthic zones which consist of the bottom sediments. The organisms that live here
live on the surface of the sediment, burrow beneath it, or in the water right above.
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Factors Affecting Deep
Sea Life
There are several different aspects of life that
creatures living in the deep sea must adapt to. The
two different categories of factors are abiotic and
biotic. Abiotic factors are those that are not living
such as temperature, light add pressure. Biotic factors
are living constraints such as predators, food, and
mating.
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Abiotic Factors
Some abiotic factors that deep sea creatures need to adapt to is the
light deficit, high pressure, cold temperatures, and low oxygen. Even
though there is no sunlight past 1000 meters it does not mean that
there is no light. Many organisms have evolved bioluminescence to
offset the lack of light. Scientists whom have gone to the deep sea
and shut off their lights have reported that they saw flashes and
streaks of light all around them as creatures bioluminescence. Every
10 meters of water increases the pressure experienced by 1 atm or
atmospheric pressure. And considering that there are creatures living
at 1,100 atm it is easy to see why pressure is a main consideration for
life in the depths. Lastly, the water in the depths of the sea hover
around -1 degrees Celsius.
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Biotic Factors
In addition to abiotic factors making life difficult on the sea
floor are the biotic factors. Because of the absolute dark of the
depths there is no photosynthesis occurring and as a
consequence the main diet of the majority of the life form here is
detritus. Detritus is the decaying organisms which live in the
upper levels of the ocean. The deep sea creatures eat on the
remains of these organisms and search for the rain of detritus to
eat. Many of the pelagic fish which live in the depths have
evolved large mouths which enable them to intake large
quantities of the scarce food source. Yet other animals evolved
rows of long inward pointing teeth which help to ensure that any
food for the fish, once caught, has little chance of escape.
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Deep Sea Adaptations
In order to live in this harsh conditions the animals living here need to
adapt to their surroundings to ensure that they stand a chance of survival.
The body color of almost all of the deep sea fish is either clear, black, or
red. These colors help the fish move swiftly and undetected in the depths.
What might surprise you is that, in the deep, fish with red are harder to
spot than black ones. This is due to the fact that since there is no red light
that makes it to these depths many fish evolve to not even be able to see
the color making these fish truly invisible. One cool adaptation is how
these animals reproduce.
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Reproduction
Reproduction is an extremely important process in the life
cycle. Many scientist struggle with the question of how the
animals at these depths manage to find a partner to reproduce
with but one instance of reproductive evolution is that some
fish have a parasitic relationship with their partners. In the
deep, females tend to be very large in comparison to the males
and what has been documented is that the male latches on to
the female for life and they mix and share blood.
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Size
In addition to the reproductive abilities of deep sea creatures is
their unique adaptation to become truly gigantic. Later on in this
book we’ll delve into the world of the Giant Squid but for now lets
look at the implication of the massive size of the creatures living in
the deep. A child Giant Squid is as tall as a two story house and in
adulthood reach sizes much greater. Evolution most likely dictated
this growth of their body in an attempt to occupy the near unlimited
space that is available in the deep. Some questions which arise
when considering the size of these creatures is what do they eat in
order to be able to support such a large body?
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Barreleye Fish
Barreleye fish can most commonly be found in tropical and temperate
waters, specifically in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. They
live in what is known as the bathypelagic zone located 400-2,500
meters below the surface. Reproduction wise barreleye fish are pelagic
spawners. This means that both the egg and sperm are released directly
into the water. The fertilized eggs drift with the current closer to the
surface and as the fish grow they move and live in deeper water.
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Barreleye fish have adapted to their life deep below the sea’s surface in
several ways. Their tubular shaped eyes are one adaptation, but until
recently, scientists believed that their eyes only viewed things that were
directly in front of them. It was discovered that the eyes of a barreleye
fish are surrounded by a transparent, fluid shield that coats the fish’s
head. These fish also have flat fins that allow them to move, smoothly,
swiftly, and quickly. The mouth of a barreleye fish is very small, but
they have a large digestive tract, which say a lot about the food it eats.
Barreleye fish feed on small animals and jelly fish.
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The Macropinna microstoma, also known as the barrel eye fish was first
sighted and described in 1939, but not given an official name until
recently. This fish was categorized as a fish with tubular eyes and
transparent head. The researchers responsible for this discovery are those
of Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. The name “Barreleye”
comes from the actual shape of their eyes. Fish have adapted to their
environments over thousands of years, and their particular eyes are an
example of an adaptation. They live deep underwater in complete
darkness because the sunlight never reaches. The tubular eyes allow
them to see faint shadows that detect prey.
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Angler Fish
The anglerfish is usually dark gray or brown and life at the bottom of the
Atlantic and Antarctic Ocean. There are more than 200 species of this fish
ranging from 20 centimeters to 1 meter in length. There name descends
from the piece of dorsal spine that hangs above the mouths of the females
similar to a fishing pole. This feature of the females allows them to attract
prey, and because of their large mouths and flexible bodies the anglerfish
can swallow prey twice its size.
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Angler
Fish
Continued…
The most interesting fact about the anglerfish is their method of
mating. The male becomes a parasitic mate for the female. When the
male encounters a female, it latches on using its teeth and then
physically fuses to the female. They become connected through skin
and eventually the male loses his eyes and almost all internal organs.
The two fish share a bloodstream, but the male keeps all reproductive
organs. The average female carries a minimum of six males on her
body.
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Giant Squid
The largest giant squid ever recorded was nearly 43 feet long, and almost
weighed a ton. Despite their large size they live elusively in the deep sea.
Most of what we know about these squids are found from dead carcasses
that have been discovered by fishermen. This first live recording of the
giant squid was in 2006 when the squid was baited in and filmed; as this
occurred a 24-foot living squid was brought to the surface. It was not
until 2012 that these fascinating animals were filmed in their natural
habitat.
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Similar to other squids and octopi, the giant squid has two eyes, a beak,
eight arms, two feeding tentacles, and a siphon. The feeding tentacles of
these animals are tipped with hundreds of sharp-toothed suckers, their
long lengths allow the squid to catch prey up to 33 feet away. The eight
arms are covered in wide toothed suckers to guide the captured prey to
the sharp beak. One foot in diameter eyes are the largest in the animal
kingdom and allow the squids to absorb light, seeing even a glimpse of
bioluminescence. All of the basic organs can be found in the mantle, the
main part of the body of the squid.
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It is conjectured that there is not just one species of giant squid, this
cannot be certain because of the difficulty in tracking the squid. However,
it is certain that it has an abundance of evolutionary relatives. They belong
to a group of mollusks known as cephalopods, which have been around for
about 500 million years. As of right now there is an estimated 500 species
of squid in the ocean, ranging from something as small as a finger, to
something as large as the giant squid.
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The ocean is a foreign topic to most people, especially young children.
This has something to do with the fact that much of the water is
unexplored. Despite that, there are many interesting animals below the
surface that people should take the time to learn about. This book
included several exotic sea creatures that are unknown to most, but it is
never too late to learn. Hope you enjoyed!
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Glossary
Benthic: Of or relating to or happening on the bottom under a body of water.
Bioluminescence: The biochemical emission of light by living organisms.
Biome: A large naturally occurring community of flora and fauna occupying a major
habitat.
Canyon: A deep gorge.
Coral: A hard stony substance secreted by certain marine coelenterates as an external
skeleton, typically forming large reefs in warm seas.
Detritus: Waste or debris of any kind.
Dorsal spine: Fin on the top of a fish.
Ecosystems: A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical
environment.
Epipelagic Zone: Any water in the sea that is not close to the bottom or near to the shore is
in the pelagic zone.
Intertidal Zone: The intertidal zone is the area that is above water at low tide and under
water at high tide.
Native: Indigenous
Pelagic: Of or relating to the open sea.
Photosynthesis: The process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight
to synthesize foods from carbon dioxide and water.
Tubular: Long, round, and hollow like a tube.
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About the Authors
Rachael Meyers
Rachael Meyers, originally from Leicester, Massachusetts, a
small town west of Worcester, spent most of her academic career
in the Leicester Public School System. In the fall of 2012 she
began studying at Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science
at WPI which is where she continues to study today. She plans to
go on to study pre-med in the future. In her free time she enjoys
playing sports and spending time with family and friends.
Naveen Senthilkumar
Naveen is a student at the Massachusetts Academy of Math and
Science who enjoys learning about the various adaptions of life in
extreme environments. He has a diverse area of study ranging
from physics to electrical engineering cryptozoology. In his free
time he enjoys playing the piano, skateboarding, and reading.
Leah Morales
Leah is also originally from Leicester Massachusetts. She is
student at Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science who is
originally from the Leicester school system. She enjoys playing
sports and doing various creative things.
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Image Credits:
p1
http://ocean.si.edu/sites/default/files/audio/images/Giant_Squid_art_carousel_D1000088.JPG
p2
http://www.exploringnature.org/graphics/glossary/ocean_layers.jpg
p3
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7a/Wfm_pelagic.png/150pxWfm_pelagic.png
p4
http://www.pewenvironment.org/uploadedImages/PEG/Campaigns/deep-stony-coral-585mfk020211.jpg
p5
http://www.way-of-tao.com/media/evolutionary%20forces/sunlight_deep_ocean_kan.jpg
p6
http://www.whoi.edu/cms/images/lstokey/2005/1/v40n2-honjo2en_4950.jpg
http://www.animals-zone.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Anglerfish-1.jpg
p7
http://www.mbari.org/news/news_releases/2009/barreleye/barreleye1-350.jpg
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/gFQjMj77kpU/UXpDXdbe0PI/AAAAAAAAH9g/kFaz7lj0OnU/s1600/Orangeysayshi.jpg
http://www.bountyfishing.com/blog/images/deep-sea-glass-squid.jpg
p8
http://fishyaquaria.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/male_female11.jpg
http://cugau85.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/angler-fish-male.jpg
p9
http://www.tnaqua.org/newsroom/Images/molamola.jpg
http://www.pinktentacle.com/images/echizen_kurage_caramel_2.jpg
http://westcoastword.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/humpback-whale.jpg
p10
http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/104/cache/fish-transparent-headbarreleye_10442_600x450.jpg
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_NzKhcRfkhC4/TLzrt9gyH6I/AAAAAAAAAAU/DWYWenLczeQ/S760/
deepsea.jpg
p11
http://www.mbari.org/news/news_releases/2009/barreleye/barreleye.html
p12
http://www.mbari.org/news/news_releases/2009/barreleye/barreleye.html
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c0/Opisthoproctus_soleatus.png
p13
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c0/Opisthoproctus_soleatus.png
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p14
http://images.wikia.com/disney/images/0/0c/Finding_nemo_dory_marlin_angler_fish.jpg
http://a3.ecimages.myspacecdn.com/images01/63/42f9eab801b5953b1d529673f77dbdff/l.jpg
http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/storage/animals/520x260/fanfishanglerfish_lg.jpg
p15
http://deepseanews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/130108-squid-935a.jpeg
p16
http://ocean.si.edu/sites/default/files/imagecache/465x300/photos/squid-feeding-illust64D013_1.jpg
p17
http://ocean.si.edu/giant-squid
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