Marine ecosystems
What’s a marine ecosystem?
Marine ecosystems are aquatic environments, characterised by high concentrations of sodium chloride.
Marine ecosystems are essentially a combination of the living and non living world. Sometimes these combinations create amazing hubs of biodiversity. Coral reefs are a great example, occupying just 0.1% of the world’s ocean floor, yet support 25% of all marine species.
How do marine ecosystems vary?
The combination of biotic (Living) and abiotic (non-living) factors ultimately defines a marine ecosystem.
Mangrove forests are limited to warm waters found in subtropical and tropical regions. Therefore the biodiversity associated with the forest will be tropical. This is an example of an abiotic factor.
Examples of Marine ecosystems
Marine ecosystems include nearshore systems, such as the saltmarshes, mudflats, sea grass meadows, mangroves, rocky intertidal systems and coral reefs.
Extending outwards from the coast are offshore marine ecosystems, such as epipelagic surface waters, pelagic ocean waters, the deep sea, oceanic hydrothermal vents, and the sea floor.
