ENV100Y5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 37: Treasure Trove, Coral Bleaching, Hydrothermal Vent
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ENV100Y5 Full Course Notes
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Document Summary
Animals of the very deep ocean (benthic - bottom) are adapted to extreme conditions. Some carry bacteria that produce light chemically by bioluminescence. Hydrothermal vent system areas where hot water comes from mantle through vents onto the ocean floor, usually as hot water, dumps mineral water; black smokers. Attached to rock or existing reef (sessile) Derive nourishment from symbiotic algae called zooxanthellae. Reef: mass of calcium carbonate composed of the skeletons of corals acidified. Mainly in tropical oceans and coastal zones. Invertebrates and fish species find food and shelter in reefs. Very important as environmental indicators - sensitive to water temperature, composition, and light levels. Coral bleaching occurs when zooxanthellae leave the coral in response to environmental changes; corals die. Nutrient pollution can cause algal growth, smothers coral. Intertidal (littoral) ecosystems: where the ocean meets the land. Between the highest high tide and the lowest low tide levels.
