Aquatic habitats
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The two important habitats are the aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Aquatic habitats may be marine, estaurine or Freshwater ones. Terrestrial
habitats includes Marshes, swamps, forests, grasslands and arid lands. Marshes and swamps are considered as wetland habitats. Each of these habitats can be further subdivided into smaller units called microhabitats.
The littoral zone can be subdivided into the splash zone, the intertidal zone and the sub-tidal zone. The splash zone is just above the high-tide mark and is wetted by the spray from breaking waves.
The intertidal zone is covered with the water during the high tide and exposed to air during the low tide. This happens twice a day. The zone is also exposed to wave action. The subtidal zone extends from low-tide mark to a depth of about 200 meters.
The waters on the continental shelf is known as neritic, and that beyond the shelf, as oceanic. Light only penetrates the oceanic waters to a depth of 200 meters. Beyond this, the waters are dark and cold.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GSul5l5QCos The richest flora and fauna are found on a rocky shore barnacles, oysters, mussels and limpets are found on the intertidal zone of a rocky shore which is exposed and where wave action is severe, while anemones, sponges and seaweeds are found on the sheltered parts. Sea urchins, sea cucumbers and seaweeds are found in rock crevices below the low-tide mark. Periwinkles (snails) and shore slaters (crustaceans) are found on the splash zone.
Most of the beaches in Biafra are sandy. Life on a sandy shore is not as rich as that on a rocky shore. Seaweeds are not present. Sandy shore dwellers include the slow-moving starfish, bivalves and annelids, and the agile ghost crabs. Ghost crabs are sandy coloured and live in deep burrows just above the high-tide mark. They come out to hunt for food on the shore. Common organisms on muddy shores include small worms and crustaceans. All shores have a number of birds, which are specially numerous on muddy shores.
Most shores organisms have to withstand wave and tide action. Those living on rocky shores have adhesive structures. For example, the brown seaweed, sargassum, is attached to rocks by holdfasts, barnacles are cemented rocks and limpets hold onto rocks with their feet. Organisms on Sandy and muddy shores lives in burrows and so escape being washed away by the waves and tides.
Splash zone organisms are more adapted for living on both land and water. The periwinkle has lungs like the land snails; the ghost crab had gills for breathing in water and a spongy structure for breathing on land.
Intertidal organisms are mainly adapted for an aquatic life. The main problem they face is exposure and the resultant drying out each time the tide ebbs. To overcome this, organisms in sandy and muddy shores burrow into the soft substratum.
Bivalves have specially adapted feet for digging into the sand or mud. Rocky shore organisms cannot burrow into the rocks. Instead, when the tide ebbs, many molluscs, barnacles and worms withdraw into protective shells or tubes which hold some water; sea anemones withdraw their tentacles and fill their body cavities with water; and some animals hide in rock crevices. Many shore organisms vary in their ability to withstand drying out. Those living near the splash zone have a wide tolerance range.
This results in organisms being arranged in clear cut bands or zones. Zonation is common in studies of habitats.
The subtidal zone is also a favourable zone containing producers and consumers organisms. Most of the organisms found on the lower edge of the intertidal zone are also found on the subtidal zone. Snails, crabs, lobsters, and crawfish are some of the animals found near the floor of this zone. Two well-known fishes, the sting ray and the sole, are also found in this zone. They are specially adapted for living on the sea floor. The ray has a body that is flattened from top to bottom; the sole is a flat fish that lies on it's lower side and has both its eyes on the upper side. They hunt for small animals living on the sea floor and lie burried in the muddy or sandy sea floor.
The benthic zone is unfavourable for life. The water is dark, cold and contains very little oxygen. No producers are found here, but a number of animals live here. These deep sea animals are specially adapted to live under conditions of great pressure. Their main source of food is the dead remains of the organisms from the surface water above.
The surface waters of the ocean supports two main groups of organisms which are plankton and nektons.
The plankton consist of small to microscopic organisms which float, drift passively or swim slowly in the surface waters. Both producers and consumers are present. The important food producers of marine ecosystems are the photosynthetic plankton such as protists (especially diatoms) and algae (seaweeds). Consumer plankton include protozoa, crustaceans (especially copepods), worm, larvae and molluscs.
Most plankton have adaptations for staying afloat. The nektons consist of actively moving or swimming animals like fishes, squids, crabs, prawns and whales.
Fishes, with their stream-lined muscular bodies, are especially adapted for moving swiftly in water. Most bony fishes also have gas-filled swim bladders. They can adjust the amount of gas in these bladders and thus move to different depths in the water. Some common tropical open sea fishes include shark, mackerel, sea catfish, bonga fish and croacker. Deep sea have various adaptations for attracting mayes and luring prey, such as various types of light organs. Some have expandable mouths and stomachs for swallowing large prey, a meal that can last them for a long time before they come across their next prey. Most deep sea animals feed on detritus.
AQUATIC AND WETLAND HABITATS
The two important habitats are the aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Aquatic habitats may be marine, estaurine or Freshwater ones. Terrestrial
habitats includes Marshes, swamps, forests, grasslands and arid lands. Marshes and swamps are considered as wetland habitats. Each of these habitats can be further subdivided into smaller units called microhabitats.
Marine Habitat
The shore and open sea make up a a marine habitat. it can broadly be divided into littoral and benthic zones. The littoral zone is the region that extends over the continental shelf to a depth of about 200 meters. Beyond this, the ocean floor can extend to a depth of 10,000 meters. This is the benthic zone.The littoral zone can be subdivided into the splash zone, the intertidal zone and the sub-tidal zone. The splash zone is just above the high-tide mark and is wetted by the spray from breaking waves.
The intertidal zone is covered with the water during the high tide and exposed to air during the low tide. This happens twice a day. The zone is also exposed to wave action. The subtidal zone extends from low-tide mark to a depth of about 200 meters.
The waters on the continental shelf is known as neritic, and that beyond the shelf, as oceanic. Light only penetrates the oceanic waters to a depth of 200 meters. Beyond this, the waters are dark and cold.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GSul5l5QCos The richest flora and fauna are found on a rocky shore barnacles, oysters, mussels and limpets are found on the intertidal zone of a rocky shore which is exposed and where wave action is severe, while anemones, sponges and seaweeds are found on the sheltered parts. Sea urchins, sea cucumbers and seaweeds are found in rock crevices below the low-tide mark. Periwinkles (snails) and shore slaters (crustaceans) are found on the splash zone.
Most of the beaches in Biafra are sandy. Life on a sandy shore is not as rich as that on a rocky shore. Seaweeds are not present. Sandy shore dwellers include the slow-moving starfish, bivalves and annelids, and the agile ghost crabs. Ghost crabs are sandy coloured and live in deep burrows just above the high-tide mark. They come out to hunt for food on the shore. Common organisms on muddy shores include small worms and crustaceans. All shores have a number of birds, which are specially numerous on muddy shores.
Most shores organisms have to withstand wave and tide action. Those living on rocky shores have adhesive structures. For example, the brown seaweed, sargassum, is attached to rocks by holdfasts, barnacles are cemented rocks and limpets hold onto rocks with their feet. Organisms on Sandy and muddy shores lives in burrows and so escape being washed away by the waves and tides.
Splash zone organisms are more adapted for living on both land and water. The periwinkle has lungs like the land snails; the ghost crab had gills for breathing in water and a spongy structure for breathing on land.
Intertidal organisms are mainly adapted for an aquatic life. The main problem they face is exposure and the resultant drying out each time the tide ebbs. To overcome this, organisms in sandy and muddy shores burrow into the soft substratum.
This results in organisms being arranged in clear cut bands or zones. Zonation is common in studies of habitats.
The subtidal zone is also a favourable zone containing producers and consumers organisms. Most of the organisms found on the lower edge of the intertidal zone are also found on the subtidal zone. Snails, crabs, lobsters, and crawfish are some of the animals found near the floor of this zone. Two well-known fishes, the sting ray and the sole, are also found in this zone. They are specially adapted for living on the sea floor. The ray has a body that is flattened from top to bottom; the sole is a flat fish that lies on it's lower side and has both its eyes on the upper side. They hunt for small animals living on the sea floor and lie burried in the muddy or sandy sea floor.
The benthic zone is unfavourable for life. The water is dark, cold and contains very little oxygen. No producers are found here, but a number of animals live here. These deep sea animals are specially adapted to live under conditions of great pressure. Their main source of food is the dead remains of the organisms from the surface water above.
The surface waters of the ocean supports two main groups of organisms which are plankton and nektons.
The plankton consist of small to microscopic organisms which float, drift passively or swim slowly in the surface waters. Both producers and consumers are present. The important food producers of marine ecosystems are the photosynthetic plankton such as protists (especially diatoms) and algae (seaweeds). Consumer plankton include protozoa, crustaceans (especially copepods), worm, larvae and molluscs.
Most plankton have adaptations for staying afloat. The nektons consist of actively moving or swimming animals like fishes, squids, crabs, prawns and whales.
Fishes, with their stream-lined muscular bodies, are especially adapted for moving swiftly in water. Most bony fishes also have gas-filled swim bladders. They can adjust the amount of gas in these bladders and thus move to different depths in the water. Some common tropical open sea fishes include shark, mackerel, sea catfish, bonga fish and croacker. Deep sea have various adaptations for attracting mayes and luring prey, such as various types of light organs. Some have expandable mouths and stomachs for swallowing large prey, a meal that can last them for a long time before they come across their next prey. Most deep sea animals feed on detritus.
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