Apr 22 , 2014
Marine Biology for Kids - Life in the Water
Students can learn a lot about the world through the bodies of water in the world. Nearly 70% of the world consists of water, and much of the life on the planet is found underneath water. For this reason, it pays to learn about all of the life beneath the water. Marine biologists study life beneath the ocean, which includes marine animals, fungi, plants and algae and microscopic life. These scientists also study the habitats beneath the ocean, to learn how these organisms live and interact with one another.
When it comes to marine life, most people think about fish. While they are a serious part of marine life, there are so many other forms of marine life that people don't think about. Beneath the sea people will find vertebrates like sharks, invertebrates such as jellyfish and warm blood mammals, like dolphins. People will also find animals of flight, like seabirds. All of these animals make up these habitats and play an important role in the process. There are countless amounts of animals beneath the sea that have been identified, and a large number of species that have still not been identified.
Fungi also make up an incredible portion of marine life, and are considered the largest group of organisms on the planet. There are nearly 2 million species of fungi on the planet, including 400 known types of marine fungi. These fungi need organic life forms to attach to, which is why many fish and other animals experience fungal diseases. This marine fungus has valuable use for the entire planet, because scientists have found ways to turn it into medicine.
Plants and algae make up yet another large portion of life beneath the ocean, with more than 7,000 types of green algae available, and large amounts of other types of algae. Many fish and other animals feed off algae, making it a large food source for many beings. Many people are familiar with algae in their fish tanks and see it as more of a nuisance than anything. Algae act as fertilizer under the water, allowing plant life to grow and blossom.
The ocean is a great resource for life, allowing people to learn about the world as a whole. Many people study to become marine biologists, so that they can enjoy traveling to bodies of water, while also learning about the life underneath the water. This life plays a large role in the food chain and with entire ecosystems, so students should try to gain an understanding. These oceans are filled with all sorts of life, so what may have once looked like a large body of water should be looked at with wonder and with exploration. Anyone interested in learning more about marine biology should study the animals, plants and microscopic organisms that build these underwater worlds.
Marine Animals
- In most cases, seabirds only spend time on land when building nests, so they can raise their young.
- Dolphins are warm-blooded mammals that live in oceans and breathe through a blowhole.
- Jellyfish are invertebrates, which have short lives of a few days to one year, and are not very good swimmers.
- Sharks have excellent hearing and can also smell one drop of blood out of millions of other drops.
Fungi
- Scientists say there are more than 400 known species of marine fungi.
- There are more than 7,000 different types of green algae found in marine habitats.
- Fungi make up the largest groups of all organisms, with more than 1.5 million species known to man
- Underwater fungi must get access to living organisms in order to maintain themselves.
Plants and Algae
- Thousands of plants exist in the ocean and 90 percent of life on the plant is underwater.
- Throughout the years, seaweed has been used for food, building material and tools.
- Seagrass thrives off sunlight, and grows better in shallow water
- Most of the earth's plant life consists of phytoplankton
Microscopic Life
- The majority of the reproduction done on earth occurs with bacteria in the ocean.
- Certain deep sea microbes have lived for millions of years.
- Scientists still have not identified countless microbes found beneath the ocean.
Marine Habitats
- Ocean habitats consist of rocky and coral, sandy and muddy and open water.
- Deep sea refers to ocean that extends to depths of 200 meters.
- Trenches make up nearly 2 percent of the earth's oceans.
- Intertidal areas are those exposed during low tide and covered by water during high tide.
