CONTENTS What are marine biomes Marine biomes of the world Living underwater 4 6 8 Coasts 10 Coral reefs 12 Frozen oceans In the deep 14 16 Ocean predators 18 Born survivors 20 Eat or be eaten Oceans and people Marine threats Marine futures Glossary Find out more Index 22 24 26 28 30 31 32
WHAT ARE MARINE BIOMES Marine biomes cover about three-quarters of Earth’s surface They include open ocean water the world’s coastlines and seashores colorful coral reefs the mysterious hidden world of the deep dark oceans and the seabed Ocean challenges Marine biomes are challenging places for plants and animals to live The salt in seawater would dry out and kill most living things if they drank a lot of it Winds across the water’s surface whip up high waves that can be rough and powerful In places oceans reach incredible depths and the deeper it gets the darker and colder it becomes Marine biomes are home to many different animals such as these bottlenose dolphins surfing high waves in waters off South Africa 4 Amazing Adaptation Adaptations are special features or body parts that living things develop over time to help them survive in a biome Sea lions and dolphins have strong paddle-like flippers to help them swim and a long narrow body shape to cut through waves
Ocean survival In spite of these challenges the marine biome is full of life Plankton consists of tiny plants and animals so small they cannot be seen without a microscope but there can be over a million plankton in just a quart liter of seawater In contrast some types of seaweed can be up to 100 feet 30 m long There is a huge variety of marine animals Some such as fish live breathe feed and have their young in the ocean without ever leaving the water Others including the millions of sea birds that fly over the water searching for fish only visit the ocean biome to catch food Some animals such as sea lions live mainly in seawater but come to the surface to breathe or go ashore to rest and have their young Fact Focus Biome or Habitat Biomes are regions of the world such as deserts forests rivers oceans tundra and grassland that have a similar climate plants and animals A habitat is the specific place in a biome where a plant or animal lives 5
