5. The demersal zone
is the part of the sea or ocean comprising
the water column that is near to (and is significantly affected by)
the seabed and the benthos.
The demersal zone is just above the benthic zone and forms a layer
of the larger profundal zone.
Demersal fish live and feed on or near the bottom
of seas (the demersal zone).
They occupy the sea floors , which usually consist of mud, sand,
gravel or rocks. In coastal waters they are found on or near
the continental shelf, and in deep waters they are found on or
near the continental slope or along the continental rise.
6. The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of
a body of water such as an ocean or a lake, including the sediment
surface and some sub-surface layers.
Organisms living in this zone are called benthos, e.g. the
benthic invertebrate community, including crustaceans
and polychaetes.The organisms generally live in close relationship
with the substrate bottom and many are permanently attached to
the bottom. The superficial layer of the soil lining the given body
of water, the benthic boundary layer, is an integral part of the
benthic zone, as it greatly influences the biological activity which
takes place there. Examples of contact soil layers include sand
bottoms, rocky outcrops, coral, and bay mud.
(The term benthos comes from the Greek noun βένθος "depth of
the sea")
14. MAMMALS
Marine mammals, which
include seals, whales, dolphins, porpoises, manatees, dugongs,
marine otters, walruses, and polar bears form a diverse group of
129 species that rely on the ocean for their existence. They do not
represent a distinct biological grouping, but rather are unified by their
reliance on the aquatic environment for feeding.The level of
dependence on the aquatic environment for existence varies
considerably with species. For example, dolphins and whales are
completely dependent on the marine environment for all stages of
their life, whereas seals feed in the ocean, but breed on land.
15. SPONGES
Sponges are animals of the phylum Porifera (/p r f r /; meaning "pore ɒˈ ɪ ə ə
bearer"). They are multicellular organisms that have bodies full of pores and
channels allowing water to circulate through them, consisting of jelly-
like mesohyl sandwiched between two thin layers of cells. Sponges have
unspecialized cells that can transform into other types and that often migrate
between the main cell layers and the mesohyl in the process. Sponges do not
have nervous, digestive or circulatory systems. Instead, most rely on
maintaining a constant water flow through their bodies to obtain food and
oxygen and to remove wastes.