Bathyal Zone of the Aquatic Biome Jennifer Gerstner

Bathyal Zone of the Aquatic Biome Jennifer Gerstner 6 th period Mrs. Johnson APES

Location: �The bathyal zone is generally described as lying between 200 and 2, 000 meters or 660 and 6, 600 feet below the surface.

Bathyal Food Chain: �Not many animals tend to live in the bathyal zone but those that do tend to have weak muscles, soft skin, and slimy bodies. �Phytoplankton Barnacle Larvae Podon (water flea) Themisto Adult Herring Squid

Habitat: �Little light penetrates the bathyal waters so photosynthesis does not occur here. �The temperature ranges from 30 -37 degrees Fahrenheit �Currents are slow in bathyal depths. �Bathyal sediments are terrestrial, pelagic, or authigenic. �Animals such as hagfish, eels, jellyfish, and whales live in this habitat.

How it’s used by humans: �The upper limit of the bathyal zone is marked by the edge of the continental shelf. �It can include trenches and submarine canyons, with underwater erosion producing avalanches. �The bathyal zone helps us be aware of these issues.

Threats to the Bathyal Zone: �Some fishing techniques such as dredging and trawling can cause widespread damage to marine habitats. �Marine pollution has the potential to seriously damage marine habitats and life in the sea. �Eutrophication is caused by the release of excess nutrients into coastal areas which can lead to excessive phytoplankton growth and when they die this depletes oxygen levels. Resulting in oxygen starvation to large amounts of organisms.

Work Cited: �http: //www. sciencelearn. org. nz/Contexts/Life-in-the. Sea/Science-Ideas-and-Concepts/Human-impacts-onmarine-environments �http: //www. britannica. com/EBchecked/topic/55986/ bathyal-zone �http: //www. lenntech. com/water-ecology-faq. htm