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Ocean Surface Ecosystem
Organisms that live freely at the ocean surface, termed neuston, include keystone organisms like the golden seaweed ''Sargassum'' that makes up the Sargasso Sea, floating barnacles, marine snails, nudibranchs, and cnidarians. Many ecologically and economically important fish species live as or rely upon neuston. Species at the surface are not distributed uniformly; the ocean's surface harbours unique neustonic communities and ecoregions found at only certain latitudes and only in specific ocean basins. But the surface is also on the front line of climate change and pollution. Life on the ocean's surface connects worlds. From shallow waters to the deep sea, the open ocean to rivers and lakes, numerous terrestrial and marine species depend on the surface ecosystem and the organisms found there. Material was copied from this source, which is available under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License The ocean's surface acts like a skin between the atmosphere above and the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Neuston On The Ocean’s Surface
Neuston, also known as pleuston, are organisms that live at the surface of the ocean or an estuary, or at the surface of a lake, river or pond. Neuston can live on top of the water surface or may be attached to the underside of the water surface. They may also exist in the Sea surface microlayer, surface microlayer that forms between the top side and the underside. Neuston have been defined as "organisms living at the air/water interface of freshwater, estuarine, and marine habitats or referring to the biota on or directly below the water’s surface layer." The word neuston comes from the Greek ''neustos'', meaning "swimming" + -on (as in plankton). This term first appears in the biological literature in 1917. The alternative term pleuston comes from the Greek ''plein'', meaning "to sail or float". The first known use of this word was in 1909, before the first known use of neuston. In the past various authors have attempted distinctions between neuston and pleuston, but these dist ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
