Deep Ocean Ecosystems

Francesco Canganella, University of Tuscia, Italy
Chiaki Kato, Japan Marine Science and Technology Centre, Japan

Published online: March 2002

DOI: 10.1038/npg.els.0003192

The term ‘deep ocean’ typically describes any marine ecosystem located at depths greater than 500 metres. This environment is characterized by an elevated hydrostatic pressure, an average temperature of 2–4°C, the absence of sunlight, and the scarce availability of organic food. Specific organisms are associated with the deepest areas, and pressure-adapted animals as well as microorganisms inhabit these peculiar ecosystems.

Keywords: oceans; deep sea; marine biology; sea organisms; bacteria; biotechnology

Figure 1. The distribution of deep sea regions with depths greater than 3000–4000 m throughout the world. Modified after Herring and Clarke (1971).
Figure 2. The manned submersible Alvin built in 1964 and operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
Figure 3. The remotely operated vehicle KAIKO operated by JAMSTEC, with which it was possible to sample the bottom of the Mariana Trench for the first time.
Figure 4. The Deep-Bath System by which microorganisms can be cultivated at up to 65 MPa and at temperatures over 100°C.
Figure 5. Shrimps and crabs observed around hydrothermal vent emissions at 1100 m depth.
Figure 6. Samples of Calyptogena magnifica collected at the Okinawa Trough (Japan).
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 Further Reading
    book Earle S and Giddings A (1980) Exploring the Deep Frontier: The Adventure of Man in the Sea. Washington, DC: National Geographic Society.
    book Ernst WG and Morin JG (1982) The Environment of the Deep-Sea. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
    book Kennish MJ (1994) Practical Handbook of Marine Science. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
    book Prager EJ and Earle SA (2000) The Oceans. New York: McGraw-Hill.
    book Rowe GT and Pariente V (1992) Deep-sea Food Chains and the Global Carbon Cycle. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic.

Related Sub-Topics:

Biogeography and Macroecology | Biomes and Ecosystems | Organisms and the Physical Environment
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Article Title: Deep Ocean Ecosystems
 
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Canganella, Francesco, and Kato, Chiaki(Mar 2002) Deep Ocean Ecosystems. In: eLS. John Wiley & Sons Ltd, Chichester. http://www.els.net [doi: 10.1038/npg.els.0003192]