Why is the ocean diverse?

Why is the ocean diverse?

“The oceans we see today are filled with a dizzying array of species in groups like fishes, arthropods, and mollusks, not because they had higher origination rates than groups that are less common, but because they had lower extinction rates over very long intervals of time.”

What is ocean diversity?

Biological diversity in the ocean is the variety of life that exists in the ocean. This includes all plants and animals and the ecosystems in which they live and interact with. All organisms, both plants and animal, play an important role in their environment.

Why is the diversity in the oceans important?

Marine biodiversity – a vital resource > For a long time the significance of biological diversity in the world’s oceans was unclear. It is now known to play a vital role in maintaining the functionality and productivity of ecosystems. It also makes habitats more resilient to environmental change.

Are oceans high in biodiversity?

The world’s oceans contain somewhere between 500,000 and 10 million marine species. Much of the biodiversity in the ocean, particularly in the deep sea and in the microbial ocean, is unknown, and up to 2,000 new species are described per year.

Why is the sea diverse and dynamic?

He suggested that because the deep sea is monotonous and predictable (i.e., it is stable), populations have the evolutionary time to become newly specialized in how they feed. Over time, these populations become so specialized they evolve into totally new species, eventually driving diversity up.

Why are fishes so diverse?

One reason fish are so diverse is that 70 percent of the planet is covered in water. The animals in this group live in a variety of habitats ranging from coral reefs and kelp forests to rivers, streams, and the open ocean. Another is that fish are very old on the evolutionary scale.

Why ocean is high biodiversity?

` The marine environment has a very high biodiversity because 32 out of the 33 described animal phyla are represented in there.

Why does biodiversity in the oceans matter?

Healthy marine ecosystems are important for society since they provide services including food security, feed for livestock , raw materials for medicines, building materials from coral rock and sand, and natural defenses against hazards such as coastal erosion and inundation. …

Why does the ocean have a high biodiversity?

Biodiversity in the Open Ocean This is because, just like humans, organisms in the ocean need nutrients to grow. The oceans get these essential nutrients from water that has run off from land.

Why are marine animals more diverse?

Upending an evolutionary theory proposed in the 1950s, scientists have found that the groups most resistant to extinction also contain the greatest ecological diversity – their members perform a larger number of different functions in ecosystems.

Which ocean has the most biodiversity?

the Pacific Ocean
It contains 45,389 km of coastline. There are 400 known fish species living in Arctic seas and adjacent waters, most living on or near the bottom. So, based on global fisheries and the overall biodiversity of coral reef ecosystems, the Pacific Ocean wins for most marine life.

What is the biodiversity of the Pacific ocean?

The ocean provides: Pacific Ocean biodiversity feeds us and the world: 70% of the global fish catch is from the Pacific! The ocean supports: without coral reefs, our island shores would wash away. The Pacific has the most coral reef species in the world.

Why do we need diversity in the ocean?

After 10 years of intensive study, the answer is clear – yes, it does. Experiments in coastal ecosystems, particularly seagrass meadows and kelp forests, have shown that biological diversity in the oceans is essential for maintaining the ecosystem functions described above.

Why is the biodiversity of the oceans declining?

Because of rapid changes in water temperature, salinity and nutrient concentrations, and due to overfishing, habitat destruction and the introduction of foreign species, global biological diversity in the oceans is rapidly declining. There is no doubt about this: the disruptive forces are cumulative and will cause further species to disappear.

Why is biodiversity important in the deep sea?

But at the same time, only a small fraction of the species in the deep sea and polar oceans have so far been identified, making the loss of species in the oceans much more difficult to record and evaluate than on land. Why is marine biodiversity important? Every ecosystem performs certain functions that are critically important for organisms.

Why is the ocean important to all life on Earth?

The ocean is the largest ecosystem on Earth, and it is the planet’s life support system. The ocean is essential for all life on Earth, including humans. To ensure a sustainable future, we must protect and preserve healthy marine ecosystems. For far too long, people assumed that the ocean was limitless and immune to human impacts.