Page 207 - (DK) Ocean - The Definitive Visual Guide

BY FAR THE LARGEST HABITAT on Earth,

the oceans are more accurately seen as

a great range of environments as disparate
as mangrove swamps and deep-sea vents.

Living organisms have found a place to take

hold in every ocean environment, even the

deepest trenches, more than 6 miles (10 km)

beneath the surface. Ocean life teems with
greatest abundance and variety in the sunlit

surface waters. Here, microscopic plants

and plantlike organisms, the phytoplankton,
fuel productive communities of organisms

right up to top predators, such as killer

whales. Life began in the oceans, and they

were the site of many groundbreaking

steps in evolution. Tracing the history of this
evolution puts into context the astonishing

variety of today’s marine life.

INTRODUCTION TO OCEAN LIFE

KELP FOREST COMMUNITY
Ocean life develops into one of a number of
characteristic communities, according to physical
conditions. Here in cool, shallow water, a canopy
of kelp towers above an undergrowth of encrusting
red seaweed, while an eagle ray and smaller
fish find shelter among the kelp fronds.