Creatures that dwell mostly in water, such as oceans, seas, rivers, ponds, and lakes are known as aquatic animals. Fish, jellyfish, whales, sharks, octopus, sea otters, barnacles, crocodiles, crabs, eels, dolphins, rays, mussels, and other aquatic species are examples. Aquatic plants, on the other hand, include water lettuce, water hyacinth, water fern, water lilies, duckweed and watergrass, among others. Aquatic habitats refer to habitats where aquatic animals and plants live. Marine, freshwater and brackish water are all examples of aquatic ecosystems. Organisms have morphological and anatomical adaptations that allow them to thrive in watery environments. Aquatic organisms with fins or tentacles, as well as other locomotory organelles, can move freely in an aquatic medium. Aquatic organisms’ locomotion comprises activities such as diving and swimming.

Aquatic Food Web

In an ecological community, food webs describe a network of who consumes whom. Food webs, which are made up of interconnected food chains, can help us understand how changes to ecosystems, like the removal of a top predator or the addition of nutrients, might affect a wide range of species both directly and indirectly. Aquatic food webs are majorly supported by phytoplankton and algae. Primary consumers such as tiny fish, crabs and zooplanktons devour them. Fish, corals, tiny sharks and baleen whales all devour the primary consumers. Huge sharks, dolphins, billfish, toothed whales, and large seals are among the top ocean predators. Humans are dependent on aquatic creatures for food from all parts of the food system.

Aquatic Organisms

Plankton, nekton, and benthos are the three major categories of aquatic creatures. They travel in different ways and reside in different places.

• Plankton is microscopic aquatic organisms that are incapable of moving on their own. The photic zone is where they live. Phytoplankton and zooplankton are examples. Bacteria and algae that use sunlight to generate food are known as phytoplankton. Zooplankton is microscopic organisms that consume phytoplankton.

• Nekton is aquatic animals that possess the ability to “swim” through the water on their own. They can be found in either the photic or aphotic zones. Plankton and other nekton are their only sources of food. Shrimp and fish are examples of nekton.

• Benthos are aquatic organisms that crawl through sediments at the water’s bottom. Many of them disintegrate. Cspong sponge and anglerfish are examples of benthic organisms.

Marine Life

All creatures, plants, and organisms that live in Earth’s salty seas and oceans are referred to as marine life. All organisms, from the tiniest plankton to the largest whale, have a role in the healthy functioning of these incredible, intricate ecosystems.

Coral Reef Ecosystem

Coral reefs are rich in variety and colour, and they are home to millions of marine species all around the world. They act as a natural barrier against the ocean’s strength, safeguarding coastal populations from extreme weather occurrences like tsunamis. They are incredibly essential as food chains because they provide a habitat for marine creatures to survive, feed, raise their young, and prosper. Unfortunately, they are also extremely vulnerable to sea-level rise, which is a direct outcome of climate change. Due to a nine-month marine heatwave in 2016, Australia’s Great Barrier Reef lost 30% of its coral reef, the biggest reef loss ever recorded. Reef fishing has also resulted in the extinction of animals, as food networks are disrupted and predators are unable to survive.

Marine Mammals

Marine mammals are larger sea creatures, that live underwater but need to breathe air also. Around the world these marine mammals are still losing their lives unnecessarily due to habitat loss, being caught and killed by fishing fleets (“fishing bycatch”), hunting and noise pollution.

Marine mammals include Dolphins, Seals, Porpoises, Whales, Manatees, and Otters.

Importance of Marine Life

The oceans produce half of the world’s oxygen and provide critical ecosystem functions that enable our planet to function properly. Ocean currents, for example, control our weather systems, and if they were disrupted, the extreme weather repercussions would be disastrous. Only by maintaining precisely regulated ecosystems made up of food chains and biological systems can the oceans deliver these services. Human activity puts us at risk of losing vital ecosystem services on which we rely to live.

Coral reefs are one example. The delicate ecosystems of coral reefs are disturbed and often die when we fish near them. We lose the important services that coral reefs provide, such as erosion and weather protection, biochemical regulation, and recreation. This is only one of the many reasons why protecting the oceans is so important to our well-being.

Hydrobiology

The science of life and living activities in water is referred to as hydrobiology. Although much of current hydrobiology can be considered a sub-discipline of ecology, it also encompasses taxonomy, economic and industrial biology, morphology, and physiology. The only thing that sets these fields apart is that they all deal with aquatic species. The majority of work is in the field of limnology, which is separated into two categories: lotic system ecology (flowing rivers) and lentic system ecology (still waters).

Conclusion

Many populations of marine organisms, as well as some species, have been severely overfished. Other human activities, such as coastal development, have had an impact on both fished and unfished populations. These populations and species are ecological components, consuming or producing a large portion of the ecosystem’s output. As a result, fishing has an impact on not only exploited species, but also other species that are biologically or environmentally related to fished species and ecosystems. Furthermore, many modern fishing issues are the result of a faulty belief in the inexhaustibility of marine resources, which led to management that lacked conservation incentives.