While you’re fishing or cruising in your Quintrex boat in a saltwater body, have you ever thought about what type of ecosystem that particular location belongs to? Saltwater bodies are vast (much bigger than the entire land area on the whole planet) and a lot of different marine ecosystems exist in different parts of the world.

An ecosystem is made up of the living organisms, the habitat they live in, the non-living structures present in the area, and how all of those relate to each other. Ecosystems may vary in size, but all parts of the ecosystem depend upon each other. If one part of the ecosystem is removed, it affects everything else negatively and can cause irreparable damage to our ecological community.

A marine ecosystem is any ecosystem that occurs in or near salt water. This means that marine ecosystems can be found all over the world, from sandy beaches to the deepest parts of the ocean.

The ocean covers about 71 percent of the planet, so marine ecosystems make up most of the Earth. This article contains an overview of major marine ecosystems, with types of habitats and examples of marine life that live in each.

Rocky Shore Ecosystem

Along a rocky shore, you may find rock cliffs, boulders, small and large rocks, and tide pools. You will also find the intertidal zone, which is the area between low and high tides.

Rocky shores can be extreme places for marine animals and plants to live in. There may be pounding waves and lots of wind action, in addition to the rising and falling of the tides. Specific types of marine life vary with location, but in general, some types of marine life you’ll find at the rocky shore include marine algae, birds such as seagulls, crabs, lobsters, sea stars, urchins, mussels, barnacles, periwinkles, and sea anemones.

Mangrove Ecosystem

Mangrove trees are salt-tolerant plant species with roots that dangle into the water. These plants provide shelter for a variety of marine life and are important nursery areas for young marine animals. Species that may be found in mangrove ecosystems include algae, birds, shrimps, oysters, snails, fish, manatees, and reptiles such as sea turtles, alligators, crocodiles, snakes, and lizards.

Sandy Beach Ecosystem

Sandy beaches may seem lifeless compared to other ecosystems, at least when it comes to marine life. However, these ecosystems have a surprising amount of biodiversity.

Similar to the rocky shore, animals in a sandy beach ecosystem have had to adapt to the constantly changing environment. Marine life in a sandy beach ecosystem may burrow in the sand or need to move quickly out of reach of the waves. They must contend with tides, wave action, and water currents, all of which may sweep marine animals off the beach. This activity can also move sand and rocks to different locations. Sand generally is pushed onto the beach during the summer months, and pulled off the beach in the winter months, making the beach gravellier and rockier at those times. Marine life that occasionally inhabitants of sandy beaches include sea turtles (who nest on the beach), seals, fish, clams, plankton and algae.

Salt Marsh Ecosystem

Salt marshes are areas that flood at high tide and are composed of salt-tolerant plants and animals. Salt marshes are important in many ways: they provide habitat for marine life, birds and migratory birds, they’re important nursery areas for fish and invertebrates, and they protect the rest of the coastline by buffering wave action and absorbing water during high tides and storms. Examples of salt marsh marine life are algae, plankton, birds, fish, seals, and dolphins.

Coral Reef Ecosystem

Healthy coral reef ecosystems are filled with an amazing amount of diversity, including hard and soft corals, invertebrates of many sizes such as coral, sponges, crabs, shrimp, lobsters, anemones, urchins, octopuses, squid, and even large animals, such as sharks, fish species, sea turtles, and dolphins.

Kelp Forest

Kelp forests are very productive ecosystems. The kelp provides food and shelter for a variety of organisms. Kelp forests are found in cooler waters and water depths from about 7 to 90 feet. The species mostly found here are shorebirds such as herons and gulls, fish species seabass, barracuda, halibut, and jack mackerel, and marine mammals such as sea otters, seals, and whales.

Polar Ecosystem

Polar ecosystems are found in the extremely cold waters at the Earth’s poles. These areas have both cold temperatures and fluctuations in the availability of sunlight. At some times in polar regions, the sun doesn’t rise for weeks. Marine life that is usually found here are algae, plankton, krill, penguins, polar bears, seals, and walruses.

Deep Sea Ecosystem

The term “deep sea” refers to parts of the ocean that are over 1,000 meters. One challenge for marine life in this ecosystem is light and many animals have adapted so that they can see in low light conditions, or don’t need to see at all. Another challenge is pressure. Many deep-sea animals have soft bodies so they aren’t crushed under the high pressure that is found at extreme depths. Here are some examples of general types of marine life that inhabit these ecosystems: crabs, jellyfish, squid, octopus, sharks, blue whales, seals, and various types of fish species.

The next time you’re on your aluminium boat, catching fish, you will now understand and appreciate the ecosystem you’re in.