Knowra Marine ecosystem Marine ecosystem A community of organisms in saltwater environments interacting with one another and with their physical surroundings. Its structure reflects ocean conditions such as light, temperature, depth, and nutrient availability.
Marine food web : A network of feeding relationships among organisms in a marine environment. It connects marine producers, consumers, and decomposers through energy transfer.
Marine primary production : The formation of organic matter by marine organisms, chiefly through photosynthesis and chemosynthesis. It supplies the organic energy that supports marine consumers.
Marine protected area : A geographically defined marine region managed to conserve nature and associated cultural or economic values. It is a direct tool for protecting habitats, species, and ecological processes.
Marine pollution : The introduction of harmful substances or energy into marine environments. Pollutants can injure organisms, alter habitats, and disrupt ecological processes.
Coral reef : A marine structure built largely from calcium carbonate deposited by reef-building corals. Reefs support dense communities shaped by complex three-dimensional habitat.
Marine habitat : A place in the ocean with conditions that support particular organisms. Different habitats create distinct living conditions within marine ecosystems.
Upwelling : The rise of deep, nutrient-rich water toward the ocean surface. It can stimulate plankton growth and support productive coastal food webs.
Ecosystem-based fisheries management : Fisheries management that accounts for interactions among species, habitats, and human activities. It treats harvested populations as parts of connected marine ecosystems.
Overfishing : The removal of fish from a population faster than it can replenish itself. It can reduce species abundance and change food-web relationships.
Kelp forest : A coastal marine ecosystem dominated by large brown algae called kelps. Kelp forests illustrate how primary producers create habitat and food for many species.
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