FAQ’s – Pelagic Zone

What do you mean by a Pelagic Animal?

An organism that lives in the pelagic zone of the ocean. The pelagic zone refers to the part of the ocean that does not touch any land, and all animals that live in these free waters are called pelagic animals.

What is the Difference between Pelagic and Benthic ?

The pelagic zone is the water column where swimming and floating organisms live. The benthic zone represents the bottom sediment surface of the ocean and is home to bottom dwellers.

Name the Five Pelagic Zones.

The five pelagic zones are: the upper most Epipelagic, Mesopelagic, Bathypelagic, Abyssopelagic and the bottom Hadalpelagic zones.

What is the Depth of the Pelagic Zone?

The pelagic zone ranges from the surface of the water to the bottom of the ocean or ocean floor. At places it can be a few 1000 m at others it can go up to 10,000 m.

What is the Largest Ocean Zone?

The largest oceanic zone is the pelagic zone.It includes all life forms found in these waters and is the largest ecosystem of the planet.



Pelagic Zone

The pelagic zone is the open ocean’s water column, which extends from the surface to the bottom. Another name for it is the wide ocean. The phrase “open sea” (pélagos) in Ancient Greek is where the word “pelagic” originates. The five depth zones that make up the pelagic zone each have unique marine life and environmental characteristics.

The pelagic zone consists of pelagic zone animals and plants. In this article, we will study the definition of the pelagic zone, the different layers of the pelagic zone, the flora and fauna found in the pelagic zone, the human impact, and its conservation.

Table of Content

  • Definition of the Pelagic Zone
  • What is Pelagic Zone?
  • Sub-Zones of Pelagic Zone
  • Flora of the Pelagic Zone
  • Pelagic Zone Animals
  • Human Impact and Conservation
  • Conclusion: Pelagic Zone

Similar Reads

Definition of the Pelagic Zone

The Pelagic Zone is the water column that constitutes the vast oceans/lakes that are not in contact with the shores (littoral zone) or the bottom (benthic zone) and are far from the continental shelf....

What is Pelagic Zone?

The Pelagic zone also called the Oceanic Zone (for oceans) or the Limnetic Zone (for lakes and ponds), is part of the open water mass not associated with any landmass. It is the water column that constitutes the vast oceans and lakes that are not in contact with the shores (littoral zone) or the bottom (benthic zone) and are far from the continental shelf....

Diagram of Pelagic Zone

The labelled diagram of pelagenic zone with their sub zones are shown below:...

Sub-Zones of Pelagic Zone

The Pelagic zone can be divided into five sub-zones according to their depths. These are as follows:...

Flora of the Pelagic Zone

The pelagic zone of a water body is not connected to any landmass and thus there are no rooted plants present here. Any macroscopic plants cannot survive in the deeper layers of the pelagic zone due to the lack of sunlight and nutrients. Therefore, the flora of the Pelagic Zone is predominantly microscopic cyanobacteria and floating algae like phytoplanktons, diatoms, and dinoflagellates. These serve as primary food for smaller fishes and are important in the marine food web....

Pelagic Zone Animals

As the pelagic zone can be divided into layers that differ vastly in depth, availability of sunlight, nutrition, and pressure, the life it supports in each layer is also unique and shows various degrees of adaptations....

Human Impact and Conservation

Although the pelagic zone is far away from any landmass, it is not immune to human impact. Overfishing, pollution, climate changes, oil spills, coral bleaching, sea bed mining, and increased water tourism are known to negatively impact the pelagic zone and all the creatures that live in it....

Conclusion: Pelagic Zone

The Pelagic Zone, with its distinct layers, thus fosters a vast expanse of countless species from microscopic phytoplankton shaping the foundation of the food web to the elusive giants of the deep, like the mysterious giant squid. The Pelagic zone represents more than just a giant stretch of water as it is home to an unknown amount of organisms, some yet to be discovered, and thus holds the key to understanding life on our planet....

FAQ’s – Pelagic Zone

What do you mean by a Pelagic Animal?...