Exploring Life on the Deep Sea Floor

Deep sea life must choose whether to live on the bottom, or to brave the expansive open ocean of the midwater zone. Creatures that adapt to life in the midwater zone are known as pelagic, while creatures that evolve to be well-suited to an existence on or near the sea floor, are known as benthic or demersal. These two groups could not be more different, but which is a more effective way of life? First, let’s take a look at the demersal creatures of the deep - the bottom-feeders, clinging to rocky seamounts, and burrowing into the mud. We will begin our investigation in the shallows, and follow the ever-deepening sea-floor down to the far depths of the deep ocean. The diversity of organisms that are adapted to life near the bottom of the deep sea is immense - and far greater than that of pelagic organisms. Life thrives on every part of the ocean floor, from near-shore ecosystems, all the way to the abyss. But the deeper you go, the stranger they become. Part 2 | Pelagic Deep Sea Life: https://youtu.be/FqHSZ23x1LE DEEP SEA HUB: https://naturalworldfacts.com/deep-sea-hub 00:00 - Introduction: Pelagic and Demersal Life 00:55 - Part 1: Demersal Creatures of the Deep 01:10 - The Diversity of Benthic Life 01:43 - The Life of Coral Reefs 02:15 - Life at the Continental Shelf 02:29 - Cold-water Coral and Sponge Gardens 03:07 - Life on the Abyssal Plain 03:29 - Advantages of Living on the Sea Floor 03:48 - The Sea-Floor Nutrient Cycle 04:09 - Why Benthic Life is so Abundant 04:45 - The Extent of the Abyssal Plain 05:00 - Deep Sea Infauna and Epifauna 05:26 - The Role of Benthic Life in the Ecosystem 05:53 - Ancient Crinoids of the Deep Sea 06:32 - Benthic Fish of the Deep Sea 07:07 - Limitations of Life on the Sea Floor 07:25 - Seamounts Explained 07:49 - Why Seamounts are Biological Hotspots 08:05 - Life at Cold-Water Reefs 08:31 - Life at Deep Sea Brine Pools 09:04 - Life at Hydrothermal Vents 09:31 - Life at the Bottom of the Mariana Trench 09:53 - The Mariana Snailfish 10:08 - Conclusion: Living on the Sea-floor is an Advantage 10:46 - The Deep Sea Hub Footage used belongs to Schmidt Ocean Institute, MBARI, OceanX and the Ocean Exploration Institute. #deepsea #wildlife #nature #documentary #ocean #marinebiology #science #biology Music Used: Away - Patrick Patrikios Feels - Patrick Patrikios Simple - Patrick Patrikios Prism - Bobby Richards Strange the Dreamer - Savfk Resources: https://www.marine.usf.edu/pjocean/packets/f98/f98u3le3.pdf