The deep ocean is a fascinating and incredible place home to many unique species, from sea cucumbers to anglerfish. Life has adapted to the deep ocean in various ways. One example is smaller growth. Many fish have grown to smaller sizes compared to their counterparts in the sunlit zone. Anglerfish have adapted via light bulbs, allowing them to see better.
Deep ocean creatures face problems such as high pressure, darkness and lack of algae and food. Also, plankton is not available which makes the food chain different.
However, since life is adaptive, they have come up with adaptations such as ginormous eyes, storing fat, water, and air in the liver and feeding on scraps of remains that fall from the top of the ocean. Given time, the life can also adapt to the high pressure of the deep ocean.
The food chain down here is different from the food chain in the upper areas of the ocean, with small fish eating scraps before being devoured by larger fish that are crunched up by yet larger fish all the way up to the top of the food chain in the deep ocean.
Low vitamin D levels are a major problem that leads to a weak skeleton. Very little oxygen is required because it is colder due to the lack of sunlight.
Even so, the deep ocean cannot escape plastic, which floats down to this adaptive ecosystem. Currently, this is not a major problem in the deep ocean, but as humans continue to be reckless and pollute the ocean, it may soon not just be the sunlit zone in trouble, but also the deep ocean. And pollution is something that will pose as a bigger challenge for the life here to adapt to.
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