Introduction

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Introduction
This lab report gives an introductory rundown on marine life and the interaction with the ecosystem and other factors determining their distribution within their environment.
Question one
Subtidal Zone also is known as sub-littoral is the zone immediately underneath the low tide lines which comprises of the underwater coastal life area. According to Eleftheriou and Holme (187), this zone constitutes the part of with significant impact of waves and currents, and as such, the organisms have anatomical adaptions to aid their survival and cope up with the dynamics of this environment such as clinging on hard substrates. These organisms include Sponges, Sea Stars, Sand dollars and marine snails. Pelagic Zone refers to the vast area that spreads across the entire top of the sea bottom, where pelagic fish and marine mammals maneuver freely. It includes the neritic zone which is less than 200m deep as well as the oceanic region which on the other hand is more than 200m deep. Epipelagic zone refers to is the uppermost layer of the oceanic region, which covers approximately 150m regarding depth, and is capable of supporting photosynthesis and almost all primary productions of an ocean since there is sufficient sunlight penetration, lying just above the mesopelagic zone. Animals within the precincts of this ecosystem include jellyfish, Planktons, Dolphins among others. This ecosystem has a higher concentration of plants and animals (Steele, 71)
Question two
Plankton Organisms constitute those organisms which remain buoyant on water and do not have the capacity and capability to counter the current and waves as they propel, they further fall into categories like Phytoplankton which includes plant kingdom and zooplankton which also covers animal kingdom within this category.

Pearson and Eleftheriou (251) indicate that Nekton organisms comprise of those organisms with characteristics structures to enable them to move and swim actively and freely, against currents in the case of larger ones. Examples include marine fish, birds among others. Benthic organisms refer to the category which lives within the benthic zone, the Epifauna and Infauna in this classification live on the bottom and within the bottom sediments respectively, and are adapted to low temperatures and high pressures while Plants live within photic zones (Margalef 366).
Question three
According to Maciolek and Grassle (305), Continental shelves as the submerged section of the continent and a very active layer of an ocean, the dominant substrates are soft, muddy and sandy. These factors, among others such as sizes of the substrates particles, sedimentation stability, light, and temperature predominantly influence the distribution of organisms, and to that end infauna is the most predominant community, since mud, although it provides minimal support, they can burrow through it, with rare sessile organisms of Epifauna.

Works Cited
Eleftheriou, A., and N. A. Holme. “Macrofauna techniques.” Methods for the study of marine benthos (1984): 140-216.
Maciolek N.J. and J.F. Grassle. “Variability of the benthic fauna. Il: The seasonal variation” 1981-1982, in Georges Bank, R.H. Backus, and D.W. Baumes, editors. MIT Press, Cambridge, UK, (1987): 303- 309.
Margalef, Ramon. “On certain unifying principles in ecology.” The American Naturalist 97.897 (1963): 357-374.
Pearson, T. H., and A. Eleftheriou. “The benthic ecology of Sullom Voe.” Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Section B: Biological Sciences 80 (1981): 241-269.
Steele, John H. The structure of marine ecosystems. No. 574.52636 S84. 1974.