The organic world of the Indian Ocean. Study of the Indian Ocean

The richest source of diversity of life is the ocean. Any of the five oceans on our planet is a real storehouse of the organic world. And if all animals are known to terrestrial animals, then some inhabitants of the depths are still undiscovered, skilfully hiding in the depths of the ocean.

This only spurs the interest of zoologists, oceanologists and other scientists. The study of the ocean, from its physical characteristics and ending with the diversity of life in it, stands in the forefront today. Consider the organic world of the Indian Ocean as one of the richest in living systems.

Characteristics of the Indian Ocean

Among other oceans, the Indian is in third place in the occupied water area (after the Atlantic and the Pacific). Properties of the Indian Ocean can be characterized by several main points:

1. The territory of the ocean is about 77 million km ² .
2. The organic world of the Indian Ocean is very diverse.
3. The volume of water is 283.5 million m ³ .
4. The width of the ocean is about 10 thousand km ² .
5. Washes on all sides of the world Eurasia, Africa, Australia and Antarctica.
6. Gulfs (straits) and seas occupy 15% of the entire ocean.
7. The largest island is Madagascar.
8. The greatest depth near the island of Java in Indonesia - more than 7 km.
9. The average total water temperature is 15-18 ⁰ C. In each separate place of the ocean (near the borders with islands, in the seas and bays), the temperature can vary markedly.

Study of the Indian Ocean

Known this water object was from antiquity. He was the connecting link in the trade of spices, fabrics, furs and other goods between the peoples of Persia, Egypt and Africa.

However, the study of the Indian Ocean began much later, at the time of the famous Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama (mid-XV century). It is he who deserves the discovery of India, in honor of which the entire ocean was named.

Up to Vasco da Gama, he had many different names among the peoples of the world: the Eritrean Sea, the Black Sea, the Indigo Pelagos, Bar El Hind. However, in the I century Pliny the Elder called it Oceanus Indicus, which from the Latin language is translated as "Indian Ocean".

A more modern and scientific approach to the study of the structure of the bottom, the composition of waters, inhabitants of animal and plant origin began to be carried out only from the XIX century. Today, the animal world of the Indian Ocean is of great practical and scientific interest, as well as the ocean itself. Scientists in Russia, America, Germany and other countries are actively engaged in this issue, using the most advanced technology (underwater devices, space satellites).

The picture of the organic world

The organic world of the Indian Ocean is quite diverse. Among the representatives of flora and fauna there are species that are very specific and rare.

By its diversity, the biomass of the ocean resembles that in the Pacific (more precisely, in its western part). This is due to the general underwater currents between these oceans.

In general, the whole organic world of the local waters can be combined into two groups according to their habitat:

1. The tropical part of the Indian Ocean.
2. The Antarctic part.

Each of them has its own climatic conditions, currents, abiotic factors. Therefore, organic diversity differs in composition.

Diversity of life in the ocean

The tropical area of this water body is replete with a variety of plankton and benthic species of animals and plants. Algae, such as unicellular trihodismium, are considered common. Their concentration in the upper layers of the ocean is so high that the overall color of the water changes.

Also in this area the organic world of the Indian Ocean is represented by the following species of algae:

• Sargasso algae;
• Turbines;
• Caulerps;
• Phytotamia;
• Halimedes;
• Mangrove thickets.

Of the small animals, the most beautiful were glowing at night representatives of plankton: fisalia, siphonophores, ctenophores, shells, perideneae, jellyfish.

The Antarctic region of the Indian Ocean is represented by fucus, laminaria, porphyry, galidium, huge macrocystis. And representatives of the kingdom of animals (small) live in copepods, euphuazids, diatomsi.

Unusual fish

Often the animals of the Indian Ocean are rare or simply unusual in appearance. So, among the most common and numerous fish there are sharks, rays, mackerel, dolphins, tuna, notothenia.

If we talk about unusual representatives of the ichthyofauna, it should be noted such as:

• Coral fish;
• Parrot fish;
• White shark;
• whale shark.

Fishing value among fish has tuna, mackerel, dolphins and noothenia.

Animal diversity

The animal world of the Indian Ocean has representatives of the following types, classes, families:

1. Fish.
2. Reptiles (sea snakes and giant turtles).
3. Mammals (sperm whales, seals, blue whales, sei whales, sea elephants, dolphins, toothless whales).
4. Mollusks (giant octopus, octopus, snails).
5. Sponges (calcareous and silicic forms);
6. Echinoderms (sea beauty, holothurians, sea urchins, ophiuroids).
7. Crustaceans (crabs, crabs, lobsters).
8. Hydroid (polyps).
9. Mshankovye.
10. Coral polyps (form coastal reefs).

Such animals as marine beauties have a very bright color, live at the very bottom and have a hexagonal shape with radial symmetry of the body. Thanks to them, the bottom of the ocean looks bright and picturesque.

The giant octopus is a large octopus, the length of the tentacles of which extends to 1.2 m. The body is, as a rule, no more than 30 cm long.

Lime and silicon sponges play an important role in the formation of the bottom of the Indian Ocean. Along with benthic species of algae, they form whole deposits of calcareous and siliceous deposits.

The most terrible predator of these habitats is the white shark, whose size reaches 3 meters. A ruthless and very agile assassin, she is practically the main thunderstorm of the Indian Ocean.

Very beautiful and interesting fish of the Indian Ocean - coral fish. They are quaint and brightly colored, have a flat, elongated body shape. These fish are very cleverly able to hide in thickets of coral polyps, there they can not get any predator.

The combined conditions of the Indian Ocean allow its fauna to be so varied and interesting that it attracts those who wish to study it.

Vegetable world

The contour map of the Indian Ocean gives a general idea of what it borders on. And starting from this, it is easy to guess what the vegetable community of the ocean will be like.

The proximity to the Pacific Ocean promotes the widespread distribution of brown and red algae, many of which are of commercial importance. Green algae are also represented in all parts of the Indian Ocean.

Interesting and unusual are the thickets of giant macrocystis. It is believed that getting into such thickets on a ship is tantamount to ruin, because they are very easy to get lost and it is impossible to get out.

The main part of the vegetative world of the ocean is made up of unicellular benthic, planktonic algae.

Indian Ocean fisheries importance

The fishing of animals and plants in the Indian Ocean is not as fully developed as in other deep oceans and seas. To date, this ocean is the world's source of reserve, a reserve of valuable sources of nutrition. The contour map of the Indian Ocean can show the main islands and peninsulas on which fishing is most developed and valuable fish and algae are extracted:

• Sri Lanka;
• Hindustan;
• Somalia;
• Madagascar;
• Maldives;
• The Seychelles;
• The Arabian Peninsula.

At the same time, the animals of the Indian Ocean, for the most part, are very valuable in terms of nutrition. However, this water body is not very popular in this sense. Its main significance for people today is access to various countries of the world, islands and peninsulas.