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: