[صائد الأفكار]

IN SEARCH OF FOOD

Life in the Sea
The life of an animal or plant depends, to certain extent, on the conditions of the place or ecosystem in which it lives. If we take the sea's ecosystem as an example we can see that the organisms that live in it have taken maximum advantage of their ecosystem.

One of the special characteristic of the sea's inhabitants is their increased capacity of reproduction. The millions and millions of sardines, mackerel, cod, and other fishes that live in the sea are capable of producing hundreds of thousands eggs every year.

But even the smallest plankton organisms can reproduce in the same numbers. In winter and in spring, when the deep waters of the sea rise to the surface carrying large quantity of nutrients, they reproduce at such a speed that in a short time the water takes on a greenish and sometimes reddish color as result of large number of microorganisms that have been produced.


Species Distribution
At certain time of the year and in some areas the distribution of animals and vegetation is unequal. The fish that inhabit the water surface, such as sardines and mackerel, are normally found in the most productive areas, that is to say, where there is abundant plankton for the fish to live on.

Bigger, fish such as tuna, travel long distances; their food sources is not limited to one particular area.


Survival in the Sea
Which species has the greatest chance of surviving when food is in short supply? It is the species with widest range of food to choose from.

The sea is not a biological diverse environment. Of the several million species inhabiting our planet, only 150,000 species live in the sea. For this reason, the sea's food chain is fragile and alternation of just one of its links could be disastrous to many creatures.



In search of food