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The abyssal zone or abyssopelagic zone is a layer of the pelagic zone of the ocean. The word abyss comes from the Greek word ἄβυσσος ( ábussos ), meaning "bottomless". [ 1 ] At depths of 4,000–6,000 m (13,000–20,000 ft), [ 2 ] this zone remains in perpetual darkness.
In zoology, deep-sea gigantism or abyssal gigantism is the tendency for species of deep-sea dwelling animals to be larger than their shallower-water relatives across a large taxonomic range. Proposed explanations for this type of gigantism include necessary adaptation to colder temperature, food scarcity, reduced predation pressure and ...
The bathyal zone is the lower section of the midwater zone, and encompasses the depths of 1,000 to 4,000 metres (3,300 to 13,100 ft). [23] Light does not reach this zone, giving it its nickname "the midnight zone"; due to the lack of light, it is less densely populated than the epipelagic zone, despite being much larger. [24]
The bathypelagic and abyssopelagic zones are aphotic, meaning that no light penetrates this area of the ocean. These zones make up about 75% of the inhabitable ocean space. [2] The epipelagic zone (0–200 metres (0–656 ft) deep) is the area where light penetrates the water and photosynthesis occurs. This is also known as the photic zone.
A whale fall occurs when the carcass of a whale has fallen onto the ocean floor, typically at a depth greater than 1,000 m (3,300 ft), putting them in the bathyal or abyssal zones. [1] On the sea floor, these carcasses can create complex localized ecosystems that supply sustenance to deep-sea organisms for decades. [1]
Xenophyophorea / ˌ z ɛ n ə ˌ f aɪ ə ˈ f oʊ r iː ə / is a clade of foraminiferans.Xenophyophores are multinucleate unicellular organisms found on the ocean floor throughout the world's oceans, at depths of 500 to 10,600 metres (1,600 to 34,800 ft).
The abyssal grenadier, Coryphaenoides armatus, is an abyssal fish of the genus Coryphaenoides, found in all the world's oceans, at depths between 800 and 4,000 metres (2,600 and 13,100 ft). Its adult length is 20 to 40 centimetres (8 to 16 in), although Fishbase [ 2 ] gives lengths up to 1 metre (3 ft 3 in).
Psychropotes longicauda is a cosmopolitan abyssal species of sea cucumber and is found on the seabed throughout the world's deep oceans. Its larva is pelagic and is often found more than 500 m (1,600 ft) above the ocean floor but still in the abyssal zone. [6]