What Are the Relationships Between Sharks & the Sun?

Sharks are a predatory saltwater fish. They are distinguished from other saltwater fish by their sleek scaling that facilitates swimming. Sharks also shed and replace their teeth continually. They can be found in every ocean and in some rivers. The relationship between sharks and the sun is part of the ocean ecosystem.

  1. The Sun and Ocean Life

    • Kelp is an ocean plant that grows towards the ocean surface in response to sunlight.

      Sunlight promotes growth of living plants in the ocean. Kelp and coral are types of ocean plants that need sunlight to grow in the ocean. Phytoplankton are free floating plants that require sunlight to grow. These plants provide food and oxygen to many inhabitants of the ocean. As members of the ocean, sharks benefit from the oxygen provided by these plants.

    Plants as Food

    • Coral reefs provide food and shelter to a variety of fish in the ocean.

      The plants in the ocean serve as food to all manner of ocean life. Zooplankton, tiny creatures that float freely through the ocean, feed on phytoplankton. Many species of small and large fish, including whales and some sharks, feed on zooplankton and phytoplankton. Some fish feed on kelp. Many species of fish live and feed on coral.

    Fish as Food

    • Different types of sharks hunt for different types of fish.

      The fish that feed on plants for survival are food to many larger species of fish in the ocean. Likewise, those fish are food to many other ocean dwellers, such as octopi. Sharks eat large fish and octopi. Sharks help to maintain a balance in the ecosystem by eating ill or struggling fish and maintaining ocean population levels.

    Sharks as Food

    • Humans are the only threat to the great white shark.

      The great white shark eats other sharks as well as fish and plankton as part of its daily diet. This shark has no natural ocean predators but helps to keep the shark population in check. The great white is at the top of the food chain that begins with the sun's stimulation of plant life in the ocean. Though it does not eat plants specifically and directly, it would not survive long if the sun ceased to generate food for the smallest forms of life in the ocean.