Sub Tidal HabitatsSub Tidal Habitats

Open Ocean Sandy Plains Kelp Forest and Rocky Reefs

– Northern California– Central California– Southern California

Habitat: Open OceanHabitat: Open Ocean

Primary producers: Phytoplankton Top predators: Sharks; Pinnipeds;

Tuna; Toothed Whales Some large animals eat plankton No place to hide

Habitat: Sandy PlainsHabitat: Sandy Plains

Primary producers: Phytoplankton Protection

– Camouflage– Burying

Common job: Detritus Consumer Flat Fish, Tube Anemones, Worms, Sea

Stars, Clams, Snails, Sea Pens, Octopus

Habitat: Kelp ForestHabitat: Kelp Forest

Kelp requires a rocky substrate Giant Kelp and Bull Kelp Kelp rarely deeper than 130’ Camouflage, Protection, Food Holdfast, Stipe, Blades, Pnuematocysts Requires water movement

Ode to a Kelp ForestOde to a Kelp ForestWhere waves crash and currents roar, Where rocky bottoms meet the shore,Where water’s cold and nutrient rich,Where organism’s find that special niche,There you’ll find that algal formcalled Kelp - from which the forest’s born.

The Kelp Forest: not just a place for plants,But a community, a vital dancein the web of life.A player in a seamless whole,that touches the mind and touches the soul.

Habitat: Rocky ReefsHabitat: Rocky Reefs

Cracks & crevices Substrate for Kelp Primary producer: Kelp Detritus Feeders and Grazers Carnivores