My Bio Homework
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Intertidal Zone
By Brian Mullins
Tidal Habitats
Great places to live:
High levels of primary (food) production: driven by phytoplankton
Nutrient rich waters created from river drainage into the sea, and upwelling: the replacement of deep, cold water for surface water driven away by winds.
Different tidal habitats require different adaptations
Sandy Beaches and Mud Flats
Substrate offers lots of nutrients, but little structure for attachment Animals bury themselves in mud Can also attach to plants
Rocky Shores
Little protection from strong waves: animals must anchor Complex tide pools possibleSeaweeds offer protection from drying
Types of Tidal Habitats
Tidal Zones
Tidal habitats are divided into zones based on relative beach location and how often they are covered by water
Splash Zone
High Tide Zone
Middle Tide Zone
Low Tide Zone
Subtidal Zone
Intertidal ZoneHigh, Mid and Low
Zones affected daily by changing tidesMost adaptation required
High Tide ZoneIncreased wave actionSpecies must survive exposure to drying Tide pools provide some protection Higher diversity: includes some animals from splash zone and middle zone (in tide pools)
Low Tide ZoneMost diverse zone: more plants and animals in low tide zone than in all other zones combinedMost food and shelterLess exposure to air and heatAnimals unable to exist in other zones
Subtidal ZoneJust below Intertidal Zone Almost never exposedMany consumer animals: prey on animals in low tide zoneLife forms less tolerant to changes: do not have adaptations to allow them to survive without water
Each zone requires unique adaptations for survival
Splash ZoneHigh Tide ZoneMiddle Tide ZoneLow Tide ZoneSubtidal Zone
Exposure to Water
Pteropurpura_trialata_is_laying_the_eggs_
acornbarnacle
dogwinkles
Pisaster Predate mussels
rockweed
sealettucel
Shorecrab
Human Impact
In addition to climatic impacts, people have a dramatic impact on the intertidal zones. While it's illegal to remove as much as a shell from many tidal pools, there is very limited enforcement so buckets of marine plants and animals are carried away from intertidal zones each day.
Human Impact cont..
That which is not carried away is often crushed or destroyed by sightseers who visit tidal pools and rocky Intertidal zones. This loss and damage affects the biodiversity and food cycle of these precious marine environments. More info at http://geography.about.com/od/physicalge...
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