DOCSLIB.ORG

Project Oceanography: Introduction to Intertidal Ecology

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Project Oceanography: Introduction to Intertidal Ecology Unit One CINMS Intertidal Ecology Lesson Objectives: Students will be able to do the following: • Describe the rocky intertidal zone • Differentiate between the four intertidal zones • Explain one way that physical processes affect organism distribution Key concepts: intertidal zones, nutrient upwelling, desiccation, holdfasts, water vascular systems, larval recruitment Physical Description of the Rocky Intertidal Zone Intertidal zones are runoff from rain and streams. This transitional coastal relatively dry area is sparsely regions. The cycling populated. Few organisms can of the tides withstand the extreme fluctuations in influences these moisture, temperature, and salinity regions. These found in this zone. littoral areas are located between the high and low The high intertidal zone is completely tide marks. They can be found along covered with water only during high rocky shores or sandy beaches. We tide. Parts of this region are exposed will be taking a closer look at the to the air for long periods as the tides rocky intertidal region. It is recede. The inhabitants of this area characterized by sturdy boulders, are sturdy individuals. They rocks, crevices, and ledges that are can remain wet even if home to a variety of organisms. they are exposed to the sun and wind. The The rocky intertidal region can be organisms in this area divided into four vertical zones. have also developed attachment These zones are based on height devices to help them resist the force and tidal influence. These four zones of the waves. These devices include include from the highest to the muscular feet, suction cups, byssal lowest: the splash zone, the high threads, or holdfasts. intertidal zone, the mid-intertidal zone, and the low intertidal zone. The mid-intertidal zone is the area The splash or spray zone is the between the average high tide and highest and low tide mark. This region is covered driest area. by water during most high tides, but This it is exposed to the air during most supralittoral low tides. This environment contains zone is above the highest high tide a more diverse group of organisms, mark. It is moistened by saltwater than either the splash zone or high spray from waves and freshwater intertidal zone. This area is also ©Project Oceanography 12 Spring 2002 Unit One CINMS highly populated. Organisms that live habitat, and grazers enjoy the rich here must overcome space and abundance of algae available. competition problems. To overcome some of these problems, organisms These four zones can be have developed specialized niches different from place to within the community. Some place. Some of them organisms grow more quickly than may contain highly others, so they can find the required specific microhabitats space. Others grow in layers on top such as tidepools. Tidepools are of each other to take up less room. created as the tides recede leaving rocky depressions filled with water. The low intertidal zone is the area These areas are interesting and fun between the average low tide level to explore, because they are home and the lowest low tide level. This to some unusual creatures. The area stays moist during organisms within the tidepools have most low tides making it had to adapt to extreme changes in an ideal home for many salinity. They are able to survive kinds of organisms. The falling salinity levels as rain freshens low intertidal zone also the water. They can also withstand has lots of food as nutrients are rising salinity levels as the sun and circulated in nearshore waters. Many wind evaporate the water leaving the plankton are found within this salt concentrated. Typical Animals of the Littoral Zones Hardy organisms can being tossed about by incoming be found within the high waves. Once anchored in place, they intertidal zone. They begin to build a home of calcium can withstand the carbonate plates. Four plates make pounding waves and a door that can be opened and extremes in temperature, salinity, closed. This door protects them from and water availability. One such predators or keeps them from organism is the barnacle. This drying out. Once their home is interesting creature is a crustacean complete, they use their feathery or relative of the shrimp. Like other legs to filter food from the water. crustaceans, it has a tough, These legs, called cirri, have protective covering made of chitin. sensory organs that can locate During their juvenile, or larval plankton in the water. As the stages, barnacles swim freely about barnacle grows, it must shed its in the water column searching for a chitin shell and enlarge its home. place to live. Once they find a place When it is time to reproduce, the to settle, they produce a glue. This hermaphroditic barnacles extend glue oozes from their head. They sperm filled tubes to neighboring use this glue to attach themselves to barnacles. Fertilization takes place the substrate. This keeps them from and the cycle begins again. ©Project Oceanography 13 Spring 2002 Unit One CINMS The low intertidal zone is home to organisms that have developed special adaptations to live within this region. Two organisms that we will take a closer look at are the sea anemone and the ochre star. Sea anemones have a cylindrical body and a central mouth surrounded by tentacles. These tentacles contain stinging cells called nematocysts that are used to stun prey such as small fish. The anemone then swallows and digests the prey. The waste Organisms in the mid-intertidal zone products are released back into the must also adapt to wave action and water through its mouth. Sea try to prevent drying out. An animal anemones can reproduce in two typically found in this zone is the ways. In sexual reproduction, mussel. Mussels are bivalve fertilized eggs are released in the mollusks. This means that they have water column. In asexual two shells or valves that are hinged reproduction, anemones create on one side. They also have a clones. muscular foot for locomotion. During These reproduction sperm and eggs are clones released into the water. The eggs can form are then fertilized. Mussel larvae large develop and float in the water until colonies they find a place to settle. Once where settled, they secrete fibrous threads intruders from a gland in their foot. These are not byssal threads are used to help the welcome. Threatened anemones mussel adhere to the rocks. Mussels may shrivel up, or they may fight live close together. They eat by using a specialized tentacle filtering small particles of organic containing many nematocysts for matter from the seawater. They stinging their enemies. To prevent close their shells tightly to keep in drying out, anemones can turn their moisture while the tide is out or to tentacles inward and shrink or move protect themselves from predators to a moist location using a special such as the sea star. foot called a pedal. The ochre sea star (Pisaster ochraceus) is an echinoderm or spiny skinned animal. Its reproductive cycle begins with the releasing of eggs and sperm into the water. The fertilized eggs continue to ©Project Oceanography 14 Spring 2002 Unit One CINMS divide. Eventually they ready to eat, it grips its prey with its become larvae. These tube feet and wraps its arms around larvae develop the shell. Using waterpower, it pries through two stages. open the shell. It then expels its The first free-swimming stomach into the opening. Digestive larval stage eats small juices dissolve the soft tissues of the plankton. The second larval stage bivalve. Sea stars also have develops arms and a suction cup interesting ways of protecting base. It attaches itself to a rock with themselves. The tough integument a tube foot and grows into a juvenile or outer covering of some sea stars sea star. As these animals grow, keeps them from drying out. Some they become very hungry. They must sea stars can stay out of water for 50 move about to hunt for food. They hours. They can also regenerate lost use their water vascular system to arms, so they can continue their operate their tube feet. In this predatory life style. system, water enters and exists the sea star through an opening on its back. This opening is called the madroporite. As water flows through the sea star, it can create suction that helps the tube feet to stick to surfaces. The sea star also uses its water vascular system to help it open bivalve shells. When the sea star is PISCO: Intertidal Research Scientists are Scientists at four universities have interested in come together to form a studying the collaborative research program. This rocky intertidal program is known as the Partnership zone, because it for Interdisciplinary Studies on is a highly Coastal Oceans (PISCO). PISCO is structured biodiverse region. In the conducting an extensive study of the past, research was limited to small intertidal region that will bring sample areas. Scientists would study together physical and biological either physical factors or biological information. These data will be factors. This information was collected from over 1200 miles of the valuable, but it didn’t help scientists nearshore Pacific coast reaching understand the overall picture. They from Oregon to California. Using this wanted to learn more about what broad approach, PISCO researchers was happening in these areas and will collect information about larval how this affected surrounding organisms. They are especially environments. interested in larval recruitment. ©Project Oceanography 15 Spring 2002 Unit One CINMS Larvae or immature forms of many recruitment platforms. They are intertidal organisms recruit or settle trying to see how many organisms of to hard surfaces where they stay different kinds attach themselves to anchored for life.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Revised Essd-2020-161 (20 September 2020)
    1 1 Half-hourly changes in intertidal temperature at nine wave-exposed 2 locations along the Atlantic Canadian coast: a 5.5-year study 3 Ricardo A. Scrosati, Julius A. Ellrich, Matthew J. Freeman 4 Department of Biology, St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, Nova Scotia B2G 2W5, Canada 5 Correspondence to: Ricardo A. Scrosati ([email protected]) 6 Abstract. Intertidal habitats are unique because they spend alternating periods of 7 submergence (at high tide) and emergence (at low tide) every day. Thus, intertidal temperature 8 is mainly driven by sea surface temperature (SST) during high tides and by air temperature 9 during low tides. Because of that, the switch from high to low tides and viceversa can determine 10 rapid changes in intertidal thermal conditions. On cold-temperate shores, which are 11 characterized by cold winters and warm summers, intertidal thermal conditions can also change 12 considerably with seasons. Despite this uniqueness, knowledge on intertidal temperature 13 dynamics is more limited than for open seas. This is especially true for wave-exposed intertidal 14 habitats, which, in addition to the unique properties described above, are also characterized by 15 wave splash being able to moderate intertidal thermal extremes during low tides. To address this 16 knowledge gap, we measured temperature every half hour during a period of 5.5 years (2014- 17 2019) at nine wave-exposed rocky intertidal locations along the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, 18 Canada. This data set is freely available from the figshare online repository (Scrosati and 19 Ellrich, 2020a; https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.12462065.v1).
    [Show full text]
  • PROTISTS Shore and the Waves Are Large, Often the Largest of a Storm Event, and with a Long Period
    (seas), and these waves can mobilize boulders. During this phase of the storm the rapid changes in current direction caused by these large, short-period waves generate high accelerative forces, and it is these forces that ultimately can move even large boulders. Traditionally, most rocky-intertidal ecological stud- ies have been conducted on rocky platforms where the substrate is composed of stable basement rock. Projec- tiles tend to be uncommon in these types of habitats, and damage from projectiles is usually light. Perhaps for this reason the role of projectiles in intertidal ecology has received little attention. Boulder-fi eld intertidal zones are as common as, if not more common than, rock plat- forms. In boulder fi elds, projectiles are abundant, and the evidence of damage due to projectiles is obvious. Here projectiles may be one of the most important defi ning physical forces in the habitat. SEE ALSO THE FOLLOWING ARTICLES Geology, Coastal / Habitat Alteration / Hydrodynamic Forces / Wave Exposure FURTHER READING Carstens. T. 1968. Wave forces on boundaries and submerged bodies. Sarsia FIGURE 6 The intertidal zone on the north side of Cape Blanco, 34: 37–60. Oregon. The large, smooth boulders are made of serpentine, while Dayton, P. K. 1971. Competition, disturbance, and community organi- the surrounding rock from which the intertidal platform is formed zation: the provision and subsequent utilization of space in a rocky is sandstone. The smooth boulders are from a source outside the intertidal community. Ecological Monographs 45: 137–159. intertidal zone and were carried into the intertidal zone by waves. Levin, S. A., and R.
    [Show full text]
  • Climate Change Report for Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell
    Chapter 6 Responses in Marine Habitats Sea Level Rise: Intertidal organisms will respond to sea level rise by shifting their distributions to keep pace with rising sea level. It has been suggested that all but the slowest growing organisms will be able to keep pace with rising sea level (Harley et al. 2006) but few studies have thoroughly examined this phenomenon. As in soft sediment systems, the ability of intertidal organisms to migrate will depend on available upland habitat. If these communities are adjacent to steep coastal bluffs it is unclear if they will be able to colonize this habitat. Further, increased erosion and sedimentation may impede their ability to move. Waves: Greater wave activity (see 3.3.2 Waves) suggests that intertidal and subtidal organisms may experience greater physical forces. A number of studies indicate that the strength of organisms does not always scale with their size (Denny et al. 1985; Carrington 1990; Gaylord et al. 1994; Denny and Kitzes 2005; Gaylord et al. 2008), which can lead to selective removal of larger organisms, influencing size structure and species interactions that depend on size. However, the relationship between offshore significant wave height and hydrodynamic force is not simple. Although local wave height inside the surf zone is a good predictor of wave velocity and force (Gaylord 1999, 2000), the relationship between offshore Hs and intertidal force cannot be expressed via a simple linear relationship (Helmuth and Denny 2003). In many cases (89% of sites examined), elevated offshore wave activity increased force up to a point (Hs > 2-2.5 m), after which force did not increase with wave height.
    [Show full text]
  • Topographic Complexity and Landscape Temperature Patterns Create a Dynamic Habitat Structure on a Rocky Intertidal Shore
    Vol. 428: 1–12, 2011 MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES Published May 3 doi: 10.3354/meps09124 Mar Ecol Prog Ser OPENPEN ACCESSCCESS FEATURE ARTICLE Topographic complexity and landscape temperature patterns create a dynamic habitat structure on a rocky intertidal shore Justin J. Meager*, Thomas A. Schlacher, Mahdi Green Faculty of Science, Health and Education, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore DC, Queensland 4558, Australia ABSTRACT: Habitat complexity is a fundamental dri- ver of ecosystem structure and function. Rocky inter- tidal shores are the classic model system for investi - gating theoretical and mechanistic models of habitat complexity, because the structural topography is largely biologically independent and stable over time. In the present study, we investigate how static (topographic complexity and heterogeneity) and dynamic (tempera- ture landscape) components of habitat structure influ- ence the abundance and body-size distribution of in - vertebrates on a rocky shore. Using a novel approach that included high-resolution 3D fractal surface and temperature measurements, we show that topographic complexity, temperature landscape and habitat hetero- geneity had largely independent effects on species Dynamic and static habitat traits determine associations of abundance and body size. Invertebrate abundance was invertebrates on a rocky shore: limpets Cellana tramoserica associated with temperature landscape in 7 of 11 spe- under a ledge. cies, while variation in body-size was mostly driven by Photo: J. Meager fractal topography in 7 of 10 species. Overall, the body size−abundance relationship was not influenced by habitat structure, indicating that the effects of habitat and conservation planning (e.g. Banks & Skilleter structure on body size and abundance were largely 2007, McArthur et al.
    [Show full text]
  • Overview of the Rocky Intertidal Systems of Southern California Mark M
    Overview of the Rocky Intertidal Systems of Southern California Mark M. Littler Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, California 92717 INTRODUCTION The Southern California Bight (Fig. 1) has been defined (SCCWRP 1973) as the open embayment of the Pacific Ocean bounded on the east by the North American coastline extending from Point Conception, California, to Cabo Colnett, Baja California, Mexico, and on the west by the California Current. The climate of the Southern California Bight has been amply studied in quantitative terms and is relatively well known (for physical, air, and seawater data, see Kimura 1974). Wind conditions are extremely important in that major reversals occur predominantly throughout late fall and winter. This results in strong, hot, and dry "Santa Ana" winds from the inland desert regions at the time of low tides during the daylight hours, thereby causing extreme heating, desiccation, and insolation stress to intertidal organisms. Another important ecological factor is the protection of certain mainland shores and the mainland sides of islands from open ocean swell and storm waves. This leads to a higher wave-energy regime on the unprotected outer island shores with marked effects on their biological communities. Nearly all of the southern California mainland coastline is protected to some degree by the outlying islands (Ricketts, Calvin, and Hedgpeth 1968). The only mainland sites receiving direct westerly swell are near the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego. A number of substrate types were present among the 10 rocky intertidal habitats studied (Fig. 1), ranging from hard, irregular flow breccia to smooth sandstone or siltstone.
    [Show full text]
  • The Diel Dynamics of Ciliate Community in a Tide-Pool
    216 Journal of Marine Science and Technology, Vol. 21, Suppl., pp. 216-222 (2013) DOI: 10.6119/JMST-013-1220-11 THE DIEL DYNAMICS OF CILIATE COMMUNITY IN A TIDE-POOL Chien-Fu Chao1, Bo-Wei Wang1, Chao-Hsiung Cheng1, and Kuo-Ping Chiang1, 2, 3 Key words: ciliate, tide-pool, diel variation. rate and a short generation time, on the order of hours to days. Therefore, they are useful as models to investigate population dynamics, including the effects of disturbance or environ- ABSTRACT mental pressure, as well as cyclical behavior (Holyoak [15]). We investigated the diel cycle mechanism of a tide-pool A central in tide-pool research is whether the organisms pre- ciliate community of the northeastern coast of Taiwan. The sent there represent a resident community or are merely a investigation was conducted on 17th-18th June (typical summer reflection of the species found in adjacent coastal waters. weather), and on 23th -24th July 2013 (10 days after a typhoon). The importance of ciliates within aquatic environments re- In June, the tide-pool ecosystem was an independent and the sides in their roles as consumers of picoplankton and nano- excystment of ciliates in the tide-pool caused a dramatic in- plankton (Verity [30], Bernard and Rassoulzadegan [3], Bern- crease in population abundance, as well as composition inger et al. [4], and Calbet and Landry [6]) and as prey for change. In July, there was no significant difference between mesozooplankton (Broglio et al. [5], and Calbet and Saiz [7]). the species composition in the tide-pool and that in the sur- For these reasons, ciliates may constitute an important link rounding coastal water.
    [Show full text]
  • Microbial Communities Network Structure Across Strong Environmental Gradients: How Do
    bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.06.08.445284; this version posted June 9, 2021. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under aCC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license. 1 Microbial communities network structure across strong environmental gradients: How do 2 they compare to macroorganisms? 3 Arboleda-Baenaa,b, C.M; Freilichc,d, M. A; Pareja, C.Bb; Logares, Re; De la Iglesia, Rb,f; 4 Navarrete, S.A a,f 5 a Estación Costera de Investigaciones Marinas, Center for Applied Ecology and Sustainability 6 (CAPES), Millenium Nucleus NUTME, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Chile 7 b Laboratorio de Microbiología Marina, Departamento de Genética Molecular y Microbiología, 8 Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile 9 c Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Science, Massachusetts Institute of 10 Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 USA 11 d Department of Physical Oceanography, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution,Woods Hole, 12 Massachusetts 02543 USA 13 e Instituto de Ciencias del Mar – CSIC, Paseo Marítimo de la Barceloneta, 37 – 49, 080003 14 Barcelona, Spain 15 f Marine Energy Research & Innovation Center (MERIC), Avda. Apoquindo 2827, Santiago, 16 Chile. 17 Corresponding author e-mail: [email protected] 18 1. Some data are already published, with those publications properly cited in this submission: 19 Broitman et al. 2001 and Freilich et al. 2018. 20 2. Sequence data will be deposited at the European Nucleotide Archive (ENA) public database 21 under accession number PRJEB45042 and released after the journal acceptance.
    [Show full text]
  • Ecology of the New Zealand Rocky Shore Community
    Ecology of the New Zealand Rocky Shore Community A Resource for NCEA Level 2 Biology Darren Smith Ecology of the New Zealand Rocky Shore Community: A Resource for NCEA Level 2 Biology Author: Darren Smith Publisher: New Zealand Marine Studies Centre Address: 185 Hatchery Road, Portobello, Dunedin 9014 ISBN: 978-0-473-23177-4 (PDF) ISBN: 978-0-473-23176-7 (Softcover) January 2013 FOREWORD The New Zealand Marine Studies Centre launched a nationwide citizen science project in Seaweek 2013. Anyone can take part in this project which aims to monitor biodiversity and changes in the New Zealand seashore over time. There are two ways of taking part in the project 1. Marine Metre Squared is a simple way for individuals, families, schools and community groups to monitor the shore. 2. Seashore Survey is aimed at secondary school students to tie in with NCEA standards. This resource book is intended to assist teachers of NCEA Level 2 biology to carry out studies of the New Zealand rocky shore. Darren Smith developed this resource when he was on the Endeavour Teacher Fellowship, New Zealand Science, Mathematics and Technology Teacher Fellowship Scheme 2012. This scheme was funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation and administered by the Royal Society of New Zealand. Darren Smith was hosted by the New Zealand Marine Studies Centre, Department of Marine Science, University of Otago. For further resources and information about the Marine Metre Squared project go to mm2.net.nz We welcome your comments and suggestions. Please email [email protected] or phone 03 479 5826.
    [Show full text]
  • Aspects of Community Ecology on Wave-Exposed
    ASPECTS OF COMMUNITY ECOLOGY ON WAVE-EXPOSED ROCKY HAWAI‘IAN COASTS A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE DIVISION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI‘I IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN BOTANY (ECOLOGY, EVOLUTION AND CONSERVATION BIOLOGY) DECEMBER 2006 By Christopher Everett Bird Dissertation Committee: Celia M. Smith, Chairperson Kent W. Bridges David C. Duffy Leonard A. Freed E. Alison Kay Halina M. Zaleski We certify that we have read this dissertation and that, in our opinion, it is satisfactory in scope and quality as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Botany (Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology). DISSERTATION COMMITTEE ________________________________ Chairperson ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ii Copyright 2006 Christopher Everett Bird All Rights Reserved iii DEDICATION This one goes out to my mom Betsy Bird; my dad George Bird; my grandmother Ethel Bird; my sisters and their families Gwendolyn, Scott, Alex, Mitchell, and Nicholas Bottomley, Evelyn, Mike, Andrew, and Ian Kirner; my best friend John Swistak; my boyz in NL1; my girlz in tha 808; and all the rest of my friends. You are the people who stood by my side, no matter what. Thank you for the good times, the support, and the love. I owe it all to you. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank the University of Hawaii Sea Grant College (this is publication XD- 02-02), University of Hawaii Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology Program, National Parks Service, and Northwestern Hawaiian Islands National Monument for funding the research presented in this dissertation. This dissertation would not have happened without the inspiration of a few special people.
    [Show full text]
  • Marine Rocky Shores and Community Ecology: an Experimentalist's Perspective
    OTTO KINNE Editor Robert T. Paine MARINE ROCKY SHORES AND COMMUNITY ECOLOGY: AN EXPERIMENTALIST’S PERSPECTIVE Introduction (Otto Kinne) Robert T. Paine: A Laudatio (Tom Fenchel) O L O G C Y Publisher: Ecology Institute E Nordbünte 23, D-21385 Oldendorf/Luhe I N E Germany S T T I T U Robert T. Paine Department of Zoology NJ-15 University of Washington Seattle, Washington 98195, USA ISSN 0932-2205 Copyright © 1994, by Ecology Institute, D-21385 Oldendorf/Luhe, Germany All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced by any means, or transmitted, or translated without written permission of the publisher Printed in Germany Typesetting by Ecology Institute, Oldendorf Printing and bookbinding by Konrad Triltsch, Graphischer Betrieb, Würzburg Printed on acid-free paper Contents Introduction (Otto Kinne) .......................................... VII Robert T. Paine: Recipient of the Ecology Institute Prize 1989 in Marine Ecology. A Laudatio (Tom Fenchel) .......................... XIX Preface (Robert T. Paine)........................................... XXI I GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS ................................. 1 II HISTORICAL ORIGINS OF COMMUNITY ECOLOGY.............. 11 (1) Natural History/Observational Ecology ........................ 12 (2) Quantitative Methodologies ................................. 16 (3) Experimental Manipulation ................................. 19 (4) Mathematical Ecology ..................................... 28 (5) A Marine, Benthic Perspective on “Roots” ..................... 30 III COMPETITIVE INTERACTIONS
    [Show full text]
  • Rocky Intertidal Ecology
    Rocky Intertidal Ecology The Rocky Intertidal program at the Hatfield Marine Science Center is designed to be a 50-minute inquiry-based program that examines the dynamic environment of rocky shores and the interactions of the organisms found there. Students will learn about the complex communities in rocky intertidal areas and the ever-changing physical stresses these organisms are subjected to. During this program students will: 1. Identify rocky intertidal habitat and examine its typical inhabitants 2. Learn about environmental pressures and adaptations 3. Examine population interactions in the community Background Information The Oregon Coast is often identified by its rugged rocky shores, with crashing waves and hardy creatures clinging to rocks. These areas are intertidal and are alternately inundated by seawater and exposed to air, wind, and dramatic changes in temperature. High tide floods these areas with cold, nutrient laden seawater, bringing food to organisms that live there in the form of plankton and detritus. Low tides often expose these organisms to the dangers of predation and desiccation. Because of these harsh conditions, organisms have developed special adaptations that not only help them to survive but thrive in these environments. An adaptation is a physical or behavioral trait that helps a plant or animal survive in a specific environment or habitat. Ecology is the study of the distribution and abundance of organisms and their interactions with their environment. The rocky shore habitats are very diverse and can range from sheer vertical rock walls to sheltered tidepools. Rocky shores experience vertical zonation, which is the arrangement of plants and animals in distinct horizontal layers caused by limiting factors or a combination of what each organism can tolerate physically as well as interactions between organisms.
    [Show full text]
  • Benthic Subtidal and Intertidal Ecology
    MARINE ENERGY WALES MARINE ENERGY TEST AREA (META) Environmental Impact Assessment Chapter 7: Benthic Subtidal and Intertidal Ecology EOR0730 Marine Energy Test Area Rev: 03 May 29, 2019 rpsgroup.com Document Status Version Date Authored by Reviewed by Approved by Review date Rev00 12/02/19 AP RDS RDS 13/02/19 Rev01 15/02/19 AP JK JK 18/02/19 Rev01a 25/02/19 AP RDS RDS 03/04/19 Rev02 15/05/19 AP RDS RDS 15/04/19 Rev02A 19/05/19 AP RDS RDS 30/04/19 Rev03 21/05/19 AP RDS RDS 28/05/19 Approval for issue Jessica Hooper 2019-05-29 This report was prepared by RPS Energy Ltd. (‘RPS’) within the terms of its engagement and in direct response to a scope of services. This report is strictly limited to the purpose and the facts and matters stated in it and does not apply directly or indirectly and must not be used for any other application, purpose, use or matter. In preparing the report, RPS may have relied upon information provided to it at the time by other parties. RPS accepts no responsibility as to the accuracy or completeness of information provided by those parties at the time of preparing the report. The report does not take into account any changes in information that may have occurred since the publication of the report. If the information relied upon is subsequently determined to be false, inaccurate or incomplete then it is possible that the observations and conclusions expressed in the report may have changed.
    [Show full text]