tidal environments. a. turbulence - wave action b. keeps inshore waters from stratifying (layering)...
TRANSCRIPT
Tidal Environments
A. Turbulence - wave action
B. Keeps inshore waters from
stratifying (layering)
C. Causes substrate particles (sand) to remain suspended.
I. Affects of Turbulence
A. Low-Tide Conditions1. Epifauna – organisms living on substrate surface (intertidal zone organisms)
2. High stress for sessile organisms due to exposure of the elements.
A. Desiccation – drying out
B. Predation
C. Temperature & Salinity changes
3. Survival Method
A. Motile Organisms-Run & hide B. Sessile organisms-Clam up
method
B. High Tide Conditions 1. Once Exposed Now Submerged
2. Force of crashing-in waves
3. Wave Intensity varies due to the bending of the waves
IV. Causes of Zonation
A. Physical factors: Alternation between submersion and exposure to air
B. Biological factors: 1. competition and predation 2. grazing-affects algal distribution 3. offspring reproduction-variable due to water conditions/weather and adult reproduction
1. Composed of loose sediment that’s easily shifted by wind and
waves.2. Zones easily recognized3. Sandy beaches are the most familiar of tidal zones.
A. Sandy Beach
B. ROCKY SHORE
1. Occur on steep coasts
(West Coast of America).
2. Formed from uplifts on
tectonic plates or rising
coasts from melting ice.
3. Lacking large amounts of sediment.
5. Upper intertidal (Supralittoral zone)
a. Conditions as terrestrial as they are marine
b. Infrequent wetting by high tides and waves
c. Sparsely inhabited by marine
organisms
6. Middle Intertidal (littoral zone) a. Frequently submerged by
tides and waves; b. Abundance of plant nutrients,
oxygen, and planktonic food
c. Barnacle and Mussel habitation