Intertidal Zone• Shallow area connected to the beach that is made up of
high tides and low tides
• Talk about habitats that exist on ROCKY shores
• Animals that live in the intertidal zone endure harsh conditions because of the waves that bring the high and low tides.
** Crashing waves engulfing them at times
– At other times, sun beats down and no water is reaching them
Rocky Shores
• Rocky Shores are found along much of both coasts of the United States – Ex. California coast
Intertidal Zones
• Highest rocks on highest high tide line make up the spray zone
–A strip of algae makes up the highest high tide line
Intertidal Zone
• Organisms that live in the intertidal zone must be able to tolerate the pounding waves
• Changes in salinity and temperature
• Have to withstand periods of being underwater and periods of being exposed to air
Adaptations for animals in the Intertidal Zone
• Most avoid drying out
• Hide from predators
• Find food in a harsh setting
Intertidal Zone• Spray Zone = the highest rocks above the high-
tide line ---a strip of algae shows the highest high-tide line
• Rocks below the spray zone are covered in barnacles. These rocks are also home to limpets (flat animals with large, muscular feet that allow them to hold tightly to rocks)
• They release drops of mucus around the edges of their shells
• Mucus form a tight seal
Barnacles
• Can close up their hard shells –this action traps a drop of water inside to carry the barnacles through the dry period until the next high tide
What are Tide Pools? • They are “pools” of water that are left when a tide
comes in because the land on the beach is uneven and has crevices and depressions
• When the tide goes out, water remains in depressions among the rocks
• What happens when water in a tide pool evaporates?
• What happens when it rains on water in a tide pool?
Animals in a Tide Pool
• Sea urchins: crawl slowly along the bottom of the tide pool and uses its spine to dig a hole in the bottom of the tide pool to protect itself while it waits for food.
• Sea anemones: wait under shady rock ledges and wait for the incoming tide to bring a fresh supply of plankton and other food particles
– Some sea anemones can survive without water for 2 weeks
• Sea Stars: cling to the rocks with rows of tiny suction cups
Estuaries
• Another important environment along the ocean’s edge
• Coastal inlets or bays where fresh water from the river mixes with salty ocean water
“Brackish”
• Water that is partly salty and partly fresh water
• Water that is in an estuary is called brackish.
• Fresh water + Salt water = Brackish.
Coastal Wetlands
• Are found in and around estuaries.
• Coastal wetlands have brackish, so have salt and fresh water mixed together
• Wetland: a land area that is saturated (or completely filled) with water
• In the United States, most wetlands are: – 1) Mangrove Forests– 2) Salt Marshes
1) Mangrove Forest
• A wetland that is made up of Mangrove trees that grow in brackish water
• Mangrove trees protect the coastline from the wind and waves during storms
• Mangrove trees’ roots trap sediment from the land and create a protected “nursery” rich in nutrients for many young animals
• Orchids, reptiles, birds, crabs
2) Salt Marshes
• Have smelly mud made up of sediments, animal and plant matter, and nutrients carried into the marsh by fresh water and tides
• Cordgrass is the most common plant in the marsh –survives well in salt water
• Animals that live in salt marshes: fish, crabs, shrimp, oysters, crabs, herons, egrets, stilts