Zonation
What is the splash zone?
The zone that gets splashed but is rarely submerged.
What are crabs?
These crustaceans scuttle sideways and hide under rocks.
What is sea lettuce (Ulva)?
This bright green algae often grows in sheets on rocks.
What are the tides?
This daily movement controls how long organisms are exposed to air.
What are byssal threads?
Mussels attach to rocks using these strong fibers.
What is the high tide zone?
This zone experiences the most drastic temperature changes.
What are limpets?
These cone-shaped grazers cling tightly to rocks and eat algae.
What is rockweed?
This brown algae has air bladders that help it float.
What is temperature?
This factor increases sharply when the sun heats exposed tide pools.
What is closing tightly to trap moisture?
Barnacles survive low tide by doing this with their shells.
What is the mid tide zone?
This zone is exposed and submerged twice every day.
What are mussels?
These filter feeders often cluster in dense beds and attach with strong threads.
What are holdfasts?
These structures anchor kelp to rocky substrates.
What is wave action?
Crashing waves create this type of physical stress.
What are muscular feet?
Organisms like limpets use these to suction onto rocks.
What is the low tide zone?
The zone underwater most of the day, with the highest biodiversity.
What are barnacles?
These animals cement themselves to rocks and close tightly at low tide.
What is desiccation?
Algae in the intertidal zone must resist this extreme process caused by drying out.
What is salinity?
Intertidal organisms must handle changes in this due to rainfall and evaporation.
What are crevices/shaded areas?
Crabs avoid drying out by hiding in these.
What is the tide line?
The movement of this boundary line shapes the zonation pattern.
What is a sea star?
This predator uses tube feet and stomach eversion to digest prey.
What is microalgae?
This type of algae forms slippery mats that herbivores feed on.
What is a dynamic (or high-energy) environment?
Organisms must cling tightly in this type of constantly moving environment.
What is temperature (or salinity) tolerance?
Many intertidal animals can tolerate extreme ranges of this environmental factor.