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Intertidal Glory

Intertidal Glory. Christen Foehring 11/12/09. rocky intertidal life is super super duper cool!. Need proof?. Intertidal Zone?. Area of the shore between mean high water and mean low water Also known as the littoral zone. What is intertidal zonation?.

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Intertidal Glory

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  1. Intertidal Glory Christen Foehring 11/12/09

  2. rocky intertidal life is super super duper cool! Need proof?

  3. Intertidal Zone? • Area of the shore between mean high water and mean low water • Also known as the littoral zone

  4. What is intertidal zonation? • Banding of organisms in the intertidal zone • Zones are not absolute • Sorted out by ability to cope with stresses • Also called vertical zonation

  5. Pacific Northwest Rocky Intertidal Zones

  6. A Dynamic Environment • Temperature • Light • Moisture/Desiccation • Wave Shock/Energy • Dissolved Oxygen • Food Supply

  7. Rocky shores • Zonation of rocky shores: • Splash/ Spray zone (rarely covered by water) • Upper intertidal zone • Middle intertidal zone • Lower intertidal zone (rarely exposed) • Upper zones have mostly shelled organisms • Lower zones have many soft-bodied organisms and algae

  8. Rocky shores: Intertidal zonation and organisms

  9. Upper Zones Exposure (air & weather) Heat Predation by birds and land animals Wave turbulence Lower Zones Competition (food & space) Predation by aquatic animals Different Stresses for Different Zones

  10. Its lower limit is determined by biological factors (i.e. predation, competition) The lower an organism goes, the more capable it must be of withstanding competition pressures for space and resources and avoiding predation. An organism’s upper limit is determined by physical factors (i.e.desiccation, temperature). The higher an organism lives, the more capable it must be of tolerating exposure to air and sun. General Rule of Thumb…

  11. Splash Zone • Above high-tide level • Seldom submerged • High air exposure

  12. Periwinkles dominate Limpets Lichens Encrusting algae Shore crabs Splash Zone

  13. Pickleweed a.k.a Sea Asparagus http://www.elkhornslough.org http://2.bp.blogspot.com

  14. Upper Intertidal Zone • Submerged regularly (once or twice a day) • Affected by desiccation, competition, & predation

  15. Upper Intertidal Zone Barnacles dominate Photo Credit: Trina (Fish 351)

  16. Middle Intertidal Zone • Lower limit of barnacles is set by competition with mussels in this zone • Mussels are more prone to drying out than barnacles • Lower limit of mussels is set by seastars

  17. Middle Intertidal Zone • Mussels • Barnacles • Seaweeds

  18. Keystone Species:Pisaster ! • Voracious predators • How do seastars ingest their prey? • Often found in middle/lower intertidal (prone to drying out) • What happens when humans remove the seastars?

  19. Lower Intertidal Zone • Submerged most of the time • Good place for predators and seaweeds • Compete for light & space

  20. Lower Intertidal Zone • Seaweed • Surfgrass • Anemones • Seastars

  21. Photic Zone • Green Algae • Absorb short & long wavelengths • Ex. Sea lettuce (Ulva spp.) • Brown Algae • Capable of absorbing shorter wavelengths • Ex. Rockweed (Fucus gardneri) • Red Algae • Absorb short blue-green light • Ex. Encrusting coralline algae (Lithothamnion spp.) http://lh4.ggpht.com http://plantphys.info

  22. Which zone? How can you tell?

  23. What determines the limits of these species’ intertidal ranges?

  24. What would happen if you removed the seastars from this tidepool?

  25. SOP - Blakely Harbor Connections • Mini Quadrats • Piling Zonation aka “personal piling” • Intertidal Zonation • Compare/Contrast Species • Art • Perspective writing (intertidal organism) • Periwinkle Observation Activity

  26. Coming soon to Natural History Class... • Common PNW marine intertidal organisms • Answers to the questions kids ask most often (what is it, what does it eat, who eats it, can I eat it, where does it live, is it like a ___?) • Tidepool Explorations - boots & flashlights required!

  27. Special Thanks to Isabella Rossellini Come see her at Benaroya Hall Wednesday, November 18,2009 7 PM - $25 http://www.sundancechannel.com/greenporno

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