Intertidal Ecology Flashcards
what are the important abiotic factors of rocky shores?
full force of waves risk of desiccation temperature variation salinity variations oxygen concentration variations
animals surviving wave action
barnacles limpets topshells periwinkles dogwelks mussels crabs starfish and fish
important rocky shore grazers
acorn barnacles, periwinkle and limpets
important rocky shore detritus and macroalgae feeders
topshells
important rocky shore predators
dogwelks, mussels, crabs, starfish and fish
example of protoandrous hermaphrodite
patella vulgata
females = 2-4yrs
males > 4yrs
organism in rocky shore pools
urchins starfish anemones encrusted algae coraline seaweed
rocky shores - algae is dominant in…
sheltered shores
what is the littoral zone?
extends from the high water mark, which is rarely inundated, to shoreline areas that are permanently submerged
what is the eulittoral zone?
the habitat formed on the lower shore of an aquatic ecosystem, below the littoral zone
Rocky shore - Lower eulittoral – sublittoral fringe contains…
kelp e.g. Oarweed
wrack seaweed, e.g. serrated wrack
what is fucoid algae?
brown algae
upper rocky shore brown algae
Spiral wrack and channel wrack
middle rocky shore brown algae
bladder wrack ad knotted wrack
sublittoral rocky shore zone algae
red and green algae
adaptations to resistance to water loss on rocky shore
- move to moist crack and crevaces/under algae - e.g. crabs
- impermeable shell - e.g. limpets (patella, lottia…)
- opercula which completely seal off aperture to shell - e.g. periwinkles
- close shells - e.g. barnacles
- tolerance to severe water loss - e.g. high intertidal algae
- lives in cracks and crevices - e.g. anemones
behavioural adaptations to maintain heat balance on rocky shores
go to shade
structural adaptations to maintain heat balance on rocky shores
relatively large body size (comparatively) - e.g Littorina littorea
reduce body area in contact with the substrate
greater elaboration of shell ridges
colour
evaporate water off surfaces
what are the two main mechanisms for high temperatures in heat balance?
reducing heat gain from the environment
increasing heat loss from the body of the animal
adaptations to mechanical stress on rocky shores
become fixed to substrate - e.g. barnacles
strong but temporary attachments
thicker shells - e.g. intertidal mollusks
strong enlarged foot - e.g. various limpets
seek shelter - e.g. crabs (mobile organisms)
adaptations to feeding on rocky shores
feed when tide is in
feed at night
adaptations to salinity stress on rocky shores
same adaptations which prevent desiccation
adaptations of reproduction on rocky shores
free-floating eggs/larvae
planktonic larvae
