What Is The Intertidal Biome?
The intertidal biome, also known as the littoral zone, is the area of water between tidal marks, commonly known as tidal pools. Within the intertidal zone, there are three different sections which divide up the biome. They are the high tide zone, the middle tidal zone, and the low tide zone. The high tide zone only has water in it during high tide. Due to this, it has a high saline environment, since at low tide, water on rocks can evaporate and leave behind the salt deposits. Within this section of the biome, small organisms like anemones, barnacles, brittle stars, chitons, crabs, green algae, isopods, limpets, mussels, sea stars, snails, and whelks can be found. These organisms adapt well to being in and out of the water, which makes the intertidal biome a suitable habitat for them. The middle section of the intertidal biome, is the middle tidal zone. This area is out of the water, and flooded for equal amounts of time. Organisms here are larger and more complex than the organisms found in the high tide zone. They are in the water longer here than in the high tide zone, which allows them to be bigger since there are less predators they have to worry about. Some organisms include anemones, barnacles, chitons, crabs, green algae, isopods, limpets, mussels, sea lettuce, sea palms, sea stars, snails, sponges, and whelks. Finally, the third section of the intertidal biome is the high tide zone. This area is almost completely submerged underwater, which in turn allows for more marine vegetation to grow. The water here is shallow, allowing enough sunlight to penetrate to cause photosynthesis. Some organisms that live here are abalone, anemones, brown seaweed, chitons, crabs, green algae, hydroids, isopods, limpets, mussels, nudibranchs, sculpin, sea cucumber, sea lettuce, sea palms, sea stars, sea urchins, shrimp, snails, sponges, surf grass, tube worms, and whelks.
The intertidal biome, also known as the littoral zone, is the area of water between tidal marks, commonly known as tidal pools. Within the intertidal zone, there are three different sections which divide up the biome. They are the high tide zone, the middle tidal zone, and the low tide zone. The high tide zone only has water in it during high tide. Due to this, it has a high saline environment, since at low tide, water on rocks can evaporate and leave behind the salt deposits. Within this section of the biome, small organisms like anemones, barnacles, brittle stars, chitons, crabs, green algae, isopods, limpets, mussels, sea stars, snails, and whelks can be found. These organisms adapt well to being in and out of the water, which makes the intertidal biome a suitable habitat for them. The middle section of the intertidal biome, is the middle tidal zone. This area is out of the water, and flooded for equal amounts of time. Organisms here are larger and more complex than the organisms found in the high tide zone. They are in the water longer here than in the high tide zone, which allows them to be bigger since there are less predators they have to worry about. Some organisms include anemones, barnacles, chitons, crabs, green algae, isopods, limpets, mussels, sea lettuce, sea palms, sea stars, snails, sponges, and whelks. Finally, the third section of the intertidal biome is the high tide zone. This area is almost completely submerged underwater, which in turn allows for more marine vegetation to grow. The water here is shallow, allowing enough sunlight to penetrate to cause photosynthesis. Some organisms that live here are abalone, anemones, brown seaweed, chitons, crabs, green algae, hydroids, isopods, limpets, mussels, nudibranchs, sculpin, sea cucumber, sea lettuce, sea palms, sea stars, sea urchins, shrimp, snails, sponges, surf grass, tube worms, and whelks.