Welcome to the Intertidal Zone!

The Intertidal Zone is where the land meets the sea. It is the area between high tide and low tide. Intertidal communities can be found on sandy beaches, in bays and estuaries, and along rocky shorelines. The rocky shores are the most diverse and highly populated. In this area where rocks are covered and uncovered daily by the ocean, unique and diverse tide pool communities are formed. The marine animals living in this zone are unique because of their ability to withstand exposure to air and the force of the pounding waves. The lowest levels of the Intertidal Zone are the most crowded with life and the higher, dryer levels are less populated. The organism's adaptations depend on where in the Intertidal Zone it will be found.

Low tide in the intertidal zone.

An Inhospitable, Changing Environment:

Much of this inhospitable environment is washed by the tides each day, so organisms that live here are adapted to huge daily changes in moisture, temperature, turbulence (from the water), and salinity.

Moisture: The littoral zone is covered with salt water at high tides, and it is exposed to the air at low tides; the height of the tide exposes more or less land to this daily tide cycle. Organisms must be adapted to both very wet and very dry conditions. Water Movement:The turbulence of the water is another reason that this area can be very difficult one in which to survive the rough waves can dislodge or carry away poorly-adapted organisms. Many intertidal animals burrow into the sand (like clams), live under rocks, or attach themselves to rocks (like barnacles and mussels). Waves and currents Temperature: The temperature ranges are strong forces. from the moderate temperature of the water to air temperatures that vary from below freezing to scorching. Salinity: Depressions on the shores sometimes form tide pools, areas that remain wet, although they are not long-lasting features. The salinity of tidepools varies from the salinity of the sea to much less salty, when rainwater or runoff dilutes it. Animals must adapt their systems to these variations. Some fish, like sculpin and blennies, live in tide pools. 1

The Types of Zones

Spray Zone
Wave-spray nourishes life here. This zone could be considered the "desert" of the intertidal community. Small acorn barnacles, lichens, periwinkle, rock louse, limpets and algae and a few other species live in this sun-scorched zone.

Upper Intertidal Zone

Sea water reaches this zone only during high tides. Here, you will find life that regularly survives two long droughts each day. Limpets survive by feeding on algae. They suction their shells tight to rocks for protection from the waves and sun. Sea lettuce and other marine algae thrive in this extreme zone.

Middle Intertidal Zone

Sea water regularly floods this zone. This turbulent area is covered and uncovered twice a day with salt water from the tides. Species found in this zone include sea stars, broken-back shrimp, small fish, hermit crabs, nudibranchs and a variety of sea plants.

Lower Intertidal Zone

This zone becomes dry only during the lowest tides. The intertidal's greatest diversity of life thrives in this stable region. Here you can find sea stars, nudibranchs, giant anemones and many other fauna.

How do animals adapt to living in this community?

The Intertidal Zone is a very harsh living environment for organisms because its ever changing conditions. Animals in this zone are constantly facing challenges such as varying salinity, drying out by wind and sunlight, predators, strong currents that carry them back to sea, and varying weather conditions. To help with these difficulties many organisms have special adaptation features.

How do organisms protect themselves from drying out?

Some animals, such as sea urchins, carve holes in the rocks and hide in these holes that provide moisture during low tide. Mussels and other shell organisms will tightly close their shell to keep in moisture. Snails secrete a slime that gives them moisture during the long hours of low tide and anemones will fold in their tentacles to hold in moisture. Each of these techniques help the creatures from drying out.

A predator hunting at low tide.

How do organisms protect themselves from crashing waves and currents?

Many organisms use rocks to help with this problem. Sea Stars and anemones have suction cups, which allow them to latch onto rocks so they are not carried out to sea. Mussels use a threadlike substance called byssal threads that stick to the rocks. Anemones have a unique jelly-like body, which can withstand the crashing waves. For the same reason, sea stars have a strong leathery coating, and many shell organisms such as barnacles have hard shell covering. Other animals also resort to burrowing in the sand.

Many animals have developed suction cups to hold fast to rocks.

How do organisms protect themselves from predators?

As stated previously sea urchins carve holes in rocks and can hide in these holes. Snails can also carve places for protection in rocks. Many other organisms, such as periwinkles and crabs, can hide in cracks and crevices of the rocks for shelter.

Hermit crabs can hide in their shell and in cracks and crevices.
3

Intertidal Animals:
Clams have two shells that are attached by a muscular hinge. When a clam is threatened, it will pull its soft body into the shells and close the shells tightly for protection.

Most brittle stars have five long, thin, spiny arms that radiate from a flat central disk; the arms do not touch each other at their bases.

The hermit crab is a type of crab that doesn't have a very hard shell. Not a true crab, it uses other animals' old shells for protection; they especially like old whelk shells. As the hermit crab grows in size, it must find a larger shell.

Crabs have ten jointed legs, two of which have large, grasping claws. They have a flattened body, two feelers, and two eyes located at the ends of stalks.

Limpets cling tightly to a rock (using the muscular foot). During the day, limpets move around by rippling the muscles of the foot in a wave-like fashion, looking for food. They return to the same place on their rock each night. No one knows exactly how they find their way back to the same spot each time.

One of two big claws used for defense and food handling. In male fiddler crabs, one cheliped is much bigger than the other; in females, the two chelipeds are about the same size.

Intertidal Animals:

Adult sea urchins have five-sided radial symmetry. Their spines are used for protection, for moving, and for trapping drifting algae to eat. Among the spines are five paired rows of tiny tube feet with suckers that help with locomotion, capturing food, and holding onto the seafloor.

Sea stars (also known as starfish) are spiny, hard-skinned animals that live on the rocky sea floor. These invertebrates are NOT fish; they are echinoderms. Sea stars move very slowly along the sea bed, using hundreds of tiny tube feet.

Although Sea Anemones look like flowers, they are predatory animals. These invertebrates have no skeleton at all. They live attached to firm objects in the seas, usually the sea floor, rock, or coral, but they can slide around very slowly.

The Black-faced Blenny is a shallow-water fish that lives among rocks. This territorial fish is diurnal (most active by day). It is a carnivore that eats tiny invertebrates. This fish reproduces from April to July.

How to make a Simple Fish Trap Background In the ocean survival is based upon mainly an organism ability to not be detected. Because of this we sometimes think that there are no animals in our tidal pools and intertidal zones. In this activity you will design and adjust a fish trap for an intertial zone and identify the organisms found theirs. Materials: 12oz. or bigger plastic bottle Sissors or knife to cut bottle Duct tape String 2 3 small buckets Action 1. After class has discussed what an intertidal zone is, its different zonations and some of the common adaptations for living here, give them the materials for the fish trap. 2. Group the class in 3s or 4s to allow discussion and cooperation. 3. Ask groups what adaptations they think will enhance the effectiveness of their trap ranging from bottle size, choice of bait and trap positioning in tidal pools. 4. Have the groups complete traps and place them accordingly. Make sure traps are secured to avoid loss by wave action. 5. Leave traps for 15 20 mins. without disturbing them so not to scare off animals. During this time a tour of the zones examining different animals and adaptations is best, it allows the students to pair up the theory with hands on knowledge. If handy a few quadrant sampling could be done. 6. Have groups collect traps (be sure to handle animals in a manner not to hurt them) empty contents into bucket and identify. 7. After all groups have gone, go over what modifications made certain traps more effective, organisms found, emphasizing the economic and biological importance of these areas and need for conservation.