Rocky Shore Survey

• types of rocky shores

  boulder, limestone, complex sandstone ledges
• all organisms have evolved to live with the intertidal conditions
• many sessile animals are filter feeders
• desiccation is a risk to life
• vertical gradient is tidal wetting, spring-neap tides
• tide chart

  A) MHWS

  B) MHWN

  C) MTL

  D) MLWN

  E) MLWS

  
• MHWS

  mean high water of spring tides
• MHWN

  mean high water of neap tide
• MHWN is the limit of barnacle height
• MTL

  mean tide level
• MLWN

  mean low water of neap tides
• mean low water of spring tides
• gradient

  A) temperature variation

  B) salinity variation

  C) air exposed

  D) competition

  E) sunlight

  
• upper shores 


  limit of high tide, out of water most time, variation, fewer species
• exposed shores have plenty of splashing an high benthic diversity
• low energy diversity is dominated by algae
• energy is concentrated on headlands
• cracks, crevaces, and boulders modify waves
• shore slope


  verticals dominated by barnacles
• green algae in estuaries
• brittle star

  A) Ophiothrix fragilis

  
• starlet cushion star

  A) Asterina gibbosa

  
• Northern Rock Barnacle

  A) Semilbalanus balinoides

  
• Shore crab

  A) Carcinus maenus

  
• Edible crab

  A) Cancer pagurus

  
• rough periwinkle

  A) Littorina saxatilis

  
• flat periwinkle

  A) Littorina fabalis

  
• thick topshell

  A) Phorcus lineatus

  
• purple topshell

  A) Gibbula umbilicus

  
• common periwinkle

  A) Littorina littorea

  
• beadlet anemone

  A) Actinia equina

  
• limpets

  A) Patella sp

  
• Strawberry anemone

  A) Actinia fragacea

  
• White tortoiseshell limpet

  A) Tectura virginea

  
• marine worms

  A) Sabellaria sp

  
• tortoishell limpet

  A) Testudinalia testudinalis

  
• gray topshell

  A) Gibbula cineraria

  
• sea slater

  A) Idotea pelagica

  
• granular marine isopod

  A) Idotea granulosa

  
• baltic isopod

  A) Idotea balthica