Tide PoolsTide Pools

By: Cianna PalominoBy: Cianna Palomino

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Alex Atkins Alex Atkins

What is a Tide Pool?What is a Tide Pool?

• Tide pools are Tide pools are areas on rocks by areas on rocks by the ocean that are the ocean that are filled with seawaterfilled with seawater

• Can either be small Can either be small and shallow or and shallow or large and deeplarge and deep

Tide PoolsTide Pools

• Gravitational pull of moon and sun Gravitational pull of moon and sun causes tides on earthcauses tides on earth

• The moon is responsible for a little The moon is responsible for a little more than half of earth’s tidal energymore than half of earth’s tidal energy

• During the tidal cycle (about 25 During the tidal cycle (about 25 hours) various places on earth’s hours) various places on earth’s surface experience one or two high surface experience one or two high tides and two low tidestides and two low tides

Tide CycleTide Cycle

Tide PoolsTide Pools

• Provide a home for Provide a home for hardy organismshardy organisms

• Inhabitants must Inhabitants must cope with constantly cope with constantly changing changing environment- environment- fluctuations in water fluctuations in water temp., salinity, temp., salinity, oxygen content, and oxygen content, and other difficultiesother difficulties

What lives in Tide Pools?What lives in Tide Pools?

• Tide pools are inhabited Tide pools are inhabited by sea stars, crabs, sea by sea stars, crabs, sea urchins, anemones, urchins, anemones, barnacles, sea cucumber barnacles, sea cucumber (lower level), sculpins, (lower level), sculpins, killifish, blenny, yellow killifish, blenny, yellow spongefish, sand shrimp, spongefish, sand shrimp, lobster, octopus, lobster, octopus, nudibranch, chiton, nudibranch, chiton, mussles, scallops, mussles, scallops, abalone, snails, limpets, abalone, snails, limpets, and some other creaturesand some other creatures

Spray/Splash ZoneSpray/Splash Zone

• This zone receives This zone receives wave action during wave action during high tides and stormshigh tides and storms

• At other times the At other times the rocks experience other rocks experience other extreme conditions, extreme conditions, baking in the sun or baking in the sun or exposed to cold winds. exposed to cold winds. Few organisms survive Few organisms survive harsh conditionsharsh conditions

Species InteractionSpecies Interaction

• In addition to being shaped by aspects In addition to being shaped by aspects of climate, intertidal habitats—especially of climate, intertidal habitats—especially intertidal zonation patterns—are strongly intertidal zonation patterns—are strongly influenced by species interactions, such influenced by species interactions, such as predation, competition, facilitation, as predation, competition, facilitation, and indirect interactions. and indirect interactions.

• Intertidal habitats have been a model Intertidal habitats have been a model system for many classic ecological system for many classic ecological studies because the resident studies because the resident communities are particularly amenable communities are particularly amenable to experimentation to experimentation

Competition InteractionCompetition Interaction• Competition, Competition,

especially for space, especially for space, is another dominant is another dominant interaction interaction structuring intertidal structuring intertidal communities. Space communities. Space competition is competition is especially fierce in especially fierce in rocky intertidal rocky intertidal habitats, where habitats, where habitable space is habitable space is limited compared to limited compared to soft-sediment soft-sediment habitats in which habitats in which three-dimensional three-dimensional space is availablespace is available

FacilitationFacilitation

• FacilitationFacilitation refers to one organism refers to one organism helping another without harming itself.helping another without harming itself.

• Mussels, although they are tough Mussels, although they are tough competitors with certain species, are competitors with certain species, are also good facilitators as mussel beds also good facilitators as mussel beds provide a three-dimensional habitat to provide a three-dimensional habitat to species of snails, worms, and species of snails, worms, and crustaceans crustaceans

PredationPredation

• Organisms Organisms compete in tide compete in tide pools to hunt for pools to hunt for preyprey

• Some tide pools Some tide pools are smaller so are smaller so hunting prey may hunting prey may be more of a be more of a challengechallenge

Human ImpactHuman Impact

• Humans harvest animals Humans harvest animals and plants for food, bait, and plants for food, bait, and more recently, for and more recently, for home aquariumshome aquariums

• Oil spills, whether Oil spills, whether intentional or not, intentional or not, happen quite often and happen quite often and have a great impact on have a great impact on sea lifesea life

• Chemicals used to clean Chemicals used to clean oil spills also devastate oil spills also devastate shore lifeshore life

Human ImpactHuman Impact• Sewage, sewage Sewage, sewage

related debris, and related debris, and litter contaminate sea litter contaminate sea shore ecosystem and shore ecosystem and puts wildlife in dangerputs wildlife in danger

• Toxic chemicals and Toxic chemicals and radioactive waste radioactive waste affects not only affects not only marine life, but human marine life, but human life as well. Deadly life as well. Deadly waste from waste from radioactive plants and radioactive plants and nuclear power plants nuclear power plants are gotten rid of in the are gotten rid of in the sea and beaches are sea and beaches are also contaminated by also contaminated by leaks from these leaks from these power stationspower stations

Human ImpactHuman Impact• Bait collection, Bait collection,

trampling, and trampling, and recreational recreational disturbance also disturbance also impact tide pools impact tide pools because rocky because rocky shores are easily shores are easily accessible. People accessible. People are careless when are careless when walking around on walking around on them and do much them and do much harm to this marine harm to this marine ecosystem ecosystem

SourcesSources• www.npca.org/marine_and_coastal/bwww.npca.org/marine_and_coastal/b

eaches/tide_pools.htmleaches/tide_pools.html

• www.juandefucamarinetrail.comwww.juandefucamarinetrail.com

• www.homepages.ed.ac.ukwww.homepages.ed.ac.uk..

• http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Snakelok.http://www.glaucus.org.uk/Snakelok.htmhtm

• http://en.allexperts.com/q/Biology-66http://en.allexperts.com/q/Biology-664/Regeneration.htm4/Regeneration.htm