Hermit crab

Hermit crab

A random population distribution

A uniform, random, and clumped distribution

Seaweed

Here is a picture of a large sea anemone attached to the rock-bottom of a tidal pool at low tide along the coast of Northern California.

Here is a picture of a large purple-colored starfish attached to another rock in a tidal pool along the Northern California coast at low tide

Here is a another picture of a large starfish

marine "algae"- seaweed

Algae

red macroalgae

Sea Urchin - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_urchin

The mandrove distribution

Mangrove in Florida

Mangrove food web

the Rhodophyta

Phaeophyta

Rhodophyta

Snails Group of S. scalariformis - http://www.sms.si.edu/irlspec/Cerith_scalar.htm#cladistic%20analysis

SALT MARSHES AND ESTUARIES

SALT MARSHES AND ESTUARIES

Mangroves - in tropical and subtropical latitudes, mangroveforests occur along sandy and silty coasts. Mangroves are trees with odd rots, some of which curve upward like snorkels to attain oxygen lacking in the mud, and some of which curve downward, serving as silts to support the tree in changing water levels. Fish, shelfish, crabs, snakes, and other organisms thrive amont the root network, and bird feed and nest in the foliage of these coastal forests. Mangroves protect coastlines; studies fter the 2004 South Asian tsunami indicated that coasts wth intact mangrove forests suffered less damage than deforested coasts.

Salt Marches - along many of the world’s coaslines at temperate latitudes, salt marshes occur where the tides wash over gently sloping sandy or silty substrates. Rising and falling tides fow into and out of channels, and at highest tide, water spills over onto elevated marsh flats. Marsh flats grow thick with rushes, shrubs, and grasses. Salt marshes boast very high primary poductivity and provide critical habitat for shorebirds, waterfowl, and the adults and young of many commercially important fish and shellfih species.

Kelp forest - large brown algae, or kelp, grow from the floor of continental shelves, reaching toward the sunlit surface for up to 60m (200 ft) in height. Dense stands of kelp form underwater forests in many temperate waters. Kelp forests supply shelter an food for invertebrates and fish, which in turn provide food for predators such as seals, sharks, and seaotters. Kelp forests also absorb wave energy and protect shorelines from erosion. People derive alginates from kelp, which serve as thickeners in a wide range of consumer prducts, from cosmetics to foods to pains to paper to soaps.

Fucus distichus

Hedophyllum sessile

Limpet grazing

Chiton Tonicella lineata

Intertidal Zone -http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/bc/gwaiihaanas/docs/toile-web/toile-web3_e.asp

Rocky Intertidal Pool