Rocky
Shore
Habitats
Annie Russell
School of Marine Science and Technology
Aims for today
1. What are the factors that affect the distribution of an
organism on the rocky shore?
2. How have the organisms become adapted to the rocky
shore?
3. From your observations of the organisms on the rocky
shore give specific examples of how the organisms
observed have adapted to survive the rocky shore
environment.
Polar
oceans
Coral
reef
Marine
habitats
Rocky
Shores
Deep sea
oceans
Open
oceans
How does all this affect the Rocky shore at cullercoats?
Rocky Shore
Habitat
What are the factors that affect
the distribution of an
organism on the rocky shore?
Biotic and Abiotic factors
Distinguish between Biotic and Abiotic
factors.
The biotic factors are the influences that result
from the activities of living organisms in the
community eg. competition
Abiotic (physical factors) are the influences of the
non-living part of the community e.g.. Climate
Desiccation
Salinity
Gradient
Temperature
Abiotic
Oxygen
Light
Wave crash
Aspect
Abiotic (physical factors) are the influences of the non-living part of the community e.g.. Climate
Biotic
Competition
Predators
Mates
Food
Space
Light (algae)
The biotic factors are the influences that result from the activities of living organisms in the community
eg. competition
Abiotic factors - Desiccation
Patella vulgata
Actinia equina
Cancer pagurus
Abiotic factors - Temperature
Littorina littorea
Semibalanus balanoides
Abiotic factors - Salinity changes
Asterias rubens
Carcinus maenas
Ulva that was Enteromorpha
Abiotic factors - Exposure
Abiotic factors - Light
Abiotic factors
4: Wave Crash
- Oxygen
Abiotic factors Abiotic factors
4:– Wave
Crash
cold water
holds more oxygen than warm water
– most intertidal organisms must respire underwater
-
Slope
Aspect
B
c
A
Biotic factors - Competition
Abiotic factors
– 4:
Space
Wave Crash
– Mates
– Food
– Light
– Empty shells (hermit
crabs)
Biotic factors - Predation
Abiotic factors
4: Wave
Crash
- from
marine (offshore and intertidal) predators
9
- from terrestrial predators
How does all this affect the Rocky shore at cullercoats?
5
Avoid
rockpools!
1
1.00 m – X = Y
X
Y
The Shore Thing
• Monitoring abundance of rocky shore
species around the UK as potential indicators
of climate change.
• Species search:
– Abundant
– Frequent
– Rare
– Not found
Common green algae
Sea lettuce
Gutweed
Cladophora
Common brown algae
Kelp
Laminaria digitata
Laminaria saccharina
Laminaria hyperborea
Common brown algae
Saw wrack
Bladder wrack
Spiral wrack
Common red algae
• Dulse
Irish Moss
Coral weed
Common Animals