Khiet Huynh, Nhu Nguyen, Ngoc Nguyen, Trang Duong
Study guide for Tropical Rainforest biome
Where in the world is tropical rainforest found?
- Tropical rainforests occur roughly within the latitudes 28° north or south of the
equator. Rainforests can be found in Asia, Australia, Africa, South America,
Central America, Mexico, and on many of the Pacific, Caribbean, and Indian
Ocean islands.
What are the appropriate environmental conditions?
- Climate: humid, hot, and wet. Winter is absent and only 2 seasons are present
(rainy and dry)
- Soil characteristics: Soil is nutrient-poor and acidic. Decomposition is rapid and
soils are subject to heavy leaching.
Plants:
The rainforest is divided into 4 layers:
Forest floor layer: This is a lowest layer in the forest, this layer receives very little
of sunlight. Only a few species of plant can survive. Most is decomposition matter like
fungi, insect,
Understory layer: This layer is between the layer of leaves and forest floor. Plants
that grows here have very large leaves to catch any dim of sunlight.
Canopy layer: They creates a maze of leaves and brandes. It helps protecting
layer below from hot sun and little rain.
Emergent layer: This layer is the highest layer in the rainforest. it received most
sunlight in the forest.
Kapok tree: these plants can grow 200 ft tall, and provide a lot of fruit for animal
and insect. They have a structure called buttress root to support their tall structure.
Epiphyte: these plants grow on other tree but they are harmless. They do this to
reach to the higher layer to get more sunlight because they are not tall enough.
1) What is an advantage that has given to Scarlet Macaw in their region?
One thing that has given the Scarlet Macaw an advantage in their region is that
they can eat fruits that are normally deadly toxic to other animals.
2) What is a characteristic that can let an Osprey dive fully into the water to catch
fish?
Osprey has oily plumage which repel with water.
3) How does Green Anacondas have a great sense?
Green Anacondas have their eyes and noses on the top of their head that allow
them to see and to smell their prey even while under water.
4) What do detritivore do?
Detritivores decompose plant matter and dead animals, add it to the ground in
the form of nutrients which are eventually used by plants to produce their food.
5) What kind of animal would be at the top of the Amazon food web, and why?
Green Anacondas is at the top of the Amazon food web because of their
frightening power and massive size, adult anacondas have no natural predators.
Some threats that can threaten tropical forests:
 Agricultural interests clear forest for cropland
 Over extraction of natural resources such as timber, wild nuts, fruit, and bushmeat
 Energy projects such as hydroelectric dams with their associated deforestation,
net carbon dioxide and methane releases to the atmosphere and forced
relocation of locals prejudice the health of people and forest
Phuong Dang, Anh D. Nguyen, & Anh Nguyen
Study Guide for Desert Biome
Where in the world is desert found?

Deserts occur in bands near 30o north and latitude or other latitudes in the
interior of continents.
 Types of deserts:
-Hot and dry deserts: warm throughout the year and very hot in summer. ExNorth American deserts, Southern Asian realm, Africa and Australia.
-Semiarid deserts: like hot deserts but have more rainfall. Ex- sagebrush of Utah,
Montana and Great Basin.
-Coastal deserts: moderately cool to warm areas. Ex- Atacama in Chile.
-Cold deserts: long, cold winter and short, warm summer. Ex- Antarctic,
Greenland and the Nearctic realm.
What are some characteristics?

Temperature: variable seasonally and daily.
Maximum temperature in hot deserts may exceed 50oC.
Temperature in cold deserts may fall below -30oC.

Precipitation:
o low precipitation with less than 30 cm per year.
o More precipitation in cold deserts, up to 46cm a year.

Soil characteristics:
-Desert soils are often dry, coarse-textured, sandy, or rocky with good drainage.
They are also lack of moisture and have no subsurface water.
-Hot deserts have lower salt concentration than cold deserts.

Rainfall:
-Hot deserts have very low rainfall, often less than 1.5cm a year. Rains usually
evaporate before hitting the ground.
-Cold deserts and coastal deserts have more rainfall, about 8-13cm a year.
What are types of species and their adaptable characteristics on desert?
1. Desert plant species
 Xerophytes: cacti. They have special ability of storing and conserving water.
 Phreatophytes: mesquite tree. They adapt desert conditions by growing
extremely long root systems to draw water from deep underground.
 Perennials: Ocitillo. They survive by being dormant during dry periods. They
quickly grow new leaves to photosynthesize food after coming rain falls. They
also have a waxy coating on stems which serve to maintain moisture during
periods of dormancy.
2. Desert animal survival
Animals are more susceptible to extremes of temperature than are plants. The
biological processes of animal tissue can function only within a relatively narrow
temperature range. If the temperature exceeds the acceptable range, they will die.
However, most desert animals have evolved both behavioral and physiological
mechanisms to solve the heat and water problems.

Avoiding heat.
_Some types of birds: the Costa’s Hummingbird, they breed during cool spring, then
leave the desert for cooler areas at high elevations.
_Some of mammals and reptiles: bats, snakes, they are completely nocturnal. They
restrict their activities at daytime, but are active to the cooler temperature of the
night.

Dissipate heat
_Many desert mammals have evolved long appendages to dissipate body heat into
their environment. Jackrabbits, for example, they have enormous ears filling with
many blood vessels allow them to release heat when they are resting in a cool, and
shady areas.
Food Web:
•Desert food webs are often simple.
•Although deserts have few plants, they can still support primary and secondary
consumers.
•Includes primary producers: sage brush, primary consumers or plant eaters: insects
and lizards, secondary consumers including small predators: large lizards, large
predators: hawk and fox, and decomposers: fungi and bacteria.
Threat to Desert:
The deserts are threatened by a combination of human exploitation and climate change
that could wipe out many unique habitats and rare species of the deserts.
•Higher temperatures may produce an increasing number of wildfires that alter desert
landscapes.
•Grazing animals can destroy many desert plants and animals.
•Off-road vehicles, when used irresponsibly, can cause irreparable damage to desert
habitats.
•Nuclear waste may be dumped in deserts, which have also been used as nuclear
testing grounds.
Savanna Outline
Group: Pineapples
I. Savanna
A. composed of grass and widespread trees and shrubs.
B. has very wet seasons in the summer and very dry seasons in the winter
1. each season occurs for a long period of time.
C. found within 30 degrees of the equation
1. normally located in between tropical forests and deserts.
D. located in dry, humid countries
1. ex: Africa, Australia, South America, India, etc.
II. Types of Savanna
A. Tropical Savanna: savanna with tropical grasslands and shrublands.
B. Temperate Savanna: savanna that is climatedependent.
Has a higher
degree of rain and drought than most savannas.
C. Mediterranean Savanna: savanna located places with Mediterranean
climates. Has rainy winters and dry, humid summers.
D. Flooded Savanna: savannas that experience floods seasonally or
yearround.
E. Montane Savanna: savanna that are located in high mountain regions and
high altitudes.
III. Environmental Conditions
A. Climate
1. Long dry winters and rainy summers.
a) Plants are adapted to drought conditions in the winter.
2. Temperature ranges from 68° F to 86° F.
B. Soil conditions
1. Different types of soil occurs in different Savannas due to climate
conditions.
2. Lateritic Soil : acidic and is composed of oxides of iron and
aluminium.
3. Clay Soil : Are unstable and easily breaks apart.
a) Holds water at high capacity, but susceptible to losing it
during droug1hts.
4. Lithosol Soil : shallow and infertile soil.
a) Comes in patches and are normally found in tropical
savannas
5. Alluvial Soil : saline soil that are very nutrientrich.
Are found in
flooded areas.
6. Ironstone Soil : shallow and stony soil. Found in coastal, flooded
areas.
IV. Subbiome:
Serengeti Plains from Africa
A. Located in north Tanzania and extends to southwestern Kenya.
B. Plant Survival and Adaptations
1. Adapted to survive dry conditions and
2. Develop long tap roots that can reach deep, groundwater
sources
3. Resprouts from the root crown when above the ground portion of
acacia is damaged by fire
4. Long, sharp thorns to prevent animals from eating its leaves.
5. Stinging ants protect acacias
6. Chemical defense system to prevent giraffes from grazing
C. Animal Survival and Adaptations
1. Since savannas have widespread trees and open space, carnivores
have a great advantage of being able to spot their prey.
a) Spotted hyenas work together in groups to hunt prey.
b) Cheetahs hunt their prey by using their skill of fast, speed
running. Savannas provide huge open spaces, which allows
a cheetah to run after their prey more easily.
2. Many herbivores can survive in savannas due to vast amount of
grass and trees.
a) Elephants’ physical strength allows them to tear open the
large trunk of the baobab tree and suck the water from it.
b) Wildebeest migrate north during dry weathers, crossing the
Grumetti River, resulting in about 250,000 deaths. They all
give birth in around the same time/23
weeks)
V. Threats to Savannas
A. Slaughtering spree
1. 200300
animals killed annually, causing decrease in animal
population of Savannas
B. Growing human population
1. 4% a year
2. increased cropland and tourism
a) Causes soil of Savanna to become dry and deficient of
nutrients.
C. Infections from domestic dogs
1. canine distemper, killed a third of lions
Jeeeun Kim, Sungeun Kim, Lydia Lee, Suju Thapa
Temperate Deciduous Forest
● Temperate Deciduous Forest is an area having four different seasons and
they shows various diversity of plants and animals.
I.
II.
Location
A. East-Northern America, Middle of Europe, Asia (Southwest Russia, Japan,
Eastern China), Southeastern Australia
Environmental Conditions
A. Four seasons: spring, summer, fall, winter
B. Second Rainiest Biome
C. Temperature: -30°C to 30°C
1. Heavy wind occurs in warmer climates = higher threats (fire)
D. Precipitation: 750 mm - 1,500 mm
E. Soil: Fertile and rich in nutrients
○ falling leaves and twigs act as natural fertilizer
F. Water: low salinity = increase in vegetation
G. Elevation: usually highly elevated, but could be low as well
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
Plants
A. Five zone species
1. Tree Stratum: Oak, Beech, Walnut
2. Small tree and sapling: sourwood, dogwood
3. Shrub zone: rhododendrons, huckleberries
4. Herb zone: short/herbal plants
5. Ground zone: Lichens, club mosses
B. Adaptations
1. Trees
a) board leaves to capture sunlight
b) thick bark to handle cold winter
c) leaves fall to conserve water
2. Smaller trees
a) shade tolerant
3. Wildflowers
a) grow before trees
Animals
A. Animals
1. Black bear
2. Raccoon
3. Salamander
4. Pileated woodpecker
5. Spider
6. Tawny owl
B. Special Adaptations: Food Scarcity & Winter
1. Migration: Birds to warmer place
2. Hibernation: use body fats
a) example: squirrel, chipmunks - hide food under leaves for
cold winter
Food Web
A. Primary Producer: plants
B. Primary Consumers: insects (caterpillars), bird, and deer
C. Secondary Consumers: fox, owl, and birds
D. Tertiary Consumers: cougar and bear
Threats
A. Human
1. Mining
a) forests do not regrow on damaged and depleted soils
2. Habitat
a) interferes with wildlife cycles
b) forest fires occurs naturally, but people tend to extinguish fire
immediately
3. Deforestation
B. Acid Rain
1. Caused by industrial and vehicle emissions
2. Damages tree leaves, smaller and fewer seeds, reduces trees’
resistance to disease, pests, and frost
C. Introduction of non-native plant and animal species
1. Increases competition for food and habitat
2. Often leads to endangerment of native species
Tundra Biome Outline:
A: General Biome Information:
1.) Where is the biome?
Northern
hemisphere towards the arctic poles.
2.) Environmental Conditions:
cold
and icy climate.
nutrient
pool of nitrogen and phosphorus from dead, organic material
Specific to Arctic Tundra:
The
average annual temperature is 28°
C (18°
F).
In
terms of precipitation, it is desertlike
(610
inches of rain yearly).
Bogs
and ponds give moisture to plants.
Permafrost
= layer of permanently frozen subsoil, consisting of gravel and finer material; forms very
slowly.
Specific to Alpine Tundra:
High
altitude mountains
Low
air pressure
180
days in season
Freezing
at night
Soil
= WELL drained
Land
is rugged
B: Distinctive Features:
3.) Typical plant species:
Specific to Arctic Tundra:
Adapted
to: climate, sweeping winds, and disturbances of soil
Short
and form groups
Photosynthesis
Asexual
reproduction
Low
shrubs, sedges, reindeer mosses, liverworts, grasses, and crustose and foliose lichen.
Specific to Alpine Tundra:
heaths,
dwarf trees, small shrubs
4.) Characteristic animals and examples of special adaptations that make them well
suited to their environment:
Specific to Arctic Tundra:
Adapted
to cold temperatures in the winter; breeding in the summertime
Fat
insulation
Hibernation
Some
migrate South
Population
oscillates because of immigration and emigration
Other
Animals: lemmings, voles, foxes, polar bears, moths, mosquitos, and fish
Specific to Alpine Tundra:
sheep,
grasshoppers, butterflies
6.) Threats to the biome:
Large
oilproducing
complexes in cities that locate in the tundra.
Pipelines
create a lot of pollution.
Tundras’
temperatures make it hard to get rid of spills easily
Wildlife
absorbs toxins
Many
species in tundra are rare, attracting hunters.
Environment
destruction/ Endangered species such as moose, wolves and arctic foxes.
Affects
the food web.
Kseniya Konova, Aisha Elmeligi, Van Pham, & Raeiti Eroinie
Lake Biome Outline
● Lake is a still, freshwater (salt concentration is less than 1%) biome that can be
found throughout the world.
● Lake levels vary from season to season and year to year. Precipitation is the
principal cause of lake level fluctuation.
● Water in lakes tends to stratify because of difference in density. In summer
warm water is on top, in winter at the bottom.
● Stratification can change the oxygen content, light penetration, and
photosynthesis in a lake. The concentration of P and N in water control the total
amount of plant matter that can grow.
● Typical plant species in Lake Tahoe:
○ Tahoe Yellow Cress, which only grow in sandy shoreline of Tahoe. This
plant grow low to the ground in small clusters. Their adaptations to large
fluctuation of Lake Tahoe water levels include large rootstocks that can
spread out rapidly and emerge up or down-slopes and the transportation
of seeds by water to nearby beaches.
○ Snow Plant: parasitic plant feeding off of soil fungi that attach to tree roots
● Lahontan cutthroat trout:
○ like cool flowing water, with cover of vegetation
○ water that splits into streams with rocks
○ can tolerate low oxygenated water & high water temperatures and pH of
9.4
● Mountain Whitefish
○ opportunistic bottom feeder (eats what is in abundance) b/c small mouth
and no teeth
○ found bottom of streams & lakes where cold
● Threats to the health of lake Tahoe
○ Urban stormwater: when it rains, or as snow melts, water flows down
streets and across parking lots, picking up dirt, road sand, fine particles
and oil, all of which flow directly into storm drains that lead to Lake Tahoe.
○ Invasive species: Weeds and non-native clams are changing the lake’s
ecosystem, concentrating nutrients, causing algae blooms and creating
habitat for more invasives like large goldfish and bass. Eurasian
watermilfoil, a common aquarium plant, is now established in dozens of
locations across the lake’s shoreline.
○ Trash and graffiti:Trash and debris that litter the beaches of Lake Tahoe
can be harmful and even fatal to wildlife, damage the local economy, pose
a human health hazard, as well as contribute to Lake Tahoe’s clarity loss.
Graffiti permanently scars granite and has been an issue particularly on
the East Shore
○ Climate change: is causing more precipitation to fall as rain rather than
snow. More rain means more and more floods and stormwater runoff that
carries sediment into Lake Tahoe. Climate change is also increasing the
lake’s water temperature and affecting regional weather patterns in ways
that could change the lake’s ecosystem and cause more of a decline in
the lake’s clarity.
Duong Luu, KC Nguyen, Jessica Vu, Tomomi Mori, Aika Miikeda
Biome Presentation Outline: Coral Reef
A. General Biome Information
1. Where in the world is your biome found?
● Coral reefs are found in three oceans: the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian
Oceans
○ Indo-Pacific region : 91.9%
○ Southeast Asia: 32.3%
○ Pacific: 40.8%
○ Atlantic and Caribbean: 7.6%
● Both temperate and tropic waters
● Coral: animals (not plants) that fall under the phylum Cnidaria and the class
Anthozoa.
● Coral reefs: underwater ecosystems held together by corals.
2. Appropriate environmental conditions such as climate, soil characteristics,
water characteristics
● Sunlight: coral must grow in shallow waters, where sunlight can reach them
and zooxanthellae/algae that grows inside of them for oxygen. Coral rarely
develops in water deeper than 165 feet.
● Clear water: coral need clear water in order to let sunlight through
● Warm water temperature: optimal temperature for coral growth is between
73-77 degrees F, but in subtropic regions, can go up to 90 degrees.
● Salinity: coral require specific ratio of salt to water: salinities between 30 and
40 parts per thousand
B. Distinctive features of one sub-biome of the biome OR specific examples of
the biome
3. Typical plant species and their structure arrangement, including special
adaptations that make them well suited to their environment.
● Algae
○ Vary in size from unicellular like zooxanthellae to multicellular forms like
seaweeds, and the presence of both forms are crucial to the reef
ecosystem
○ There are mainly 3 types of Algaes
➢ Green Algae- Chlorophyta
➢ Red Algae- Rhodophyta
➢ Brown Algae- Ochrophyta (not as common as Green/Red in the
reef)
○ Typical algae in reef
- Microscopic
➢ Zooxanthellae:
a. Symbiotic relation with Coral
b. Live in the tissue of coral, giving off oxygen and other
nutrients to the coral and, in return, acquiring carbon dioxide
and habitat from coral that they need for photosynthesis
➢ Green Algae (Chlorophyta):
a. Most commonly found on rocky reef surface or sand
substrate in the shallow reef
b. Can incorporate calcium carbonate into their tissues, and
support the sediment formation of the reef ecosystem
c. Common Green Algaes
■ Ulva (sea lettuce)
■ Caulerpa (sea grapes)
■ Halimedia
➢ Crustose Coralline Algae (CCA):
a. Produce calcium carbonate by themselves, like the corals,
contributing the formation of the coral reef
b. could live farther than 150 ft on the fore reef; their special
photosynthetic pigments can use remaining incoming blue
sunlight
● Seagrass
○ It is true plants that lives live submerged in saltwater
○ Lives shallow (due to high light requirement)
○ Structural and physiological adaptations allow them to be salt
tolerant
○ They are used as feeding and nursery area, and breeding ground
for lagoon organisms
○ provide habitat for small fish, invertebrate animals, sea turtles and
manatees, etc.
● Mangrove
○ Mangroves live near reef on muddy/ sandy shores
○ Provide habitat and food for numerous organisms
○ Structure:
➢ Mangrove forests- primarily consist of large shrubs that grow
along the shores of the back reef.
○ Adaptation:
➢ salt tolerant- Using specialized salt-filtering roots and saltexcreting leaves
➢ Use pneumatophores to transport O2 to the submerged root
in mud
4. Several characteristic animals and examples of special adaptations that
make them well suited to their environment.
● Coral Reef fishes
○ Butterflyfishes:
➢ Special adaptations:
➢ pancake-like body to make sharp, fast turns.
➢ aposematic coloration- colorful bright colors
➢
○ Spotlight Parrotfishes:
➢ Special adaptations:
a. Two sets of teeth: one in their mouth to scrape algae off the
corals and one in their throats to grind down coral bits
b. Changing gender: female to male only if there isn’t enough
of the male population
● Sea snakes
○ Special adaptations:
➢ paddle-like body and laterally compressed (really skinny)-- both
which allows the sea snake to swim very quickly
● Sea turtles
○ Special adaptations:
➢ Cryptic coloration (camouflage)
➢ Hard-shell for protection against predators
● Invertebrates
○ Sea Urchin
➢ Special adaptations:
a. A series of exoskeleton: making it difficult to be eaten and
broken down
b. Spiky all-around: making it difficult to be eaten
○ Gastropods: (marine snails)
➢ Special adaptations:
a. One piece shell: does not look like a live organism
b. Very small and well-camouflage: since it is not very mobile,
it hides itself away from predators
5. A food web specific to your sub-biome or example.
● A food web consists of trophic levels ( hierarchical levels in an ecosystem):
○ Producers: (or autotroph) an organism that can produce its own energy
and nutrients.
ex. phytoplankton, seaweed, coralline algae, and turf algae
○ Consumers: organism get their food, energy, and nutrition from
producers or other consumers. ( cannot make their own energy)
➢ The primary consumers are herbivorous and eat primary
producers.
ex. zooplankton, coral polyps, sponges, mollusks and small fish
○ Secondary consumers are carnivores that eat the primary consumers.
ex. larger reef fish, lobsters and sea turtles
○ Tertiary Consumers are carnivores that eat secondary consumers.
ex. reef shark
○ Decomposers: organisms that break down dead organic material
ex. Fan worms, sea cucumbers, snails, crabs, bristle worms and
bacteria
6. A discussion of threats to the health of your sub-biome or example.
● There are many threats that constantly affect the Coral Reefs but here are
some of the big ones:
○ Human Contact
➢ This can be done by humans touching and/or dropping their boat
anchors on the organisms and plants in the Coral Reef.
○ Sewage
➢ When not treated correctly, the sewage can go into the Coral
Reef and cause algae to grow. This growth and sewage can
harm the Coral Reefs.
○ Pollution and Fertilizers
➢ Poisonous chemicals in both of these factors can lead to death of
many organisms and plants.
○ Over fishing and Cyanide fishing
➢ As a way to stun fishes to make them much easier to capture,
some fishermen use Cyanide. The Cyanide is very toxic to this
sensitive environment.
- This is common in Southeast Asia and South Pacific.
○ Climate Change (Global Warming)
➢ Although this is still in progress of being fully researched, with
temperatures increasing, Coral Reefs are being affected by the
temperature stress since they are such a sensitive environment.
C. Works Cited
"About Corals." About Corals. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 May 2015.
<http://coralreefsystems.org/content/about-corals>
Alevizon, William. "Where Are Coral Reefs Located?" : Global Coral Reef Distribution.
N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2015. <http://www.coral-reef-info.com/where-are-coral-reefslocated.html>
"Algae and the Reef." , Belize Barrier Reef. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 May 2015.
<http://ambergriscaye.com/reefbriefs/briefs19.html>.
"Algae." Algae. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 May 2015.
<http://www.agrra.org/background/algaeback.html>.
Brown, Julie. "Coral Reef Food Web." National Geographic Education. Samantha
Zuhlke, n.d. Web. 18 May 2015.
<http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/media/coral-reef-foodweb/?ar_a=1>.
"Coral Reef Plants." Coral Reef Plants. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 May 2015. <http://www.coralreef-info.com/coral-reef-plants.html>.
Corona, Lauren. "Relationships & Adaptations of a Parrotfish." Animals. Demand Media,
n.d. Web. 18 May 2015. <http://animals.pawnation.com/relationships-adaptationsparrotfish-8336.html>.
"FLMNH Ichthyology Department: South Florida Aquatic Environments."FLMNH
Ichthyology Department: South Florida Aquatic Environments. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 May
2015. <http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/southflorida/coral/habitat.html>.
“Global Warming and Coral Reefs - National Wildlife Federation." Global Warming and
Coral Reefs - National Wildlife Federation. National Wildlife Federation, n.d. Web. 18
May 2015. <http://www.nwf.org/Wildlife/Threats-to-Wildlife/Global-Warming/Effects-onWildlife-and-Habitat/Coral-Reefs.aspx>
"Mangrove Ecosystems Mangrove Basics." Mangrove Ecosystems Mangrove Basics.
N.p., n.d. Web. 18 May 2015. <http://www.bsu.edu/eft/belize/p/libm/connection.html>.
Martin, Caitlin. "The Effects of Climate Change on Coral Reef Health." Scientific
American Global RSS. N.p., 5 June 2013. Web. 18 May 2015.
<http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/expeditions/the-effects-of-climate-change-on-coralreef-health/>.
"Plants That Live in the Coral Reefs." Travel Tips. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 May 2015.
<http://traveltips.usatoday.com/plants-live-coral-reefs-61384.html>.
"Threats to Coral Reefs." Threats to Coral Reefs. Missouri Botanical Garden, 2002.
Web. 18 May 2015. <http://www.mbgnet.net/salt/coral/threats.htm>.
Vatali, Vianna. "Explore and Discover." ARKive. Wildscreen, n.d. Web. 18 May 2015.
<http://www.arkive.org/>.
Vieira-Lomasney, Kristen, and Nathalie Wong. "Food Web." The Coral Reef. N.p., n.d.
Web. 18 May 2015. <http://discoverthecoralreef.weebly.com/food-web.html>.
"What Do Coral Reefs Need to Survive?" Coral Reef Alliance. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May
2015. <http://coral.org/coral-reefs-101/coral-reef-ecology/what-do-coral-reefs-need-tosurvive/>
Jeffrey Yen, Allison Kim, Nisebho Fantaye, & Shriya Sharma
Intertidal Zone
A. General information:
1. Where in the world is your biome found?
● Found along the coasts such as the East and West coasts, sandy beaches,
shores, coastlines, coastal marshes
● The intertidal zone is the area that is exposed to air at low tide and submerged
at high tide. They lie on the shore between the low tide and high tide mark. It is
covered with water at high tide, and exposed to air in low tide.
2. Appropriate environmental condition such as climate, soil characteristics, water
characteristics(salinity, depth, flow, layering, etc). Use specific statistics as appropriate
● Salinity: the intertidal zone has high salinity because salt water trapped in rock
pools evaporates, leaving behind salt deposits
● Soil: the intertidal zone experiences high wave action therefore soil is not
present
● Layering: the intertidal zone is divided into different zones based on the overall
average exposure of the zone. For example, The low intertidal zone, which is
only exposed to water during extremely low tides, is mainly aquatic. Most of the
animals and plants here, are adapted to live underwater. The mid intertidal
zone is constantly submerged and exposed to air. The high intertidal zone is
only submerged when high tides are present. Similar to this zone is the splash
zone.This part of the intertidal zone is mainly exposed to air and houses
terrestrial animals.
● Climate: The intertidal zone experience a wide range of temperature change.
The region has high exposure from the sun and also experiences freezing
temperature from the cool of the sea/ocean
B. Distinctive features of one subbiome
of your biome (ex: a redwood forest is a
subbiome
of the coniferous forest biome) OR a specific example of your biome (ex.
Lake Tahoe as an example of a lake)example:
Bird Rock, San Diego
3. Typical plant (or algae) species and their structure/arrangement (such as layers in the
forests, etc). Include special adaptations that make them well suited to their
environment.
● Animals in the low intertidal zone: sea anemones, red algae, sea star and sea
urchins, kelp
○ Animals and plants listed in this area include characteristics that help
the animal or plant to cling to a surface. The low intertidal zone has
many waves, and animals/plants must be able to stay in place.
● Mid Intertidal Zone: hermit crab, mussels, barnacles
○ Organisms in this region must be able to withstand the changes in
salinity and variable water conditions. For example barnacles will bunch
together to exposure to air, so they will not dessicate.
● High Intertidal zone: striped shore crab, chiton, periwinkle snail, rockweeds
○ Organisms in this zone are submerged under water only during the
highest of tides. During the rest of the time, they are exposed to air.
● Spray Zone: Lichen, periwinkle snails, limpets
○ This part of the intertidal zone is mainly exposed to air and is relatively
dry to the other zones. Animals here must avoid being dried out. For
example, the limpet can clamp tightly onto rocks and will trap a bubble
of water with its shell to retain some moisture.
● Plant type: the kelp/algae in the intertidal zone must have the capabilities to live
in a high salt environment. Also, they must have the ability to live under water
at high tide and exposed to the air at low tide. Finally, They must be well suited
to handle the wave action and temperature change.
4. Several characteristic animals and examples of special adaptations that make them
well
suited to their environment.
● Animals must be able to adapt to the changing living conditions (being exposed
to water at high tide, then being exposed to air at low tide).
○ A sea snail, called a periwinkle, has a structure called an operculum that
seals moisture in when water runs out. (found in upper zone)
○ Mussels and leaf barnacles cluster together to prevent individual
exposure to air/evaporation of water
● Because waves often hit the intertidal zone, kelp, a type of algae, have a
“holdfast”. This allows them to attach to rocks and stay in place despite the
presence of waves. (found in low zone)
● Sea Stars also cling on to rocks to prevent being swept away by the ocean
● Sea anemones: have an adhesive foot called a pedal disc, to attach itself to
various surfaces.
5. A food web specific to your subbiome
or example
6. A discussion of threats to the health of your subbiome
or example.
● example: Bird Rock in San Diego
● threats:
○ pollution from runoff
including pesticides, herbicides and fertilizer from
our lawns, car fluids from roads and driveways, pet waste, and general
litter
○ trampling (kills algae)
○ collecting: people take away organisms that have low rates of survival to
begin with