Ocean Habitats: Shoreline and Reef (video)
Science 8
1. What are the three sources of food energy in the sea?
2. How is the shoreline different from other ocean habitats?
3. What are the two main types of shores?
4. How do animals adapt to life on a shore?
5. How is a reef different from other ocean habitats?
6. What adaptations can be found in living things that live there?
Ocean Habitats: Shoreline and Reef (video)
Science 8
What are the three sources of food energy in the sea?
Three sources of food are algae, plankton, and animals.
How is the shoreline different from other ocean habitats?
The tides and the wind cause water to move against the shore; this movement
can be dramatic and a person can easily observe it.
What are the two main types of shores?
There are two main types of shores, sandy shores and rocky shores.
How do animals adapt to life on a shore?
Few plants or algae live on sandy shores because the sand will not hold roots.
Animals on the sandy shore are exposed, because there are no structures
behind which they can hide. Many of these animals must burrow under the sand
to avoid predators.
The rise and fall of the tides against the rocks causes three zones to be created
within the rocky shoreline. The high tide zone, which is high up on the rocky shore,
becomes dry when there is a low tide. Animals that live in the high tide zone
keep their bodies wet using shells or mucous to trap water. Also, many high tide
zone animals have developed structures that allow their bodies to stay fastened
to the rocks when waves crash against the rocks. The mid-tide zone has slightly
more water than the high tide zone. Many animals migrate down to the mid-tide
zone in order to hunt during low tide. The low tide zone, which is closest to the
ocean, is the wettest of the tide zones and contains a lot of life during the low
tide. Tide pools are also created during a low tide; many low tide zone animals
can live in tide pools.
c) All plants and animals that live on the shore must adapt to the changes in
temperature and salinity that occur on the shoreline and must also be able to
live in water as well as out of water.
How is a reef different from other ocean habitats?
What adaptations can be found in living things that live there?
a reef and how organisms adapt to the conditions in the reef habitat. The bony
skeletons of dead coral polyps build up the reef. In order for coral to live, the
ocean water must be clean and very warm, about 68 degrees or higher. More
kinds of life exist in and around reefs than in any other part of the ocean.
Although reefs contain an abundance of food and many hiding places for
ocean animals, a reef can be a very tough place in which to live, because there
are many predators. Consequently, animals that live in reef zones have
developed adaptations, like poisons, armor, and camouflage to stay safe. The
colors and designs on the animals and plants in the reef zones mark feeding
areas and attract mates.