![]() ![]() Inhabitants deal with a frequently changing environment: fluctuations in water temperature, salinity, and oxygen content. ![]() Tide pools provide a home for many organisms such as sea stars, mussels and clams. This area is also relatively protected from large predators because of the wave action and shallow water. These creatures can grow to larger sizes because there is more available energy and better water coverage: the water is shallow enough to allow additional sunlight for photosynthetic activity, with almost normal levels of salinity. Seaweeds provide shelter for many animals, like sea slugs and urchins that are too fragile for other zones. Low tide zone organisms include abalone, anemones, brown seaweed, chitons, crabs, green algae, hydroids, isopods, limpets, mussels, and sometimes even small vertebrates such as fish. ![]() Organisms in this zone do not have to be as well adapted to drying out and temperature extremes. It usually teems with life and has far more marine vegetation, especially seaweeds. This area is mostly submerged and is exposed only during unusually low tide. Low tide zone in a tide pool Low Tide Zone The same waves and currents that make life in the high tide zone difficult bring food to filter feeders and other intertidal organisms. Marine algae provide shelter for nudibranchs and hermit crabs. This zone is predominantly inhabited by seaweed and invertebrates, such as sea anemones, sea star, chitons, crabs, green algae, and mussels. Organisms must survive wave action, currents, and long exposure to the sun and open air. The high tide zone is flooded during each high tide, which occurs once or twice daily. Few organisms can survive such harsh conditions. At other times, the rocks may undergo other extreme conditions, such as baking in the sun or being exposed to cold winds. Tide pools exist in the intertidal zone (the area within the tidal range), which is submerged by the sea at high tides and during storms. This is due to niche adaptations in response to the varying tides and solar exposure. The presence and abundance of flora and fauna vary between zones along the rocky shore.
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