What challenges are faced by organisms in the rocky intertidal? What is the advantage of living in the intertidal zone?
· The organisms have to deal with tides rising and falling. This makes organisms susceptible to desiccation. Desiccation is the drying out due to the exposure to air and sunlight.
· Wave shock is another intertidal stress on organisms. This is the powerful force of crashing waves which can tear the very substrate on which the organisms reside. It can even toss rocks into the air due to the amount of force from the wave energy.
· Organisms must deal with rapid temperature changes in the intertidal. This can occur when water hits the animal. In some regions, the water temperature is very cold and organisms must cope with ice.
· The changes in salinity can be quite unstable in the intertidal. The pools in the rocky intertidal can become very low in salinity during rain storms which can lead to osmotic shock in organisms.
· The main reason organisms have adapted to the harsh conditions of the intertidal zone is the large amount of nutrient availability. The wave action keeps the water and nutrients well mixed. These factors lead to a high level of biodiversity in intertidal communities.
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