BIO 309 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Estuary, Intertidal Zone, Spartina
4 Oct 2018
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Organisms can easily remain buoyant in water. Water is a great conductor of heat. In a liquid state at most temperatures on earth, less dense as a solid. Photosynthesizers must be relatively far up in water column. Light compensation point: where o2 demand meets photosynthetic output. Thermocline: warm surface waters are separate from cold dense bottom waters. Animals that live in shallow seas are fairly well known. Animals that live the deep ocean are not. This depth and vastness create differential warming, cooling, and salinity. No less than 18c in winter, 27c in summer. Lots of surface waves and plants provide oxygen. Large kelp forests can have many of the same guild types as terrestrial forests. Need good light for photosynthesis but light gets filtered by kelp. Incredibly diverse and productive, lot of nutrients means many spp. Most seashores have tidal flux, sheltered areas protect organisms better. Where rivers meet the ocean, mix of salt and freshwater (brackish)
