MAST200 Lecture Notes - Lecture 18: Chthamalus, Desiccation Tolerance, Intraspecific Competition

• School: University of Delaware
• Department: Marine Studies
• Course: MAST200
• Professor: Thoroughgood Carolyn

Document Summary

53% of the population lives on 17% of land in the us. Projected that 75% of the world population will live on the coasts by 2050. The term coast has a much broader meaning than shoreline . Includes many other habitats and ecosystems associated with terrestrial and marine processes and it is quite varied. Shallow and strongly respond to effects of waves, tides, weather. Some of the most productive ecosystems in the world. Ecosystem: community (all biotic) and physical environment (all abiotic) Habitat: any part of earth where a species can live, temporarily or permanently. Species richness - total number of different species. Relative abundance - number of fairly common or noticeable single species. Ecological niche - functional role of a species--what an organism does, its occupation--in the community, including habitat, activities and relationships. Salinity typically grades from normal marine salinity at the tidal inlet to fresh water at the mouth of the river.