01:460:101 Study Guide - Quiz Guide: Waste Treatment, Groundwater Recharge, Marine Snow
28 Oct 2015
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They and various rooted plants near shorelines are primary producers that support most aquatic food webs: zooplankton (drifting animals) consist of primary consumers (herbivores) that feed on phytoplankton and secondary consumers that feed on other zooplankton. In most aquatic systems, the key factors determining the types and numbers of organisms found in these layers are temperature, dissolved oxygen content, availability of food, and availability of light and nutrients required for photosynthesis. They must also survive changing levels of salinity when heavy rains dilute saltwater. To deal with such stresses, most intertidal organisms hold on to something, dig in, or hide in protective shells: steep rocky shores are pounded by waves. Most organisms keep hidden from view and survive by burrowing, digging, and tunneling in the sand. They have one or more rows of natural sand dunes in which the sand is held in place by plant roots.
