Coastal Habitats

Readings

General
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_habitats
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intertidal_zone

Rocky Shore
http://www.marinebio.net/marinescience/03ecology/tptales.htm
http://ceres.ca.gov/ceres/calweb/coastal/rocky.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocky_shore

Sandy Shore
http://ecology.hku.hk/jupas/sandy%20shore/Sandy%20shores%20main.htm
http://www.botany.uwc.ac.za/envfacts/facts/sandy_shores.htm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/blueplanet/infobursts/sandy_shore_bg.shtml

Mudflats
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mudflat
http://www.marinebio.net/marinescience/03ecology/mfindex.htm

Salt Marsh
http://www.eoearth.org/article/Salt_marsh

Mangroves
http://www.eoearth.org/article/Mangrove_swamp?topic=58071
http://www.eoearth.org/article/Mangrove_ecology?topic=49514

Powerpoint Presentation

http://www.slideshare.net/MarkMcGinley/coastal-ecosystems

Expected Learning Outcomes

By the end of this class a fully engaged student should be able to

- discuss the relationship between wave force and particle size
- discuss important abiotic gradients that occur in intertidal habitats
- briefly discuss rocky shores, sandy shores, mudflats, salt marshes, and mangroves
- compare and contrast ecological communities in the various intertidal habitats
- discuss how ecologists have used manipulative experiments to be study the factors that influence the    distribution of organisms
- design manipulative experiments to study the factors limiting the distribution of an organism