Science 5
Abiotic, Biotic and Habitats
How abiotic factors affect the intertidal
zones and estuaries?
Waves
The waves from the sea may affect the
type of organisms living in the estuary.
Some organisms like mussels and
seaweeds attach themselves to rocks so
that they will not be carried by the waves.
Temperature
Temperature of the water must not be too hot nor too
cold for the young organisms to live. The factor is also
affected by the tides and the presence of mangroves in
the area.
Salinity
The salinity of the water refers to the
amount of salt present in the water. The
salinity of estuaries is lower than that of
the sea and ocean. Some organisms prefer
to breed in places with low salinity.
Amount of sunlight
The amount of sunlight is crucial to photosynthetic organisms like
phytoplanktons, seaweeds, and sea grass. These organisms need sunlight
to create their own food and produce oxygen for the living things in the
intertidal and estuarine ecosystem. If the amount of sunlight in an estuary
is low, then there will be less of these organisms that support other
organisms in an estuarine and intertidal ecosystem.
Type of Soil
Soil differ depending on the strength of waves
and kinds of rocks present in the area. Some
areas are full of rocks, sand, pebble, or clay.
Since nutrients are found in the soil, these
types of soils have an effect on the kind of
living things that live in these ecosystems.
Coral reef
Areas which are teeming with many corals. Coral reef
formations are seen in this area due to a large number of
corals living here. This serves as a sanctuary for young
fishes.
Animals living in it
Corals, different kinds of fishes, jellyfishes, sea
anemones, sea stars.
Mud flats
Mud flats are areas which has a large amount of mud
deposited on it. The mud usually comes from the sea and
river.
Animals living in it
Crabs, migratory birds, sand dollars, mussels, clams,
mollusks, barnacles, and shellfish.
Salt march
These areas which are filled with sea water during high
tide and becomes drained when it is low tide. The area is
marshy because of the decomposing plant matter in the
area.
Clams, oysters, mussels, snails, and shrimps
Rocky shores
These are the shores which has many rocks
deposited. These rocks serve as a hiding place
for the small crabs and prawns
Barnacles, hermit crab, sea stars, limpets,
mollusks, shrimps, prawns, and crabs
Mangrove forest
These are areas filled with mangrove trees that have
adapted to saltwater. Mangroves protect the coasts against
erosion caused by waves, winds, and tides. They also
protect coral reefs and seagrass beds from silting or
deposition of sand. These are breeding grounds for
different kinds of fish and shellfish.
Algae, barnacles, oysters, shrimps, lobsters, and crabs.
