...can move thirty inches in one minute. The class Asteroidea is characterized by a size of under two centimeters to twenty- four centimeters, with segements that extend from a central body. They have a water vascular system, which means that water runs through the canals on the radiating segments. When the canals of the segments are filled with water, they expand and help the sea star to move. Sea Stars have have a mesodermal, or inner skeleton made up of ossicles, or calcareous plates. The Pointed Sea Star has its own habitat, eating habits, and reproductive system. Like all marine life, it has an ecological importance and status. The habitat of the Pointed Sand Star is in salt water oceans, from tidal pools to depths of seven hundred feet on the east and southeast coastal areas. They can also be found along Central American and northern South American coastal regions. All sea stars, including the Painted Sand Star, are carnivorous. They eat many types of marine life, such as sponges or barnacles. To feed, they exert their stomach and digest their food, and when they are finished, move their stomachs inside themselves again. Sea stars do not breathe with gills like some marine life. Instead, they...
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...the tide is low. Structural adaptations for the Diloma (Melagraphia)Aesthiops is that they have a curved shell shape like a conical top (smooth pryamis) which reduces the air flow and reduces drying out when it is low tide, this because they have less surface area compared to something like rocks that have more surface area. When the top shell is not fully submerged by water, the smooth shell is able to reduce drying out, therefore meaning they are able to survive longer and reproduce more offspring. An abiotic factor that influences the top shell to do this is their tolerance range...
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...meters across, on surf exposed rocks and wharf pilings in the upper middle intertidal zone and offshore, up to 24 meters deep. Like barnacles, mussels like to gather in dense clusters in the middle intertidal zone. Mussel beds are often large enough to be a home to many other creatures, like snails and worms. California mussel beds accumulate a gritty mixture of sand and bits of shell which provide a home for a various assemblage of animals including a number of polychaete worms, snails, crabs and a blackish sea cucumber. The Ochre sea stars are California mussels' main predator. Ochre sea stars affect the distribution of the mussels because the sea star generally occurs lower on the shore than the mussels and moves up to feed during high tide. Mussels are also eaten by shorebirds, crabs and snails. When a predator eats the dominant species, then predation may prevent the dominant species from monopolizing a limited resource, thereby increasing diversity of species in that area. Mortality in intertidal open coastal environments is often high, resulting from battering driftwood and other debris, wave pounding, predation, desiccation, and disease....
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...Daisy Brittle Star By Wanted For: Daisy Brittle Stars capture their prey from the tide pool floor. Their prey includes polychaete worms, microscopic organisms, and small pieces of decaying matter. They capture their food with their tube feet. Sources: http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Ophiopholis_aculeata.html http://www.afsc.noaa.gov/kodiak/photo/misophiur.htm Last Known Whereabouts: Daisy Brittle Stars live in tide pools ranging from the Arctic South, to Cape Cod, and from Point Barrow, Alaska to Santa Barbara, California. They live in lower intertidal zones that are up to 5,000 feet deep. They usually are under or within rocks, or burrowed in the sand and mud. Sources: http://www.afsc.noaa.gov/kodiak/photo/misophiur.htm http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Ophiopholis_aculeata.html http://www.enature.com/fieldguides/detail.asp?recnum=SC0078 Considered Armed and Dangerous: If attacked, it loses the arm being handled. This distracts and slows down their predator, which is mainly fish, allowing the brittle star to make a quick escape. Their arms grow back as fast as 2.3 millimeters per month. Sources: http://www.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/Natural_History/Invertebrates.aspx?id=2374 http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Brittle_star http://www.reef.edu.au/asp_pages/secb.asp?FormNo=45 Description: The Daisy Brittle Star has a radially symmetrical star-shaped body and an endoskeleton made of calcium....
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...Of Ocean Tides and Understanding Whether she is writing essays, novels, or memoirs, author Barbara Kingsolver focuses her lens on the natural world. The memoir Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is the author’s testament to the power of locally grown foods. In Prodigal Summer, the Appalachian wilderness is as much a character as are the human protagonists. In her essay “High Tide in Tucson,” she recognizes that as humans we are part of the animal kingdom and that we have a natural responsibility to connect to what is most basic about our nature in order to persevere. Characteristic of Kingsolver’s writing, she draws readers in with superb imagery. Before touching upon theme, she tells a story – one of a hermit crab that has taken an unlikely journey to the desert. Her character isn’t just an ordinary hermit crab but “an outlaw against nature” with “red stiletto legs splayed in all directions.” Her words “outlawed” and “splayed” emphasize the crab’s foreignness. The crab is a transplant in the desert, much as the author is. She says: “When I was twenty-two, I donned the shell of a tiny...
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...The L.scobina live in the MTZ when the tide is out so they do not have deal with as harsh abiotic factors as the C.brunnea have to deal with in the HTZ. Also, our data indicated that very small numbers of L.scobina could be found seeking refuge in or near the LTZ when the tide was out. However, they are exposed to the air for approximately 8 hours each day (4 hours per tide cycle) when in the MTZ and hence they need to be able to endure this length of exposure. One important physiological adaptation of the L.scobina to help withstand desiccation from exposure is that they can produce a mucus layer around the opening (operculum) of their shell to seal it for a period of time. However, due to their siphon canal- a long tube used to find prey...
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...Imagine a place where you can sit on the beach as the waves roll in; the smell of the sea and fresh fish cooking in the distance at a nearby restaurant. A place where you can experience a thrill of blasting over the sand dunes at high speeds in a buggy, visit aquariums, and see wildlife up close. Imagine a place of relaxation, watching the whales migrate across the ocean. A place like this can only be one of a kind, the Oregon coast. The Oregon coast would be a great place to spend a vacation, it’s inexpensive and relaxing. So how much would it cost to go to the Oregon coast? What kinds of attractions would one be able to see? Is there stuff for the kids to do as well as adults? What kind of food do you get to eat when you go to the cost? These are all great questions that you ask yourself before planning a trip anywhere. When planning a trip you will want to figure out what the area has to offer. This will give you a sense of where you what to go and when. I enjoy the thrill of adventure and enjoy traveling to places. I have never been to the Oregon coast, so I decided to plan a trip there and find out what attractions they have to offer me. By googling “the Oregon Coast” the first website that I came across was the “Oregon Coast Visitors Association” link (Oregon Coast Visitors Association, 2008). This website’s home page displayed a slide show of pictures of the coast and a map that you are able to click on different areas to find out more information. I clicked...
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...helps an organism, such as a plant or animal, survive in its environment. (adaptation, n.d.) Species at the Rocky shore must have adaptations to survive an array of constantly fluctuating abiotic factors such as tidal movement (water coverage), sun exposure, salt, wind, wave movement, rain water, temperatures such as air and water temperature, pH and dissolved oxygen in the water. According to the graph displaying the percentage of species on the entire Rocky Shore (found under Results), the most abundant keystone species found at the Rocky Shore was the Striped Periwinkle. Striped Periwinkles were most frequently found in intertidal zones and tide pools. Due to the species environment, periwinkles have had to overcome extreme conditions including extreme heat and wind exposure at low tide, severe wave action, and submergence at high tide. (Common Periwinkle (Littorina littorea), 1998). Periwinkles consist of a single spiral shell that grows with their body and protects them from predators. The body includes a fleshy foot, a short tail, and two antennae on the head. (Common Periwinkle (Littorina littorea), 1998) The muscular foot ripples, allowing the periwinkle to move and hold securely onto rocks to withstand large waves. The two antennae are sensory organs, allowing periwinkles...
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...the species found in each area as we moved up the shore from low tide to high tide. We investigated the organisms bull kelp, barnacles, moss weed and Limpets to describe the pattern of zonation at the rocky shore. The rocky shore main abiotic factor is tidal movement. The first organism we investigated at the rocky shore was Bull Kelp. Bull kelp is mostly found in the subtidal zone, low tide zone at the rocky shore. Bull kelp have many important adaptations to keep them alive in their habitat, they have a strong foot on them which helps them to clamp onto rocks tightly which prevents them from getting sweeped away from the strong waves and die. They also have little air pockets in their structure which help them to float up to the surface of the water during high tide in order to get sunlight for photosynthesis which gets them their nutrition to stay alive. One of the main physical adaptations that Bull Kelp have that no other seaweed does is their honeycomb structure which makes it supple and the flexibility prevents them from not getting crushed by strong waves in their environment. As Bull kelp get their nutrition and food through photosynthesis, they don't have any competition with other organisms to find prey. Bull...
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...Master Diver Diving Equipment Open circuit demand scuba is the most commonly used by recreational divers, but closed circuit and semi-closed rebreathers are now available. Test Pressure: the pressure to which the cylinder is subjected to during hydrostatic testing. For a 200 bar cylinder it is 300 bars, for a 232 bar cylinder it is 348 bars. If internal inspection reveals corrosion, it may have to be cleaned by tumbling. The tumbling process involves filling the cylinder approximately half full of an abrasive material such as carbide chips, or aluminum oxide chips, and rotating it for a number of hours. A dual valve for a single cylinder, known as a Y-valve, or an H-valve, allows a diver to mount 2 regulator systems on a single cylinder. The first stage reduces cylinder pressure to an intermediate pressure (or low pressure) of approximately 90-150 psi (6 to 10 bar). The second stage reduces the intermediate (low) pressure to ambient pressure. Because of their tendency to fail in a closed position, upstream valves are rare in modern scuba regulators. In a Balanced Valve regulator the operation of the regulator is independent of the cylinder or applied pressure. (Breathes the same at low tank pressure) The internal valves of scuba regulator first stages are available in 2 basic types, diaphragm and piston. The main valve of a Pilot Valve regulator is opened and closed with air pressure, rather than mechanical leverage. Some regulators may...
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...Tides and the Moon Name AST/101 Date Teacher Tides and the Moon I was recently tasked with examining the relationship between the Earth’s moon and the Earth’s tides. I took that to mean literally: how are the tide levels of Earth’s bodies of water affected by the Moon? When approaching this question I want to do so with the scientific method in mind. The scientific method refers to a body of techniques for investigating phenomena, acquiring new knowledge, or correcting and integrating previous knowledge (Goldhaber & Nieto, 2010). The scientific method is a way to ask and answer scientific questions by making observations and doing experiments. It is also a good tool when we are searching for cause and effect relationships in nature. We already know the primary question being asked: How are the bodies of water on Earth affected by the Moon? To begin to answer our primary question we next ask: what causes tides? There are several kinds of tides. The ones that break upon a beach every 10 seconds to a minute are caused by sea level disturbances out in the ocean produced by such things as storms. Also the various circulation currents of sea water can have velocity components directed toward the land which will bring water up onto the beach. As this water travels toward the beach from deep water to shallow water, its amplitude will increase until it finally “breaks” as a full-fledged breaker, suitable for surfing, etc. Underlying this minute to minute activity is a slower...
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...The Birds “… The vast quantity of birds flocking above towns, villages, and outlying districts, causing obstruction and damage and even attacking individuals”(du Maurier 68). The above statement is the plot which is presented in both the story and the film. The main plot is the same in both the story and the film. In the story and the film the birds attack with the tides. They rest on low tide and attack on high tide. Abnormal flocking patterns are also a common detail. This means that birds of prey are flocking with the birds that they are hunted by. In both the idea that women cannot handle stressful situations is presented. In the story Mrs.Hockens said to her husband “You’re no to go, you’re not to go and leave me with the children. I cant stand it” (du Maurier 85). “Her voice rose hysterically. He hushed her, calmed her“ (du Maurier85). In both the main characters go into their house to protect themselves but before they do that they board their houses for extra protection. Unfortunately in both the story and the film they did not do a good enough job boarding up their houses because the birds get into an upstairs room. The main character takes precautions like boarding up his house while many other characters don’t take the attacks seriously. “She’s another… Se doesn’t care” (du Maurier 75). While the story and the film have similarities there are more differences that present them self. One of the main differences would be that there is a completely different cast....
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...BACKGROUND Both mangroves and salt marshes occur in the intertidal zone: the area between terrestrial land and open salt water. Areas above high water level are increasingly restrictive on growth, and although some mangroves persist they commonly diminish in size and are soon replaced by saltmarsh communities more tolerant of hypersalinity. PART 1: ABOITIC FACTORS The main abiotic factors that will determine the structure of the salt marsh community are the salinity of the soil, the water content in the soil and the substrate type. The impact these abiotic factors have on the structure is ultimately determined by the topography of the land. The unusual topography of the land determined the salinity concentrations in the soil: the land forms a shallow basin in the center and is surrounded by a slightly higher landform. When the salt marsh is rarely inundated, the water is drawn to the center of the ecosystem due to the abnormal topography of the land. During the process of evaporation, a majority of the water content is removed from the soil and transformed into water vapour, leaving behind highly concentrated salt sediment. Another key abiotic factor is the substrate type. According to the data collected, sites B and D have fairly low water content in the soil, while the remaining sites recorded a much high reading. The soil at sites B and D appeared dry, especially on the surface, and replicated fine grain sand – this particular substrate cannot retain a high water moisture...
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...to physical causes. A depression can produce low pressure conditions which pull water particles up, giving to a rise in sea level. Similarly strong winds can occur due to change in meteorological conditions which can also rise the sea level. At this point the sea level is much higher than a normal spring tide, and this is called a storm surge. However many human causes, particularly the lack of preparation and costal defences, can lead to lead to any storm surge having a much larger impact on local communities near the coastline. The North Sea storm surge occurred in 1953 and had a huge impact on many communities in places including Britain and the Netherlands. In the Netherlands 1,835 people were killed and 47,000 buildings damaged. While in Britain 307 people died but over 30,000 people had to be evacuated from their homes. This initial storm surge was inevitable. A deep Atlantic depression moved across Scotland, meaning the central pressure had dropped to 970 mb by the coast of Denmark. This reduction is pressure is responsible for the rise in the surface of the sea level by 0.5m. Strong winds also drove the waves ahead of the storm. This was combined with high spring tides when the Sun and Earth and Moon are all in line. So the result was 6m waves approaching both Britain and the Netherlands. Additionally Canvey (one of the areas most affected in Britain) is 1 metre below sea level. Whilst 50% of the land in the Netherlands is no higher than 1m above sea level. So physical...
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...COASTAL SEDIMENTARY ENVIRONMENTS, GEOMORPHOLOGICAL PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, THEIR EVOLUTION AND THE ECONOMEIC ASPECTS INTRODUCTION: The coastal zone contains the near-shore area together with the entire continental shelf and the resources of the overlying waters as delimited by existing international agreements. Both play a vital role in the coastal environment – offshore and onshore. Coastal zone is the transition area between the land and the ocean and is an area of complex, dynamic and delicate environment. External factors influencing the coastal zone are the sediment supply by the rivers and the coastal processes. Shoreline is one of the most rapidly changing landforms of the coastal zones, geomorphic processes such as erosion, deposition, sedimentation, periodic storms, flooding and also sea level changes are continuously modifying the shoreline. The accurate mapping of the shoreline is therefore very important for planning conservation measures such as protection of human life, property, and natural environments. The coastal zone is receiving an increasing attention because of the pressures of increasing population and industrial developments. Also erosion is caused by shifting of river mouths and spits. Protection of natural resources, the loss of habitats, severe coastal erosion, sedimentation in ports and harbours, and municipal and industrial pollution are major concerns of the coastal zone managers. Conservation and management of the coastal features requires...
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