Life in the Tidal Zone
Tidal zones are unique environments. These zone not quite land and not quite sea, the inhabitants of tidal pools fight to survive between two worlds. ... They have to adapt to moisture because the zone is covered with salt water at high tides, and it is exposed to air at low tides. ... Tatoosh Island, located off the Washington Coast, is one of the richest temperate tidal systems in the world. The tidal zones are made up of many parts. (Arnold, 6) The first part of the tidal zone is called the Supralittoral Fringe or better known as the Splash/Spray Zone which is the uppermost region of the tide pool. This zone is just reached by the oceans spray. ... Only really high tides, usually during winter reach this zone. ... As a result, relatively few tidal animals live in this zone (Arnold, 20). Periwinkles live on the higher rocks of this zone, where they rarely ever get splashed by the ocean. ... Isopods, related to the pill bug, also scavenge this zone for fragments of plants and animals. ... Limpets are usually on the lower end of this zone. ... The organisms that live in this zone have to adapt to a few different things. ... The second part is the Upper Midlittoral Zone or High Tide Zone. This zone is exposed to waves only during high tides, which adds to its ability to provide a home to a greater variety of life than the spray zone. Only organisms that can survive rough waves and long exposure to air can survive in this zone. ... Many of the animals that live in the high tide zone have hard, flat shells to disperse the impact of the waves. ... The entire high zone animals have incredible abilities to stay attached to the rocks as the waves crash down. (4) The next part is the Lower Midlittoral Zone or Mid Tide Zone. This zone is covered and uncovered twice a day by the tides. The mid zone is the most active zone in the tide pool.