Intertidal Zonation - where to find what on the rocky shore!

Episode 13: Zonation

On any piece of rocky shore one notices bands of different life. The intertidal is a transition zone between land and sea where the uppermost part of the shore is almost always exposed to the sun and air, and the lowest part is underwater. As a result there are distinct zonation patterns of animals and seaweeds across the shore, with progressively larger numbers of more sensitive species occurring lower down, closer to the ocean.

Some parts of the shore are only ever wetted at high spring tide. It's hot and dry here and only the hardiest animals, like small periwinkles, can survive.

Further down there are areas which are wet daily at high tide, areas that are only exposed for a few hours at low tide and a last zone that is only ever exposed at low spring tide. Each has it's own unique habitat, fauna and flora.

Prof. Charles Griffiths walks us through these zones on the rocks of Kalk Bay, describing each one and showing us the main animals and plants that live there.

Special thanks to Brandon and Seferino from Sharkspotters for coming out and droning for us!

00:00 Introduction
00:35 Hottest, driest zone on the shore: Littorina Zone - only wet at high spring tide.
00:59 Periwinkles (Afrolittorina) and how they survive here.
02:07 Upper balanoid zone - wet at every high tide.
02:37 Barnacles and how they survive here.
03:58 Lower balanoid zone - exposed every low tide.
04:12 Mussels, limpets and seaweeds dominate this zone on the shore.
04:25 Why do seaweeds start growing at a certain point on the shore?
04:47 Why do soma animals want to live out of the water?
05:35 Sublittoral fringe - exposed only at low spring tide.
05:58 Gardening Limpets and the greatest biomass of herbivores.
06:37 Kelps
06:44 Subtidal zone - always wet, the ocean proper.
06:57 Sea squirts or redbait.
07:07 Summary of the zones on a piece of rocky shore.

[valeriaserrano]

Awesome video, helped me a lot with my homework. Thank you.