CHAPTER 25 COASTAL & WETLAND ECOSYSTEMS

Transitional Environments are classified based on:

- Underlying Geology
- Substrate (sediment type, size & shape)
- Product of marine erosion
o Rocky shore
most primitive type of coast
o Sandy beaches
Wave dominated

Transitional Zones between freshwater and land

- Dominated by plants with saturated soil

o Marshes
o Swamps
o Bogs
o Zones of emergent vegetation

25.1 The Intertidal Zone is the Transition Between Terrestrial and Marine Environments

- Intertidal Zone
o Alternately exposed and submerged by tides
o Conditions change hourly depending on tides
Low Tide
More of terrestrial
Uppermost layers of intertidal life exposed to air
- So bale sinasabi lang ng part na to is may intertidal zone tapos dahil iba iba condition from time to time may
zonation of life char

25.2 Rocky Shorelines Have a Distinct Pattern of Zonation

- 3 Basic Zones
o Supralittoral/ Supratidal Zone (terrestrial)
Supralittoral Fringe
First major change from terrestrial envi
Saltwater comes every 2 weeks on spring tides
Marked by BLACK ZONE (lol supralitorral si lance)
o Black dahil may cyanobacteria with lichens and green alga
**nonmarine community
o Littoral/ Intertidal Zone
 Covered by tides
So dito may mga zones nanaman jusko
UPPER AREA: Barnacles
MIDDLE/LOWER AREA: Oysters, mussels & limpets
LOWER THAN THE LOWER (ano raw?): Brown Alga
Infralittoral Fringe
Lowest part of littoral zone
Exposed for short periods of time
Dahil lowest maraming brown alga: LAMINARIA (forest daw peg)
o Infralitorral/Subtidal Zone
- Waves
o Brings in nutrients
o Keeps seaweed in constant motion
o Heavy waves reduce predator action (rawr)
o So ano ang conclusion? Disturbances influence community structure. Mga waves na nanggugulo
nakakaapekto ng buhay ayon lamang
- Tides leave pools of water
o Pools of water are distinct habitats, microecosystems in itself

25.3 Sandy and Muddy Shores are Harsh Environments

- Sandy Shore
o Product of weathering of rock
Rivers & Waves carry products of rock weathering
Size of sand particles deposited influences deposit of sandy beach
o If beach is flat, outgoing tidal currents are slow leaving behind a residue of organic material
Kapag flat-chested ka konti lang action nakukuha mo. Mabagal usad ng lovelife. Mabagal din
mga waves char
o Life on sandy beaches has no surface for attachment of seaweeds
This is why life is mostly beneath the sand
Wag kasi maattach, itago mo, ibaon mo sa lupa lahat ng feelings
o ZONES OF LIFE IN SANDY/MUDDY BEACHES aka mga nagbabaon sa sarili
Epifauna
Lives on sediment surface
Infauna
Living in sediments
Occupy permanent/semipermanent tubes
Meiofauna (type of infauna)
o Tiny organisms
 o Live between particles of sand and mud
o Mga parasites to mga nematodes , copepods
o ZONES in the beach
Supralittoral
Upper beach
Littoral
Intertidal beach
o Where true marine life appears
- Organisms in sand and mud do not experience fluctuating temperatures
o Syempre naman, nagtatago, so walang maeexperience. Sheltered sila.
- Energy base for life on the sandy shore is accumulation of organic matter

25.4 Tides and Salinity Dictate the Structure of Salt Marshes

- Salt/Tidal Marshes
o Occur in temperate latitudes
o Where coastlines are protected from waves, within estuaries, deltas etc
o Dictated by tides and salinity (malamang nasa title na hahaah)
- On the Seaward edge of Marshes/Tidal Creeks
o Cordgrass
Forms marginal strip between open mud to front of the high marsh
High tolerance of salinity, lives in a semisubmerged state
Martyr. Maalat na ang buhay linulunod pa ang sarili hahaha
Has hollow tubes leading from leaf to root for oxygen diffusion
- High Marsh
o Higher salinity
o Decreased input of nutrients
Lower tidal exchange rate in low marsh
- Creeks
o Form an intricate system of drainage channels that carry tidal waters back to sea
o Taga-buhat si creek ng tubig pabalik sa ocean
- Salt Pans
o Circular/elliptical depressions flooded at high tide
o At low tide, filled with saltwater
o May be invaded with glasswort/spikegrass if shallow since it can evaporate immediately
- Low tides in marshes bring in predators

25.5 Mangroves Replace Salt Marshes in Tropical Regions

- Replaces salt marshes in tropical regions are mangroves forests or mangals

 o Covers 60-75% in tropical regions
- Develop where:
o Wave action is absent
o Sediments accumulate
o Mud is anoxic (WALANG OXYGEN)
- Mangroves
o Have penumatophores
Root extensions
Take in oxygen
o Rich Diversity
Branches birds
Roots snails
Stems crabs

25.6 Freshwater Wetlands are a Diverse Group of Ecosystems

- Wetlands across the world: (cover areas of landscape)

o Everglades Florida
o Pantanal Brazil
o Okavango South Africa
o Fens - England
- Wetlands
o Usually has saturated soil that support life
Hydrophytic Plants
Water-adapted plants
Anaerobic; no oxygen cause of excess water
Classified into 3 groups:
o Obligate wetland plants
Require saturated soils
o Facultative Wetland plants
Grow saturated/upland soil
o Occasional Wetland
Tolerates wetland
Determines upper limit of wetlands
o Occur in 3 topographic situations:
Basin Wetlands
Develop in shallow basins
Vertical water flow
 Riverine Wetlands
Along shallow flooded banks of rivers
Unidirectional water flow
Fringe Wetlands
Along coasts of large lakes
Bidirectional water flow
o Wetlands dominated by vegetation are called MARSHES
o Forested wetlands are called SWAMPS
- Bottomland/Riparian Woodlands
o Along river systems
o Extensive tracts
o Seasonally flooded by river water
o Dry for the growing season
- Peatlands/Mires
o Wetlands with decayed organic matter
o Fens
Sedges that dominate
Feeds mires with nutrients
o Bogs
Mires that are dependent on precipitation for water supply
With Sphagnum
o Blanket Mires and Raised Bogs
Developed in upperland situations
Compressed peat forming a barrier
Raised bogs popularly known moors
Bogs depend on precipitation for nutrient inputs
Deficient in mineral salts and low in pH
o Quaking Bogs
Form when a lake basin fills in from above than below

27.7 Hydrology Defines Structure of Freshwater Wetlands

- Hydrology has 2 components:

o Physical aspects of water and movement (precipitation etc)
o Hydroperiod
Hahaha may period ang tubig
Duration, frequency and depth of flooding
Hahahaha bumabaha yung period
Influences plant growth
 - Basin Wetlands
o Have long hydroperiods
- Riverine Wetlands
o Short hydroperiods
- Fringe Wetlands
o Influenced by wind and lake waves
o Short and regular
- Zonation reflects wet-ground species response
- Andaming animals masyado per season and area feel ko di na kailangan hahaha jusq
o Sana hindi kasama huhu sorry kung oo
- Drought
o Marsh bottom is exposed by receding water
o Stimulates seed germination of mudflats
Water levels rise, mudflats disperse
- Peatlands
o Accumulation of peat because organic matter is produced faster than it is decomposed
o Oligotrophic and dystrophic conditions usually
o Exist in temperate and tropical areas

25.8 Freshwater Wetlands Support A Rich Diversity of Life

- Mostly animals and data feel ko di naman important LELS

- END OF CHAPTER 25 *bow* -