Habitat Notes

Habitat A place where organisms naturally live & grow. Plants & animals that interact & depend on each other & require similar growing conditions.

Benthic Pertaining to the ocean floor.

8 Habitats in the Chesapeake Bay Open Water Piers, Rocks & Jetties Ocean Beach Sand Dunes Maritime Forest Intertidal Flats Salt Marsh Oyster Bars

1. Open Water Deep water environment which houses a variety of organisms – from dolphins to clams. Challenges: Breathing underwater, lots of predators Adaptations: Counter shading, torpedo shape, transparency, small size, gills

2. Piers, Rocks & Jetties Solid structures in the surf zone that animals attach & cling to. Challenges: Pounding waves, competition for space, low tide – drying out & predators. Adaptations: Holdfasts, sturdy shells, streamlined bodies

Piers, Rocks & Jetties

3. Ocean Beach Where the ocean touches the shore. Challenges: Erosion from wind & waves, very little shelter from elements, not many plants. Adaptations: Ability to burrow, streamlined body for burrowing (clams), shells, ability to move quickly

4. Sand Dunes Wind-built, shifting hills of sand by the beach. Plants anchor & preserve the dunes. Challenges: Erosion from wind, very little shelter from elements, hot & dry. Adaptations: long roots to get water, long thin leaves to minimize exposure, thick waxy leaves for protection, tall so it won’t get buried, animals - ability to burrow

Sand Dunes

5. Maritime Forest

Maritime Forest Forest w/ conifer & deciduous trees, scrub & flowers. Often close to or part of an old Dune area. Challenges: Salt spray, storms, erosion, salt water flooding, not much fresh water Adaptations: Camouflage, deep roots, waxy leaves First Landing State Park & Back Bay

6. Intertidal Flats Muddy environment that emerges & submerges with tides. Challenges: Shifting mud & sand, low oxygen, predators during low tide. Adaptations: Ability to burrow, siphons opening to air, shells, ability to live inside another animal.

7. Salt Marsh Also called wetlands which provides protected spawning, nursery, & feeding grounds. Challenges: changes in salinity, tides. Adaptations: plants can excrete salt, ability to move up & down grasses during tide changes.

Salt Marsh

8. Oyster Bars Community of oysters that help filter pollutants out of the water & house many other organisms. Challenges: exposed during low tide Adaptations: thick shells