Estuaries  BY: HAley MOORE

PRODUCTIVITY  the water filtering through them brings in nutrients from the surrounding watershed

Major Life Forms  The Chesapeake Bay, as one example, includes several different habitats. There are oyster reefs where oysters, mud crabs, and small fish may be found.

Abiotic Limiting Factors These factors are light, oxygen, water, nutrients, temperature, salinity, and space.

Special Features  They are formed when rising sea levels flood existing river valleys. 

Plant Adaptations  Mangrove trees and blue crabs are some of the estuarine species that have adapted to unique environmental conditions. In almost all estuaries the salinity of the water changes constantly over the tidal cycle. To survive in these conditions, plants and animals living in estuaries must be able to respond quickly to drastic changes in salinity.

Animal Adaptations  Most are adapted to survive in a limited range of conditions. For example, many animals live only where the water is salty. 

Citations  http://www.friendsofrietvlei.co.za/ecobites-productivity.html https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/estuarylife.html https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/kits/estuaries/estuaries04 _geology.html https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/kits/estuaries/estuaries07 _adaptations.html