Sub Tidal Habitats n Open Ocean n Sandy Plains n Kelp Forest and Rocky Reefs –Northern California –Central California –Southern California

Habitat: Open Ocean n Primary producers: Phytoplankton n Top predators: Sharks; Pinnipeds; Tuna; Toothed Whales n Some large animals eat plankton n No place to hide

Habitat: Sandy Plains n Primary producers: Phytoplankton n Protection –Camouflage –Burying n Common job: Detritus Consumer n Flat Fish, Tube Anemones, Worms, Sea Stars, Clams, Snails, Sea Pens, Octopus

Habitat: Kelp Forest n Kelp requires a rocky substrate n Giant Kelp and Bull Kelp n Kelp rarely deeper than 130’ n Camouflage, Protection, Food n Holdfast, Stipe, Blades, Pnuematocysts n Requires water movement

Ode to a Kelp Forest Ode to a Kelp Forest Where waves crash and currents roar, Where rocky bottoms meet the shore, Where water’s cold and nutrient rich, Where organism’s find that special niche, There you’ll find that algal form called Kelp - from which the forest’s born. The Kelp Forest: not just a place for plants, But a community, a vital dance in the web of life. A player in a seamless whole, that touches the mind and touches the soul.

Habitat: Rocky Reefs n Cracks & crevices n Substrate for Kelp n Primary producer: Kelp n Detritus Feeders and Grazers n Carnivores