1. Estuaries 
BY: HAley MOORE

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

3. 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.

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

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

6. 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.

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

8. Citations 
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