Research

Biotic Data: Animals

Many different types of animals were found in this field study. The types of organisms found seemed to depend on how far they were from the ocean edge low tide mark. This would indicate that moisture levels was an important abiotic factor in their distribution.

If you would like to see a table of the data, or a graph of the data, click here.

This photograph shows blue periwinkles, Littorina cineta, attached to the rocks. They are little blue shelled snails, on average about the size of a pin head. They are filter feeders, drawing in water with phytoplankton and zooplankton, filtering out this food, and then expelling the water.

They were found as far as 12 m from the low tide mark, as well as 1 m above the low tide mark. This would indicate that they are very tolerant of drying conditions. This may be because they are well covered by their water tight shell, exposing only their foot at the rock surface.

This is a photograph of barnacles, Eliminius modestus. They also are attached to rocks and are filter feeders, drawing in water with phytoplankton and zooplankton, filtering out this food, and then expelling the water. They also expel toxic wastes that they produce, releasing it into the water that surrounds them.

Almost all of them were found close to the low tide mark, between 1 m and 3 m away. This would indicate that they are quite intolerant of dry conditions. There were a few found further from the low tide mark, in rock pools where they could stay moist as the water receded.

Research/Project Results

Temperate Rainforest Biome

Taipa/Mangonui, Page 5

Biotic Data: Animals