Table of Contents
What is littoral zone in geography?
littoral zone, marine ecological realm that experiences the effects of tidal and longshore currents and breaking waves to a depth of 5 to 10 metres (16 to 33 feet) below the low-tide level, depending on the intensity of storm waves.
What and where is the littoral zone?
In marine biology, the littoral zone includes areas of ocean extending to the ends of the continental shelf, and can be subdivided into three smaller zones based on areas of tidal action. From shallow to deep, these zones are the supralittoral zone, the eulittoral zone, and the sublittoral zone.
What is the littoral zone also known as?
The intertidal zone (sometimes referred to as the littoral zone) is the area that is exposed to the air at low tide and underwater at high tide (the area between the low and high tide lines). This area can include many different types of habitats, including steep rocky cliffs, sandy beaches, or wetlands.
What is the littoral zone in a river?
The littoral zone is the area of shoreline where land is subject to wave action. It’s subdivided into offshore, nearshore, foreshore and backshore.
Is littoral zone a terrestrial habitat?
Introduction. The littoral zone of a lake is the nearshore interface between the terrestrial ecosystem and the deeper pelagic zone of the lake. Third, the littoral zone is generally the most productive area of the lake, especially in terms of aquatic plants and invertebrates.
What plants live in the littoral zone?
Some brown algae species commonly found in the littoral zone include:
- sea potato (Leathesia spp.)
- common rockweed (Pelvetiopsis limitata) and (Fucus spp.)
- gulfweed (Sargassum muticum) – This Sargassum species is golden to dark brown with abundant tiny air bladders along the long, narrow blades.
What does the littoral zone consist of?
The littoral zone consists of backshore, nearshore and offshore zones, includes a wide variety of coastal types, and is a dynamic zone of rapid change. The littoral zone is the area of shoreline where land is subject to wave action. It’s subdivided into offshore, nearshore, foreshore and backshore.
What organisms live in the littoral zone?
In the lower littoral zone, which remains submerged the majority of the time, the organisms which inhabit this zone are generally larger, and protected from predation from the crashing waves. The organisms which reside in this zone include limpets, mussels, shrimp, crabs, tube worms, starfish, snails, and mollusks.
What might you find in a littoral zone?
The littoral zone comprises an estimated 78% of Earth’s total lake area. The littoral zone may form a narrow or broad fringing wetland, with extensive areas of aquatic plants sorted by their tolerance to different water depths.
How is the littoral zone categorized?
The Littoral Zone is the shore area of the lake or pond. The littoral zone consists of the area from the dry land sloping to the open water and can be very narrow or very wide. The Limnetic Zone is generally classified as the open water area of the lake or pond.
Which statement describes littoral zones?
Littoral Zone Definition. The littoral zone in an aquatic ecosystem (river, lake, sea) can be defined by the presence of sunlight at the sediment level, and the corresponding growth of partially-submerged to fully-submerged aquatic plants. It is also generally characterized by abundant dissolved oxygen, nutrients, water motion,…
Which describes the littoral zone of a lake or pond?
The Littoral Zone is the shore area of the lake or pond. The littoral zone consists of the area from the dry land sloping to the open water and can be very narrow or very wide.
What are some littoral zone organisms?
Animals. Organisms that are mobile-such as crabs,snails,and limpets-can seek shelter from the predators and the drying heat of the sun by hiding in the shade provided by rocks,…
What does littoral waters mean?
Definition of littoral. (Entry 1 of 2) : of, relating to, or situated or growing on or near a shore especially of the sea littoral waters. littoral. noun. Definition of littoral (Entry 2 of 2) : a coastal region especially : the shore zone between high tide and low tide points.