GEOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Anything living in the intertidal zone must be able to survive changes in moisture, temperature, and salinity and withstand strong waves.

Detailed explanation-2: -All of the organisms that make the intertidal zone home have adaptations that help them survive in this constantly changing environment. Arthropods (crabs) and mollusks (clams and mussels) have shells that protect them from drying out and from being smashed on the rocks by waves.

Detailed explanation-3: -What is the main reason for the fact that there is such a diversity of life in the intertidal zone? The main reason there is so much different kinds of life in the intertidal zone is because the environmental conditions vary.

Detailed explanation-4: -The defining characteristic of the intertidal zone is that it is submerged with water during high tide and exposed to the air during low tide. The zone can take many forms, from sandy beaches to rocky cliffs. It is common for the intertidal zone to change frequently, since it is constantly battered by crashing waves.

Detailed explanation-5: -Middle intertidal zone: over which the tides ebb and flow twice a day, and which is inhabited by a greater variety of both plants and animals, including sea stars and anemones. Low intertidal zone: virtually always underwater except during the lowest of spring tides.