Nearctic Rocky Coastline - Code: Ne12E

Large portions of this habitat are intertidal, meaning they are regularly submerged at high tide but become exposed as the water recedes. While this is also true of Sandy Beach and Dunes, the stable substrate of rocky coastlines allows for more development of visible fauna and vegetation. While sandy beaches may appear entirely barren, rocky coastlines are rarely so. Rocks are often covered in a rainbow of different algaes, as well as barnacles, mussels, oysters, snails, limpets, sea stars and anemones.  This habitat experiences a broad shift in temperatures as tides vary and is also constantly subjected to submersion, drying, and constant crashing waves. Animals here tend to be tough and are usually adapted for clinging tightly to rocks.
Rocky Coastlines are often divided into different zones depending on how much exposure they typically receive. The spray zone is rarely ever submerged and instead is maintained by splashing water from constant wave action. The high tide zone is only submerged during high tide and is typically dominated by limpets and barnacles, while the mid-tide and low-tide zones spend the majority of the time underwater and can support more marine species like mussels, sea stars, anemones and urchins occur at this depth.
 Large and diverse bands of seaweeds line the rocky intertidal zone with an array of forms and a wide variety of greens, browns and reds. While all plant-like in appearance, “seaweeds” are taxonomically diverse in origin. Green algae or Chlorophyta are part of the plant kingdom while red algae (Rhodophyta) and brown algae (Phaeophyta) are members of the kingdom Protista and more closely related to slime molds and amoeba than plants. Important seaweeds found on the Pacific Rocky Coastline include Sea Lettuce (Ulva spp.), Dead Man’s Fingers (Codium spp.), Corralline Algae (Corallina spp.) and Seagrass (Phyllospadix spp.). The Atlantic Rocky Coastline typically occurs at higher latitudes and is less extensive, and less diverse. Common species here are Sugar Kelp (Laminaria saccharina), Irish Moss (Chondrus crispus), Sea Lettuce (Ulva spp.), and Bladderwrack (Fucus vesiculosus).