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Rocky Shore Habitat Exploration

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Rocky Shore Habitat Exploration

Read the field notes and solve the questions. Think about how living things cope with tides, waves and changing conditions.

Field notes from Te Ika-a-Māui

A rocky shore is a place where the land meets the sea over rocks and rock pools. As the tide rises, seawater covers more of the shore. As it falls, some areas are left exposed to air. Waves can crash against the rocks, while hollows may hold seawater in pools. Barnacles attach firmly to rocks. Some shellfish clamp their shells shut to reduce water loss when exposed. Crabs can shelter in cracks, and seaweed uses a holdfast to grip the rock. Different parts of the shore suit different organisms. The conditions can change quickly, so living things need ways to find food, avoid drying out and stay in place.

Investigate the habitat

Use the field notes as evidence.

1.Which set contains only living things that may be found on a rocky shore?

Barnacles, seaweed and crabs
Rocks, waves and sand
Snow, shells and pebbles
Tide pools, cliffs and sea spray

2.The tide goes out. What happens to some parts of the shore?

They are covered by deeper seawater
They are exposed to air
They turn into freshwater lakes
They stop having waves forever

3.Match each rocky shore organism to the feature or behaviour that helps it live there.

Barnacle
Shellfish
Crab
Seaweed

Clamps its shell shut to reduce water loss
Uses a holdfast to grip the rock
Can shelter in a crack
Attaches firmly to a rock

4.A shellfish is left above the water as the tide goes out. Which challenge does clamping its shell shut help with?

5.A student finds seaweed still attached after several waves have washed over it. Explain how its holdfast is useful in this habitat.

6.Which observation is evidence that a rock hollow is acting as a tide pool?

It holds seawater after the tide has gone out
It is always dry, even at high tide
It contains only fresh rainwater far inland
It is a sandy dune beside the shore

7.A class wants to compare how many barnacles are on two rocks. Suggest one fair way to make the comparison.

8.A crab disappears into a narrow rock crack when a wave arrives. Explain how this behaviour could help it survive.

9.True or false: Every part of a rocky shore stays underwater all day.

TrueFalse

10.Choose one organism described in the field notes. Describe one way it is suited to the rocky shore and explain which challenge that feature helps it manage.

11.Write one testable question you could investigate on a rocky shore without harming the organisms. Include what you would observe or count.