Intertidal habitat in the Circular Head region
High tide Mid tide Low tide
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INTERTIDAL LIFEFORMS Microphytobenthos
Intertidal seagrass (Zostera muelleri)
INTERTIDAL PROCESSES Heart urchin Polychaete
Gastropod Seagrass detritus Seagrass with algal epiphytes
Bivalves
Crustaceans
Sarcocornia
Fish Flounder
Key to habitats
Austrostipa
Garfish
Flathead
Freshwater input from rivers Groundwater upwelling
Ray
Sediment and nutrient transport
Hooded plover
Sediment movement
INTERTIDAL SUBSTRATES Elevated nutrient levels in the water
Sand
Nutrient exchange between water and sand Mud (in estuary)
Nutrient uptake by seagrass
Erosion
Tern Oyster catcher
Migratory waders
Black swan
Clear shallow water allowing full spectrum light penetration
Wave energy damped by seagrass helping to prevent erosion on the shore.
Moving fine sediment is trapped by seagrass, helping to keep the water clear
Seagrass roots stabilise sand and structure the intertidal habitat for other species.
Tidal movement
Foodweb based on seagrass detritus
Rocky outcrops
Lenses of peaty sand
Average high tide Average low tide
Shoreline wetlands
Intertidal sea grass and sand
Subtidal seagrass beds
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Created by Blue Wren Group, University of Tasmania for the Cradle Coast Authority. Illustration by Jan Tilden, 2010.
Intertidal seagrass & sand – what do we value? Healthy intertidal flats are more than just beautiful places to cast a line or go for a stroll. They are productive areas, providing benefits to people, industry and the environment.
Who lives there?
Seagrasses
Migratory shorebirds
Fish
Resident shorebirds
Minute bottomdwelling plants
Pippies
Flounder
Heart urchin
Snails
Rays
Black swans
Sand worms
Crabs
Garfish
People
Terns and gulls
High tide Mid tide Low tide
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What are the benefits of healthy intertidal flats? 1. Seagrass stabilises the vast areas of intertidal sand and helps prevent erosion Seagrass roots anchor sand and reduce its tendency to move around with water movement. Areas stabilised by seagrass provide safe living places for other wildlife such as snails and urchins that are part of the food chain of the intertidal flats.
As the tide rises, beds of seagrass in the intertidal zone reduce the energy of wind waves and help prevent erosion. Predictable water movements and stable sea beds support aquaculture. They also help prevent erosion, benefiting coastal landholders.
2. Seagrass and small bottom dwelling plants are the basis of intertidal foodwebs Some animals (e.g. snails) feed directly on seagrass. Seagrass also provides a base for other plants (epiphytes) that contribute to intertidal primary production.
Seagrass breaks down to form detritus. This is easier to digest and supports many more animals than direct grazing on seagrass.
Resident and migratory shorebirds forage on wildlife supported by seagrass food webs.
Intertidal foodwebs support human food species along with the plants and animals that these species rely on for their food.
3. Seagrass and sandflats helps to keep the water clean and clear Seagrass and sandflats remove nutrients from the water and process them in various ways, helping to prevent algal blooms and keeping water clean and clear.
Clear water lets the full spectrum of sunlight to reach the seabed, allowing the growth of bottom-dwelling species that contribute to intertidal foodwebs.
Seagrass traps and filters sediment and absorbs nutrients from land-based activities, helping keep water clean and clear.
Clean clear water supports aquaculture and fisheries.
4. The intertidal flats of Robbins Passage and Boullanger Bay sequester and store carbon The vast seagrass beds of the intertidal zone continually take in carbon dioxide from the air and the sea and store it by converting it to living plant matter.
Within the sands of far NW Tasmania are peaty deposits that may be remnants of swamps from 20-40,000 years ago. These peaty deposits are storing fossil carbon.
5. The intertidal flats provide social and cultural benefits The intertidal flats of Robbins Passage and Boullanger Bay give both locals and tourists a place for recreation, educational opportunities and communing with nature. Thus, these sandy expanses contribute to the region’s growing ecotourism industry while supporting local culture and ways of life. Created by Blue Wren Group, University of Tasmania for the Cradle Coast Authority. Illustration by Jan Tilden, 2010.
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Shoreline wetlands habitat of the Circular Head region
Highest tide High tide
Peaty sand lens
zone 4
zone 3
zone 2
zone 1 SALTMARSH PROCESSES
SALTMARSH LIFEFORMS Gastropods Melaleucas
Tecticornia Sarcocornia
Rushes
Samolus repens
Crabs Polychaetes Insects Spiders
Grasses
Intertidal seagrass (Zostera muelleri) Microphytobenthos
Gahnia
Diatoms (a component of microphytobenthos) Foraminifera Seagrass detritus
Key to habitats
Clean sand
Fish Waterbird Chat Migratory birds Orangebellied parrot
Saltmarsh is a dynamic buffer between land and sea, stabilising soil and protecting it from wave energy. As sea level rises, the salt marsh retreats but continues to protect the retreating edge from more severe erosion. Saltmarsh soil forms from trapped sediments and organic particles generated by the breakdown of plant and animal material. Gastropod molluscs feed on slime in saltmarshes. Because gastropods are such a common group in saltmarshes, their faeces help to build saltmarsh soils. Tidal channels are integral to saltmarsh. Besides providing habitat for fish and invertebrates, they also play an important role in reducing wave energy.
SALTMARSH ZONES When waves reach saltmarsh, their energy is reduced, helping to prevent the shore from eroding away.
Zone 1 Inundated daily. Flora dominated by succulent herbs (Sarcocornia, Samolus).
During storms, seagrass wrack, sand and shells are deposited onto saltmarsh.
Zone 2 Inundated several times a month. Flora dominated by tall heath and sedges (Tecticornia, Gahnia).
Moving fine sediment (mud) is trapped by saltmarsh plants, building up the soil and helping to keep the water clear.
Zone 3 Inundated rarely. Flora dominated by grasses and rushes (Juncus, Austrostipa).
Juvenile fish feed and hide in saltmarsh during high tides. Small bottom-dwelling plants called microphytobenthos are major primary producers in saltmarsh ecosystems.
Zone 4 Terrestrial zone - above the highest tide. Flora dominated by Melaleucas and grasses.
Saltmarshes “filter� water running off the land. Transport of organic matter that feeds sea life. Average high tide Average low tide
Shoreline wetlands
Intertidal sea grass and sand
Subtidal seagrass beds
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Created by Blue Wren Group, University of Tasmania for the Cradle Coast Authority. Illustration by Jan Tilden, 2010.
Shoreline wetlands – what’s the good of them? Healthy shoreline wetlands provide many benefits to those who visit, work and live in the Circular Head region of Tasmania, including buffering coastal lands from the effects of sea level rise.
Who lives there? Minute bottomdwelling plants and animals
Succulent herbs and shrubs Seagrasses
Grasses, sedges and rushes
Melaleucas
Diverse birdlife, including migratory birds from the northern hemisphere
Crabs
Snails
Insects
Spiders
Sand worms
Fish
People
Highest tide High tide
What are the benefits of healthy saltmarsh?
3. Saltmarsh is productive in ways that benefit people as well as the environment
1. Saltmarsh builds the land and holds and protects it from erosion Saltmarsh is a dynamic buffer between land and sea, clinging to soil and protecting it from wave energy. As sea level rises, saltmarsh retreats but continues to protect the retreating edge from more severe erosion.
Saltmarsh soil is formed from trapped sand and mud, and from small pieces of broken-down plant matter.
Snails feed on slime in saltmarshes. Because there are so many snails in saltmarshes, their faeces contribute to building saltmarsh soils.
When waves reach saltmarsh, their energy is reduced, helping to prevent erosion.
Tidal channels are an integral part of saltmarsh. They play an important role in reducing wave energy as well as providing living places for sea life.
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Broken off seagrass, sand and shells are deposited onto saltmarshes during storms.
2. Saltmarsh helps to keep the water clean and clear Saltmarsh helps to keep the water clear by trapping fine particles of mud. These particles also help to build up the soil.
Saltmarsh “filters” water running off the land. It traps dirt, making the water less murky. It also removes excess nutrients and chemicals that would pollute the sea.
Saltmarsh is a primary producer of plant material that feeds sea life. Saltmarsh is an important habitat for resident and migratory birds.
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Saltmarsh provides a living place for many plants and animals that are in turn eaten by others, including commercial species.
Saltmarsh acts as a “seedbank” for the saltmarsh plant species. Along with other uses beneficial to people, these seeds may be needed to reseed areas where saltmarshes have been lost.
Juvenile fish feed and hide in saltmarsh. Small bottom-dwelling plants called microphytobenthos are major primary producers in saltmarsh ecosystems.
4. Saltmarsh provides a variety of other services from which we benefit, directly or indirectly
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As saltmarsh builds soil, partly by accumulating organic matter from the breakdown of plants, carbon is captured and stored.
Created by Blue Wren Group, University of Tasmania for the Cradle Coast Authority. Illustration by Jan Tilden, 2010.
Healthy, productive saltmarshes support human recreational uses such as fishing and tourism.
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Subtidal habitat in the Circular Head region
High tide Low tide
SUBTIDAL LIFEFORMS Seagrass (Heterozostera) Seagrass (Amphibolis antarctica) Seagrass (Posidonia australis)
Microphytobenthos Diatoms are a component of microphytobenthos Sand mound with unknown inhabitant
Clear shallow water allowing full spectrum light penetration.
Gastropods
Ray
Bivalves
Southern calamari
Polychaete
Moving sediment is trapped by seagrass, helping to keep the water clear.
Dolphin Tidal range up to 3.5 metres.
Crustaceans Fish
Macroalgae (seaweed)
SUBTIDAL SUBSTRATES
SUBTIDAL PROCESSES
Garfish Blue grenadier
Fairy penguin Cormorant
Strong tidal flows in the channels. Elevated nutrient levels in the water.
Nutrient uptake by seagrass.
Terns and gulls
Nutrient exchange between water and sand.
White-bellied sea eagle
Dead seagrass floats on the surface (as wrack) and some falls to the sea floor (forming a layer of detritus).
Flounder Flathead
Seagrass wrack and detritus is broken down by micro-organisms which in turn support food webs.
Sand
Hollows with predominantly sandy bottoms appear scattered throughout Boullanger Bay. The reason they exist is currently unknown.
Rocky reef
Seagrass beds form deep root mats that stabilise the seafloor as well as store carbon.
Cobble
Seagrasses in the subtidal zone reduce the energy of both swell and wind waves and help prevent erosion.
Seagrass detritus
Fish feed on algae that grows on seagrass as well as sheltering in seagrass from predators.
Average high tide Average low tide
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Shoreline wetlands
Intertidal sea grass and sand
Subtidal seagrass beds
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Created by Blue Wren Group, University of Tasmania for the Cradle Coast Authority. Illustration by Jan Tilden, 2010.
Subtidal seagrass beds - how they work for us The healthy seagrass beds of Boullanger Bay have been stabilising the seabed, producing enormous quantities of food, locking away carbon and benefiting people in many ways, probably for over 5000 to 6000 years.
Who lives there? Seagrass
Polychaetes
Snails
Crustaceans
Microphytobenthos
Bivalves
Macroalgae
Ray
White-bellied sea eagle
Southern calamari
Cormorant
Blue grenadier
Fairy penguin Dolphin
Flathead Flounder Garfish
High tide Low tide
What are the benefits of subtidal seagrass beds?
3. Seagrass helps to keep the water clean and clear
1. Seagrass stabilises the seabed sand and helps prevent erosion by damping wave energy and responding to sea level rise Seagrasses in the subtidal zone Seagrass roots anchor sand and reduce its tendency to move around with water movement. Areas stabilised by seagrass provide safe living places for animals such as fish, worms and crabs.
reduce the energy of both swell and wind waves and help prevent erosion. Seagrasses create and trap sediment and the beds can efficiently adjust upwards with sea level rise.
2. Seagrass and small bottom dwelling plants are the foundation of subtidal foodwebs A few animals like snails graze directly on seagrass. Most of the grazers, such as fish, feed on algae and phytoplankton that grow on the seagrass.
The massive productivity of the subtidal seagrasses of the perhaps 100,000 tonnes per year or more supports the growth of thousands of tonnes of fish.
Seagrasses shed thousands of tonnes of leaves which bacteria break down into detritus. This makes it easier for animals to digest and is the base of a large food web.
Subtidal foodwebs produce food for people that is important both economically and socially. Catching fish is an important part of the local people’s identity.
Seagrasses remove nutrients from the water and process them in various ways, helping to prevent algal blooms and keeping water clean and clear.
Clear water allows the full spectrum of sunlight to reach the seabed, allowing the growth of bottom-dwelling species that contribute to subtidal foodwebs.
Moving sediment is trapped by seagrass, helping to keep the water clear.
Clean clear water supports aquaculture and fisheries and recreational pursuits like diving.
4. The vast subtidal seagrass beds of Boullanger Bay sequester and store carbon Subtidal seagrasses form vast deep root mats where carbon is stored. The seagrasses in Boullanger Bay may have been locking up and storing carbon for over 5000 years.
Rafts of seagrass leaves (wrack) transport thousands of tonnes of carbon to beaches and the surrounding sea floor each year. This contributes to existing carbon reservoirs.
5. A sense of identity The seagrass, sea, the islands, the channels and the tides are all an important part of what it means to live in this region. Created by Blue Wren Group, University of Tasmania for the Cradle Coast Authority. Illustration by Michael Helman, 2010.
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