Beach Life
A common place to go on vacation or for a short trip, the beach is well known as a tourist attraction. Sometimes we forget, though, that these areas are often home to wildlife and plant life. Beaches are not home to many species of plants or animals, which can be seen as positive (we can visit and play on them without much concern for any nearby wildlife) or as negative (this is land that could be used to help absorb carbon from the atmosphere or house some wildlife). They are still important areas for some species that spend their time on land and in the water.
Waves from the ocean will bring nutrients and microorganisms (like plankton) to the shore, and these provide food for crabs and insects and sometimes birds. You can often see a very unique type of tall grass between a beach and the neighboring biome or ecosystem, taking advantage of the distance from the waves (which would disturb them) while still using some of the nutrients they bring up that are pushed further ashore by wind and by other organisms.
Another key feature of beaches is as a place for sea turtles to bury their eggs. They like to have the eggs hatch on shore, where the newborns will make their way to the water (or get carried there by their parents).
Beaches along rivers and ponds are very different than ocean beaches, though. Since these bodies of water will be freshwater, they are used as drinking water for many animals, and plants can also take up this water without getting the salt (which they sometimes can’t handle). Birds may also spend some time on these beaches, looking for fish in the shallow water or that have found their way on shore. Even insects will hang out here, helping to consume some of the nutrients washed on shore by smaller waves or by activity in the water.
When you visit a beach, consider which type it is. If it’s along the ocean, you don’t need to be too careful of the impact you might be having (although if you leave garbage or bottles behind, they still find their way into the water and will leach plastics and other synthetic carbon structures that will hurt aquatic ecosystems). If you’re visiting a river or a lake, take more care to not disturb an animal’s habitat or to harm the plant life since those beaches are far more likely to have these.
Waves from the ocean will bring nutrients and microorganisms (like plankton) to the shore, and these provide food for crabs and insects and sometimes birds. You can often see a very unique type of tall grass between a beach and the neighboring biome or ecosystem, taking advantage of the distance from the waves (which would disturb them) while still using some of the nutrients they bring up that are pushed further ashore by wind and by other organisms.
Another key feature of beaches is as a place for sea turtles to bury their eggs. They like to have the eggs hatch on shore, where the newborns will make their way to the water (or get carried there by their parents).
Beaches along rivers and ponds are very different than ocean beaches, though. Since these bodies of water will be freshwater, they are used as drinking water for many animals, and plants can also take up this water without getting the salt (which they sometimes can’t handle). Birds may also spend some time on these beaches, looking for fish in the shallow water or that have found their way on shore. Even insects will hang out here, helping to consume some of the nutrients washed on shore by smaller waves or by activity in the water.
When you visit a beach, consider which type it is. If it’s along the ocean, you don’t need to be too careful of the impact you might be having (although if you leave garbage or bottles behind, they still find their way into the water and will leach plastics and other synthetic carbon structures that will hurt aquatic ecosystems). If you’re visiting a river or a lake, take more care to not disturb an animal’s habitat or to harm the plant life since those beaches are far more likely to have these.