Download Why are they important benthic species

What are mudflats and how are
they formed?
 habitats which exist in areas
between high and low tides.
 Sediment (silt and clay) is
deposited by water as tides
flow in and out of coastal areas
 Sediment has high content of
organic matter
 Covered with dense mats of
microalgae that help to hold the
sediment together
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/habitat/habitatprotection/hptype/hptype8.htm
How important are they to the
coastline?
 Dissipates (lessens by spreading
out) wave energy
 Reduce risk of flooding and
erosion
How are mudflats important to the
ecosystem of the coastline?
 Support large numbers of birds
and fish
 Provide resting places for waders
and waterfowl
 Nursery for flat fish, and young
crustaceans
 Foraging grounds for shorebirds
and marine invertebrate predators
 Habitat for clams, polychaete
worms, and other invertebrates
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/habitat/habitatprotection/hptype/hptype8.htm
 Clam worms eat algae and small
invertebrates and are eaten by larger
invertebrates and bottom feeding fish
http://www.csc.noaa.gov/benthic/resources/species/species8.htm
What are the environmental
dangers to mudflats?
 Oil spills
 Human dredging through
shorelines, creating tidal flows
and erosion
 Erosion causes loss of habitats
for mudflat animals
 Human population encroaching in
areas not regulated
http://www.csc.noaa.gov/coastal
/management/management.htm
 Human trampling suffocates and
kills species living below the
surface
Works Cited
"Benthic Habitat Mapping - Clam Worm." NOAA Coastal Services Center. N.p., n.d.
Web. 22 Mar. 2010.
<http://www.csc.noaa.gov/benthic/resources/species/species8.htm>.
Diagram Group. "Mudflats." Marine Science: An Illustrated Guide to Science
(Science Visual Resources). United States of America: Chelsea House
Publications, 2006. 285. Print.
"Office of Habitat Protection Division." NOAA :: National Marine Fisheries Service.
N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2010.
<http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/habitat/habitatprotection/hptype/hptype8.htm>.
Rossi, F., R. M. Forster, and F. Montserrat. "Human trampling as short-term
disturbance on intertidal mudflats: effects on macrofauna biodiversity and
population dynamics of bivalves." Marine Biology 151.6 (2007): 2077-90.
Science Full Text Select. Web. 22 Mar. 2010.