Marine March

Learn about what tide pools are, tide pool ecosystems, what to look out for when you are tide pooling and how to start tide pooling on your own.

Have you ever been strolling along a beach and you stop by to wonder what could be lurking amidst those salt water pools in those small craters between rocks? Well, what if I tell you these briny little pools contain completely different ecosystems of their own? Encapsulated between two rock faces, are some of the richest and most diverse ecosystems on our planet. So, you must be wondering what ecosystems are, right? According to the dictionary definition, “An ecosystem is a geographic area where plants, animals and other organisms, as well as weather and landscape, work together to form a bubble of life. Ecosystems contain biotic (living) factors, as well as abiotic (nonliving) factors. Biotic factors include plants, animals and other organisms. Abiotic factors include rocks, temperature and humidity.” Now that you know what an ecosystem is, you must be wondering how the same water from the ocean collects amidst rocks and forms and ecosystem completely unlike the ocean’s. Well the truth is, over 71% of the earth’s surface is covered by oceans only! The same tide pool ecosystem is found in the oceans as well, just that in tide pools it is much more concentrated, if you look at each tide pool species, limpets, crustaceans (mantis shrimps, prawns, lobsters, crabs, hermit crabs etc.), octopi, small fish, sea stars, starfish etc., they are all found in oceans as well, just that the chance of spotting one of these in an ocean is under 20%, whereas in tide pools, it is over 85%! This makes tide pools a go-to for nature lovers.

Small tide pool with clusters of barnacles around it. Courtesy: www.google.com

Well now that you know what tide pools and their ecosystems are, let’s dive deeper into these fascinating marine hotspots. As I mentioned earlier, tide pools are home to a variety of different species. Barnacles and limpets are often found sticking to rocks around tide pools, where you also might find crabs sunbathing on a warm summer’s afternoon! If you get very lucky, you might just spot an octopus hiding in a rock crevice, ready to catch its prey. And take a moment to examine the bottom of a tide pool very carefully, a sea slug might just be camouflaging in with the sand! Tiny fish such as tide pool sculpins, opaleyes etc. swim around eating zooplankton while morray and monkeyface eels get ready to stalk them. Sea urchins, sea stars and starfish make the tide pool bed their home and sea anemones, sponges and corals stick to the rocks around. Decorator crabs are vulnerable and so they came up with a clever disguise; they decorate themselves using bits of mosses, algae, sand and sometimes even small sea anemones! In return, the crab lets the mosses and anemones feed on th parasites sticking to it. Therefore the ecosystem is balanced- the octopi eat the crabs, the crabs eat the fish, smaller crabs and fish eat the zooplankton and the zooplankton eat other microscopic uni-cellular organisms, the bottom of the food chain.

Decorator crab I saw in Goa adjusting bits of moss. Taken with a micro lens.

Now, let’s talk about tide pooling, which is simply when you record and observe the tide pool ecosystem. Tide pooling is a great hobby for people of all ages, for amateurs and for experienced tide poolers. It’s a great way to have fun and embrace the wonders of nature, wherever you may be. Of course, if you live in a coastal area, you’ve got it all sorted out! But if you don’t not to fret. The next time you’re travelling to one, make sure to check out tide pooling! Here are some things to keep in mind on your first intertidal expedition-

• Remember not to touch, respect nature and it will respect you!

• Don’t pick anything up, if a single thing is out of order, the whole ecosystem will be damaged.

• Take photos instead. A specimen will last a day, but a photo will last forever!

  
  

  Here’s what to look out for when you’re tide pooling-

• Check every corner and crevice, you never know what you might find!

• Look very carefully, use a lens for your phone if you can.

• Saw a movement in the sand? Your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you, sea slugs and octopi are masters of disguise!

An octopus I saw in the Andaman Islands hunting for a crab

Burgundy sea anemone I saw while tide pooling in Goa.

Camouflaged sea slug that I saw in Andaman Islands, a master of disguise.