NCSA Home NCSA Contacts Directory Site Map  
About Us
Ecology of Atlantic Shores
Personal Info
Field Experiments
Intertidal Zone
Upper Intertidal Zone
Middle Intertidal Zone
Lower Intertidal Zone
Oranisms Involved in Study
-Algae (Green, Red, Brown)
Intertida Mollusks
Intertidal Echinoderms
Intertidal Urochordate
Intertidal Arthropods
Types of Competition
Effects of Competition
Algal Study
Materials & Methods

There are three different groups of algal species that inhabit the intertidal zone.  They are the Chlorophyta (green algae), Rhotophyta (red algae), and Phaeophyta (the brown algae).  The algae that exist in the intertidal species are very important to other organisms that inhabits the intertidal zone.  Some of these algal species protect other organisms from desiccation from the sun and other harsh weathers. Below is a description of some algal species found in the intertidal zone and an example of a species from the intertidal zone.

Choloryphyta (The Green Algae)

These species are stringy and sometimes form a "lettuce"-like structure, though each species are somewhat distinct in their morphology.  An example of Chlorophyta is the Enteromorpha intestinalis.


Rhodophyta (The Red Algae)

These species of algae have forms of crustose (grown in rocks) , coraline (cell wall with calcium), and filaments that are thick and fleshy in morphology.  Some are dichotimously branched and some are not.  An example of a Rhodophyta is the Chondrus crispus.


Phaeophyta (The Brown Algae)

These species of algae have forms of crust, felt-like mats, bushy, sheet-like in morphology.  They have blades and have a stem and their roots are attached to a rock or some form of solid structure.  An example of a Phaeophyta is the Ascophyllum nodosum, which is a keystone species.