Subtidal Soft Bottoms

Subtidal soft bottoms are made up of sediments and are almost always unvegetated ("Subtidal"). Subtidal soft bottoms tend to be found along coasts; examples of subtidal soft bottoms are the outer banks of North Carolina and Long Island Sound ("2005", 1). What makes these areas subtidal soft bottoms is the flat nature of them along with the build up of sediments such as sand and silt ("Subtidal").

"2005 Coastal Habitat Protection Plan." Http://www.ncfisheries.net/. North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries. Web. http://www.ncfisheries.net/habitat/chppdocs/G_Soft%20Bottom.pdf.


"Subtidal Soft Bottom Overview." San Diego Nearshore Program. University of California-San Diego. Web. http://nearshore.ucsd.edu/habitatclass/subtidal-over.html.

Mud Fiddler Crabs: Inhabitants of the Subtidal Soft Bottom

The most distinctive trait of the Mud Fiddler Crab, is it's enlarged claw (Wenner, 1). Only male Fiddler Crabs have a large claw (Wenner, 1). There is a 50:50 percent chance as to which arm of the Fiddler Crab will be large. As each male grows to mature, their claws grow from 2 percent of their total body weight to roughly 65 percent (Wenner, 1). Mid Fiddler crabs can be found in subtidal soft bottoms and marshes. They're known to burrow, and tend to increase the erosion of salt marshes by burrowing more and more inland (Wenner, 2). Though they're found extensively on the East Coast of the United States from Massachusetts to Florida, their populations are extremely sensitive to pesticides (Wenner, 2).


Wenner, Elizabeth. "Fiddler Crabs." Http://www.dnr.sc.gov/. South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Web. 5 May 2011. .

Norwich GL111 Term Project Introductions

As part of our Introduction to Oceanography class this Spring 2011 semester at Norwich University, our group will be researching and presenting on plants and animals that live in an ecosystem called the 'Subtidal Soft Bottom'.

We have three group members:
Bryce, a Junior majoring in Political Science, is researching Invertebrate (Uca pugnax, commonly known as the Fiddler Crab), Matt, a Junior majoring in Criminal Justice is researching Phytoplankton (Ceratium furca), and William, a Sophomore majoring in Criminal Justice is researching Vertebrate (Pseudopleuronectes americanus, also known as the flounder).

Each member of our group will be reporting on a different marine organism that lives in the subtidal soft bottom ecosystem. One will be a zooplankton, one a phytoplankton, and one a marine invertebrate.

As part of an integrated approach, we will be researching how our organisms interact with the other aspects of the ocean system (geological, physical, and chemical).