Life on the Edge: Tides, tide pools and the creatures that live there

In this course we will concentrate on the study of invertebrate animals. However, we will start with ocean tides and the forces that generate them and then take our study of invertebrates to the tide pools where many of these animals live. We will examine invertebrates such as sponges, corals, crabs, sea urchins and maybe some wild and crazy worms. Students will learn about the adaptations that these organisms have developed to live in the tide pool environment. We also hope to collect some plankton and see what invertebrate larva look like thus studying their entire life cycle.