<P> The intertidal region is an important model system for the study of ecology, especially on wave - swept rocky shores . The region contains a high diversity of species, and the zonation created by the tides causes species ranges to be compressed into very narrow bands . This makes it relatively simple to study species across their entire cross-shore range, something that can be extremely difficult in, for instance, terrestrial habitats that can stretch thousands of kilometres . Communities on wave - swept shores also have high turnover due to disturbance, so it is possible to watch ecological succession over years rather than decades . </P> <P> The burrowing invertebrates that make up large portions of sandy beach ecosystems are known to travel relatively great distances in cross-shore directions as beaches change on the order of days, semilunar cycles, seasons, or years . The distribution of some species has been found to correlate strongly with geomorphic datums such as the high tide strand and the water table outcrop . </P> <P> Since the foreshore is alternately covered by the sea and exposed to the air, organisms living in this environment must have adaptions for both wet and dry conditions . Hazards include being smashed or carried away by rough waves, exposure to dangerously high temperatures, and desiccation . Typical inhabitants of the intertidal rocky shore include urchins, sea anemones, barnacles, chitons, crabs, isopods, mussels, starfish, and many marine gastropod molluscs such as limpets and whelks . </P> <P> As with the dry sand part of a beach, legal and political disputes can arise over the ownership and use of the foreshore . One recent example is the New Zealand foreshore and seabed controversy . In legal discussions, the foreshore is often referred to as the wet - sand area . </P>

Adaptations found in inhabitants of the rocky intertidal zone include