ECOLOGY
Abiotic factors
Are all the environmental factors in an ecosystem.
In an aquatic environment the most important environmental factors are light, salinity and pressure.
In a terrestrial environment, the most important environmental factors are soil type, temperature, humidity and light.
So in Serra Gelada both are really important.
Biotic factors
Are interactions that take place between organisms in an ecosystem.
The purposes of these interactions are to find food, defend the group from predators, reproduce, move about, etc.
Trophic chains
The sequence in which species feed on or are eaten by other species of other levels is known as a food or trophic chain.
Adaptions
To live in the marine environment animals and plants have had to adapt with acclimation that is adapted to the temperature of the water, the pressure, the salinity ...
To live in the terrestrial environment animals and plants have had to addapt to the hight temperatures and little rainfall, with.
You are in the shadow area where the sun does not shine and the plants have to adapt
You are in the sunny area, where the sun affects most of the day and the
water is scarce. For this reason, the vegetation has clear and narrow leaves and deep roots to catch as much water as possible.
In the dune zone, several plant communities of great interest are settled, housing species that have a restricted distribution area, such as the camariña, the spectacled grass (Biscutella montana), Teucrium hifacensis, the Serra Gelada palometa ( Lynaria arabiniana). In order to preserve this fragile habitat to the maximum, the dune has a specific regulation to be able to transit through it.
These cliffs have unique plants that botanists call rupicolous, as they live on rocks with very little soil. Among these stands out the Silene de Ifach (Silene hifacensis), the only plant species of the Valencian Community that, due to its high risk of disappearing, has a Recovery Plan that helps its conservation. Other outstanding species of the cliffs are the Orelleta de ratolí (Sarcocapnos saetabensis) or the Trencapedres (Teucrium hifacensis).
Sea
In the Mediterranean Sea there are 5 differentiated zones:
Supralitoral zone: also called splash zone, this area is practically never submerged. The organisms that live in this area need a continuous emersion and are species adapted to harsh living conditions.
Mediolitoral zone: tidal zone or breakers, presents species that tolerate a little prolonged immersion and never permanent dives. Its amplitude will depend on the strength of the waves and the tidal race.
Infralitral zone: zone with a continuous immersion. Its upper limit is therefore defined by organisms that require permanent immersion, while the lower limit is defined by the disappearance of marine phanerogams (eg Posidonia oceanica) and photophilic algae.
Circumittoral zone: the upper level of this zone is defined by the disappearance of marine phanerogams and photophilic algae, to the maximum depth in which unicellular algae can tolerate low lighting. The lower limit would be marked by the zone of light extinction
.
Batial Zone: includes the continental slope and is characterized by the absence of light. The species of this zone are located in zones of strong slope of the continental slope and of connection with the abyssal plains.
Abyssal Zone: includes the abyssal plains, and if not itself receives the light from solar radiation.
Species
The most important species in the Serra Gelada are:
The lizard
The Storm-Petrel (Hydrobates pelagicus melitensis)
The “Silene de Ifach” (Silene hifacensis)
The “Orelleta de Ratolí” (Sarcocapnos saetabensis)
The “Canyeta d’or” (Asperula paui subp. dianensis).
Posidonia oceanica
The underwater environment of the Serra Gelada has very interesting biological communities and
great ecological value This is the case of the Posidonia oceanica, which although locally known as Alguers, is a marine plant with flowers, exclusive to the Mediterranean.
The Posidonia oceanica prairies have a very important role in the marine ecosystem because:
- They are the main producer of oxygen in the sea, like a lung in the Mediterranean.
- Constitute a fundamental area for reproduction, breeding, feeding and shelter
of numerous species of marine fauna.
- They avoid the erosion of the coast and, therefore, the regression of the beaches, by attenuating the impact of the waves and retaining the sediments.