Intertidal puddles
\n<\/b>Some meters away from us, in the rocky tidal plains of Fuerteventura, we find these little samples of marine biodiversity. The tide is continuously making them emerge and submerge; this is why many of the species living there are especially adapted to the changes produced in their surrounding area.
\nIn the emergent part of these rocky tidal plains we find the other side of a fascinating ecosystem where curlews and other coastal birds like turnstones,\u00a0\u201cchorlitejos\u201d (charadrius) or \u201ccorrelimos\u201d (calidris) fly across the coast in order to forage. Limpets, \u201cburgados\u201d (osilinus spp), crabs and other invertebrates are the visible part of this ecosystem, together with the seaweeds that are exposed in the low tide and that cover the rocks in the intertidal puddles.<\/p>\n
Brown seaweed beds
\n<\/b>Along Fuerteventura coastline and mainly on the rocky bottoms we can find brown seaweed beds playing a crucial role as a main source of food production for the sea fauna.<\/p>\n
<\/b>\u201c<\/b>Blanquizales\u201d
\n<\/b>\u201cLos blanquizales\u201d are the whitish rocky bottoms,\u00a0 as a result of the presence of the long-spined urchin \u201cDiadema africanum\u201d (before \u201cDiadema antillarum\u201d). These herbivores feed on the seaweed on the rocks, leaving them devoid of vegetation and thus fostering the emergence of these particular ecosystems. In our trips from Corralejo to Lobos we go across what is known as \u201cEl baj\u00f3n del R\u00edo\u201d, an important area of \u201cblanquizales\u201d with geological formations in the shape of mushrooms, fully devoid of seaweed, which rise on a sandy bottom over 14 metres.<\/p>\n
Sand Areas Sea grass meadows Cliffs FuerteCharter Team<\/i><\/b><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The sea area of the Biosphere Reserve in Fuerteventura has a great biological wealth, regarding species and marine ecosystems: intertidal puddles, submarine cliffs, brown seaweed beds, chalk pits, sand areas or sea grass meadows\u2014 those sandy seabed oasis of life\u2014, all of them take part of the natural heritage of our dear Majorera island. In … Continue reading Trips from Corralejo to find out the marine ecosystems in Fuerteventura<\/span> ![\"trips](\"http:\/\/blog.fuertecharter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/trips-from-corralejo2.jpg\")
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\n<\/b>Although apparently our sandy bottoms in the coastline may seem desert, a more careful look makes us find out that many organisms live either under or over the sand. Spiders, cone fish, starfish, cuttlefish, lizard fish, crabs… Then, in areas subjected to currents and where the sediment is more stable we find sand eels. The variety of species we can find in this ecosystem is really amazing. This is another marine ecosystem we find in our trips from Corralejo.<\/p>\n
\n<\/b>These ocean meadows make up one of the most important marine ecosystems due to their great capacity to produce food, as well as to be used as breeding area for\u00a0 many species of invertebrate fishes. These oasis of life on the sandy bottoms are environmental quality indicators in the coastline ecosystem and have a high ecological value we must preserve. Moreover they have other important roles, like the improvement of the water quality or the protection from coastal erosion. In our trips from Corralejo to Lobos we go across what is known as \u201clos Sebadales de Corralejo\u201d, declared a Special Conservation Area (ZEC<\/a>) because of its ecological significance and for being a habitat of interest for the bottlenose dolphin \u201cTursiops truncatus\u201d and the loggerhead turtle \u201cCaretta caretta\u201d.<\/p>\n
\n<\/b>Submarine cliffs are a meeting point among some species in the open sea and other species living near the coastline. The bicuda, amberjack and trumpet fish have their hunting reserves here. The moray eels, glass fish and other species living in dark environments find shelter in the crevices and caves at the rocks.<\/p>\n