This middle community is characterized by the prevalence of barnacles, rockweed, and mussels. Most often this part of the rocky shore is underwater and exposed only partly at extremely low tide. When this region is exposed, it is a violent and hazardous area where strong waves and violent currents combat the land. All organisms living in this violent region have features that allow them to hold tightly to a solid substrate and to keep from being carried away into the deep abyss. Perhaps the most exciting and fascinating field trip took place just south of Yosemite at Mono Lake.
Mono Lake is a truly unique body of water.
Its salinity is three times that of the ocean owing to the sodium and other salts brought in via erosion that are concentrated as water evaporates from the lake. Additionally, the lake provides an abundant food source in the form of brine flies and brine shrimp for hundreds of thousands of migratory birds. In fact, this food source is so abundant that the entire sea gull population of California makes a yearly migration to this nutritious haven to mate and to take advantage of this ecological niche. Near Mono Lake are other great attractions such as a trout fishery, natural sulfur hot springs, and sand tufa-lined fissures. Some pictures taken from this trip are included in this site.