Life in the maelstrom: The biomechanics of wave-swept rocky shores

Nowhere on earth is water motion more violent than in the surf zone of rocky shores, and the hydrodynamic stresses imposed on plants and animals by wave-induced flows far exceed any in terrestrial or oceanic environments. Despite the harshness of the physical environment, wave-swept habitats support persistent, diverse communities. Knowledge of the physical mechanisms by which water motion affects plants and animals and of the ways in which they cope with their environment is essential for understanding the community ecology of these turbulent habitats.