Effect of Intertidal Height on Basal Diameter of Balanus glandula

This study explores the relationships between abiotic and biotic factors within the intertidal andhow they influence the size and composition of its inhabitants. Barnacles are often studied inintertidal environments because of their prevalence and the role they play in the lives of otherintertidal organisms. The basal diameter sizes of the barnacle Balanus glandula were comparedbetween the low, mid, and high intertidal heights of the Vancouver, BC shoreline in October2020. These three intertidal heights vary significantly with the presence of certain abiotic andbiotic factors that the organisms which live there are exposed to; and their effect on B. glanduladiameter was analyzed. No differences were found in the sizes of the barnacles from each heightof the intertidal, however, this may have been due to a few different causes. A more thoroughexploration of the relationship between intertidal height and barnacle size could lead tointeresting insights about the effects of predation, competition, weather, or desiccation on thebarnacle life cycle and growth rates.