Beach wrack

This material acts as a natural input of marine resources into a terrestrial system, providing food and habitat for a variety of coastal organisms.

The wrack zone is most commonly associated with a sandy beach habitat but can also be present in rocky shores, mangroves, salt marshes, and other coastal systems.

A common organic component is seaweed, such as kelp, which easily floats to coastal waters after being dislodged by its holdfast or otherwise torn by wave action and animal activity.

For example, rove beetles burrow in the wet sand below the wrack zone, benefiting from moist conditions and the availability of herbivorous invertebrate prey species.

[6] A variety of effects have been observed in animals that ingest plastic, including reduced reproductive success, changes in immune function, and increased mortality.