Marine, intertidal, boulder, exposed, eulittoral

Boulder habitats exposed to the full range of wave energies are found on the outer coast and at the mouth of the Strait of Juan de Fuca.  Communities on tops and sides of boulders are similar to those on bedrock, but the spaces on the lower edges and beneath boulders provide additional spatial complexity; these microhabitats tend to be shadier (and thus cooler) and less exposed to wave disturbance. Boulder habitats thus often have very high species diversity.