Intertidal Cellular Study

Limpets (Patella vulgate) live in algae rich environments on rocky shores. . It has been proposed that in more sheltered areas, limpet shells will grow to be flatter with a larger diameter, while in more exposed areas of coastline, they will grow a taller and narrower shell shape. To find out whether or not the shores of Aberdeen reflected this, samples were taken from two sites (Site A and Site B) along the Aberdeen coastline that varied in their exposure to wave action. The sites were chosen to provide two sample sites with a notable difference in their environment. In the more sheltered site A, limpets were not exposed to harsh waves, while at site B, there was significantly more wave action. Quadrats were used at both sites to provide an area of sampling for the limpets and they were placed around 5 meters from the waterline. The overall results from the study showed that there is a very strong relationship between diameter and height in Limpet shells and that there was an incredibly slight difference in the relationship between the two sites.

This study was conducted to deduce whether the height to width ratio of limpets altered across the three main zones on the shore: upper, middle and lower. It was carried out on Holbeck Beach, North Yorkshire, where limpets were measured in all three zones using random sampling. We found a significant difference in the height to width ratio between the upper and lower shore and upper and middle shore. This is due to many factors, including the threat of desiccation and strong waves.

Hastings Point is a small coastal town located in New South Wales that is sounded by a national park. Hastings point has been a great location for tourists due to its marine wildlife, beaches and fishing. This destination is home to a magnificent rocky shore perfectly suited for a vast majority and wide range of marine wildlife. The rocky shore has a wide spread of both biotic and abiotic factors which provides a suitable ecosystem for all wildlife but unfortunately this unindustrialized location is becoming over developed. This takes a toll on Hastings point ecosystem immensely because the estuary, beach and the living organisms are slowly diminishing in

Table 2: Presence and occurrence of marine organisms in the surf zone of Pallarenda beach.

There are tons of people named “Bailey” in the Higganum cemetery but we can’t verify a “S. S. Bailey” in the cemetery records or in Ancestry.com records.

6) There are several advantages and disadvantages to identifying benthic macro-invertebrates at different taxonomic levels. In this assignment metrics were calculated to the 27-group level (which consists of phyla, classes, orders and families) as well as the family level. There were slight differences in the calculated species richness and Biotic Indexes using these different identification levels. This is an indication that taxonomic resolution can affect bioassesment outcomes.

Only one method of planktonic sampling was used so comparison with another method of sampling cannot be done. It is safe to assume that the most appropriate method of sampling in these areas was previously determined by the lab instructor. Isolation of organisms in the samples was met with some difficulty as there was very little life to be observed. Once isolated however, a general identification was simple with the use of the “quick picks” section of the Marine Invertebrate Zoology Lab Manual. One particular organism isolated from the “T-docks” samples, a foraminiferida, was chosen for scientific drawing (Figure 1).

Bolton & Anderson (1990) found that the intertidal zones of the west coast (mean SST of 13°C) and the south coast (mean SST of 18°C) were comprised of different dominating species although the sites were less than 500 km apart. West of the cape, the sublittoral zones were dominated by Laminaria sp (including L. pallida and L. schinzii). The sublittoral zones of the southern portion of the cape were dominated by smaller species such as Zongaria subarticulata. The midlittoral zone for both the west and south were dominated by Gigartina spp., however, the dominate species of the south coast, G. pristoides, was not even present along the west coast (Bolton & Anderson, 1990). Gigartina stiriata and G.radula dominated the midlittoral zone for the west coast sites (Bolton & Anderson, 1990). Although Bolton & Anderson (1990) did not examine species in the supralittoral zone, research along the coast of South Africa completed by Stephenson & Stephenson (1937) indicates that in the upmost intertidal zone of both the west and south coast of the cape, Porphyra capensis is the primary algae present, with Bostrychia spp. also represented.

The rocky shore is the intertidal zone, where the land meets the sea. It has a presence of large and small rocks, with the possibility of rock drop-offs or cliffs. There is a high presence of rock pools, containing an array of living and non-living organisms. The abiotic factors of the rocky shores

Rocky Shores are found where the sea meets the land which supports a diverse mix of plants and animals that have adapted to survive in the unique conditions of constant wave action as well as the fall of tides (Ehp.qld. 2016). Most of the ecosystems flora and fauna live in the intertidal zone, between high and low tide (Ehp.qld. 2016). They are exposed to two environments, being crushed by waves and swamped by the sea water, extreme temperatures and salinity, and left unprotected

The coral reef surveyors were instructed to find the best sites that they believed had the most living coral and were thought to be least affected by human activities. This would allow Hodgson to determine if human activities were having an appreciable effect on the supposed pristine coral reefs, which were distant from urban centers. The invertebrate survey was undertaken at two depth intervals of 3m and 10m. Four 0.5 m wide by 20 m long belts were placed on the coral reef. Over a period of 3-5 minutes the observers counted the number of invertebrates found on the belts. The coral survey was performed, by placing four 20 m long belts on the coral substrate. At 0.5 m intervals the substrate on which the belts were lying was examined and recorded.

The intertidal rocky shore of Caloundra Beach is inhabited by diverse range of biodiversity of animals and plants, many of which have developed high levels of adaptations throughout their existence. The very boundary of marine and terrestrial ecosystem, this environment is subjected to extremes of the physical environment such as temperature, desiccation, wave turbulence as well the ecological interactions that commonly occur in biotic communities (e.g. competition, predation). However Rocky intertidal shores are easily accessible by humans and provide an enjoyable opportunity for passive recreation and for science and environmental education as well.

Students collected different sizes of rocks and remove any macroinvertebrates that were present on the rocks and placed them into jars which were filled with alcohol. We also recorded the outline of the rocks on the graph paper to estimate the rock size. In the lab on September 20th, we grouped together individual aquatic macroinvertebrates into taxonomic orders such as Plecoptera, Ephemeroptera, Tricoptera, and Coleoptera, Diptera based on the identification guides. Then the whole class tally the number of species of a specific taxonomic order they have and created a chart including a chart for the size of the rock area. Results:

The aim of this investigation is to look at the distribution of the ornate limpet, (Cellana Ornata) and the radiate limpet (Cellana Radians) on the rocky shore. We went to the rocky shore of Sirens rocks between Island Bay and Owhiro Bay, on Wellington’s South Coast. We are studying how our chosen organisms affect each other’s distribution patterns. We sampled in the low tide zone, mid tide zone, and high tide zone. The rocky shore we explored was 80 metre long, rocky terrain, bare rock platforms with rock gulley’s.

On the 9th of March, I went to Siren’s Rocks to investigate the community pattern, also called zonation, within the bounds of Island Bay’s Wellington Ecological Marine Reserve. The ecosystem of Taputeranga Marine Reserve takes the full impact of the Southern ocean swells. This Reserve is influenced by three different oceanic currents. This is an abiotic factor. The currents impact helps shape the rocky shoreline into the ecological community of different species of shore life into a pattern of different zones (zonation).