Rockpooling Destination: Nr Kilchoan, Scotland, May 2015

The rocky shore comprises cobbles and boulders on bedrock with multiple gullies, crevices and rockpools. This variable topography has resulted in a patchy distribution of habitats. Lichens characterise the elevated rock with barnacle communities below. Rockpools occur across the shore, supporting variable communities depending on their elevation. 

Habitat classification:

Substrate	LR (Littoral rock)
Habitat	LR.HLR (High energy littoral rock)	LR.MLR (Moderate energy littoral rock)	LR.FLR (Features if littoral rock)
Biotope Complex	LR.HLR.MusB (Mussel and/or barnacle communities)	LR.MLR.BF.PelB (Pelvetia canaliculata,and sparse barnacles on moderately exposed littoral fringe rock)	LR.FLR.Lic (Lichens on supralittoral   and littoral fringe rock)		LR.FLR.Rkp (Rockpools)
Biotope			LR.FLR.Lic.YG (Yellow and grey lichens on supralittoral rock)	LR.FLR.Lic.Ver (Verrucaria maura on littoral fringe rock)	LR.FLR.Rkp.Cor (Coralline crust-dominated shallow eulittoral rockpools)	LR.FLR.Rkp.Fk (Fucoids and kelp in deep eulittoral rockpools)

Below are images of organisms and habitats you may encounter whilst rockpooling on the shore near Kilchoan:

The rocky shore comprises cobbles, boulders, bedrock and rockpools. Habitat classification: LR.FLR.Lic.YG (Yellow and grey lichens on supralittoral rock) EUNIS: B3.111, LR.FLR.Lic.Ver (Verrucaria maura on littoral firnge rock) EUNIS: B3.113,  LR.MLR.BF.PelB (Pelvetia canaliculata,and sparse barnacles on moderately exposed littoral fringe rock) EUNIS: A1.211 LR.HLR.MusB (Mussel and/or barnacle communities) EUNIS: A1.11 and LR.FLR.Rkp (Rockpools) EUNIS: A1.41.

This photograph taken at the exposed far end of the shore shows how the biotopes on the headlands exhibit distinct distributions. Yellow and grey lichens occur at the highest elevation of the rock in the supralittoral. Below, the rocks of the littoral fringe appear black, from the tar lichen (Verrucaria maura ) with a fringing of  the brown channel wrack (Pelvetia canaliculata); below this are the barnacle communities with patches of Lichina pygmaea. Habitat classification: LR.FLR.Lic.YG (Yellow and grey lichens on supralittoral rock) EUNIS: B3.111, LR.FLR.Lic.Ver (Verrucaria maura on littoral firnge rock) EUNIS: B3.113,  LR.MLR.BF.PelB (Pelvetia canaliculata,and sparse barnacles on moderately exposed littoral fringe rock) EUNIS: A1.211 and LR.HLR.MusB (Mussel and/or barnacle communities) EUNIS: A1.11.

Rough periwinkles (Littorina spp) and sparse barnacles occur among the less stable cobbles of the upper shore. 

Dense barnacle communities cover the stable bedrock of the upper and mid shore, inter-dispersed by shallow coralline rockpools. Habitat classification: LR.HLR.MusB (Mussel and/or barnacle communities) EUNIS: A1.11 and LR.FLR.Rkp.Cor (Coralline crust-dominated shallow eulittoral rockpools) EUNIS: A1.411.

An edible periwinkle (Littorina littoria) within a coralline rockpool.

Mussels grow within the crevices of the coralline rockpools, often becoming covered by Corallinaceae crusts.

Gibbula umbilicus within a coralline rockpool.

A china limpet (Patella ulyssiponensis) forages within a coralline rockpool.

A green sea urchin (Psammechinus miliaris) uses dead shells and debris from the coralline rockpool as camouflage.

Psammechinus miliaris uses dead shells and debris from the coralline rockpool as camouflage.

In summer month ephemeral green algae exhibit rapid growth within the coralline rockpools.

Claodophora spp

Claodophora spp

Claodophora spp

In the deeper rockpools of the shore brown seaweeds, such as sea oak (Halidrys siliquosa) and thong weed (Himanthalia elongata) occur. Habitat classification: LR.FLR.Rkp.Fk (Fucoids and kelp in deep eulittoral rockpools) EUNIS: A1.412.

Halidrys siliquosa , Himanthalia elongata and Coarllinaceae crusts.