Rock pooling destination: Penberth, Cornwall September 2013

The shore comprises a narrow cove with boulders lining either side of a slipway and a river that forms a small waterfall on the upper shore before flowing beneath the boulders to the sea.

The upper most shore is characterised by yellow and green lichens. Fucus ceranoides and ephermeral seaweeds characterise areas of the upper shore influenced by fresh water influx, whilst elsewhere tar lichen, barnacles, limpets and periwinkles occur. As you extend further down green ephermeral seaweeds, limpets and barnacles become more abundant with the odd dog whelk and mussel. On this visit the lower shore could not be observed but previously beadlet anemones, red seaweeds and crustaceans have been recorded.

Habitat classifications:

Substrate	LR (Littoral rock)
Habitat	HLR (High energy littoral rock)	FLR (Features of littoral rock)		LR (Low energy littoral rock)
Biotope complex	LR.HLR. MusB (Mussel and/or barnacle communities)	LR.FLR.Lic.(Lichens on supralittoral and littoral fringe rock).	Eph.FLR.Eph (Ephemeral green or red seaweed communities	LR.LLR.FVS (Fucoids in variable salinity)
Biotope		LR.FLR.Lic.Ver (Verrucaria Maura on littoral fringe rock)		LR.LLR.FVS.Fcer (Fucus ceranoides on reduced salinity eultittoral rock)

Rocky shore comprising boulders.

Lichens in the upper most part of the shore. Habitat classification: LR.FLR.Lic (Lichens on supralittoral and littoral fringe rock).

Sea ivory (Ramalina siliquosa)

Possible Parelle (Ochrolechia parella).

Anaptychia spp.

Anaptychia spp.

Sea ivory (Ramalina siliquosa) and other lichens.

Tar lichen (Verrucaria maura) occurs below the band of yellow and green lichens. Habitat classification: 

LR.FLR.Lic.Ver (Verrucaria Maura on littoral fringe rock).

Small periwinkles (Melarhaphe neritoides) occur within cracks and divots of the boulders.

Sparse barnacles occur with Small periwinkles (Melarhaphe neritoides).

Periwinkles aggregated between boulders where conditions are more sheltered.

Periwinkles aggregate between the boulders on the shore.

Periwinkles aggregate in the lee too of boulders on the shore.

Limpets also aggregate on the sheltered side of boulders.

Limpets (Patella vulgata) aggregate in the shelter of two boulders.

A limpet (Patella vulgata)

Meanwhile where the river brings fresh water onto the shore it influences the communities found with low salinity tolerant species  such as Fucus ceranoides and ephermeral seaweeds dominating. Habitat classification: LR.LLR.FVS.Fcer (Fucus ceranoides on reduced salinity eultittoral rock).

The water collects for form low salinity pools. Habitat classification:  FLR.Rkp (Rockpools).

Fucus ceranoides

Porphyra spp

The river soon flows beneath the boulders.

Further down on the mid to lower shore the river flows beneath the boulders and species such as the limpets, Patella depressa and mussels (Mytilus edulis) occur. Habitat classification: LR.HLR. MusB (Mussel and/or barnacle communities).

Barnacle abundance also increases.

Barnacles

Patella depressa

Patella depressa and barnacles

Boulders are covered in barnacles and limpets.

As the lower shore is reached red seaweeds occur beneath the boulders and extend below to form an understory.

But the tide was too high to see any more!

Seaweed washed in during winter storms had aggregated on the slip way.

Rockpooling destination: Sea Palling July 2013

The shore at Sea Palling is influenced by a series of artificial sea defences that have changed the dynamics of the shore to produce multiple bays comprised of mobile sands with shingle berms in between.

Since March (Blog post 15^th April) certain features of the shore have changed, namely reduced strandline, increased ephemeral algae and the seasonal presence of certain species.

Habitat classifications:

Substrate	LR (Littoral rock)		LS (Littoral substrate)
Habitat	HLR (High energy littoral rock)	LR.FLR (Features of littoral rock)	LS.LSa (Littoral sand)
Biotope complex	LR.HLR. MusB (Mussel and/or barnacle communities)	LR..FLR.Eph (Ephemeral green or red seaweed communities	LS.LSa.sh (Shingle and gravel shores)	LS.LSa.St (Strandline)	LS.LSa.MoSa.BarSa (Barren littoral coarse sand)
Biotope		LR.FLR.Eph.EntPor (Porphyra purpurea and Entomorpha spp. on sand scoured lower eulittoral rock)

Below are images of some of the organisms you may encounter whilst rock pooling in these habitats:

The sea defences provide a hard substrate amongst the littoral sediments of the shore. Habitat classification: LR.HLR (High energy littoral rock) and LS.Sa (Littoral sand).

The strandline is predominantly comprised of the remnants of razor shells and wood and is less extensive then in March. Habitat description: LS.LSa.St (Strandline).

During the summer months sea gooseberries(Pleurobrachia pileus) become stranded on the shore. 

A cuttlefish had become trapped within a tidal pool.

The sea defences comprise large rectangular boulders that have relatively shear faces. A shingle topped berm extends out to the sea defences. Habitat classification: LR.HLR (High energy littoral rock) and LS.LSa.sh (Shingle and gravel shores).

Barnacles and the periwinkle (Littorina spp) on the upper shore.  Habitat classification: LR.HLR.MusB (Mussels and/or barnacles in high energy littoral rock).

Barnacles and the common limpet (Patella vulgata). Habitat classification: LR.HLR.MusB (Mussels and/or barnacles in high energy littoral rock).

Since March the spiral wrack (Fucus spiralis) has come into its reproductive phase and ephemeral green algae has colonised more areas of the shore. Habitat classification: LR.HLR.MusB (Mussels and/or barnacles in high energy littoral rock).

Sand ephermeral green and red seaweeds on the lower shore. Porphyra characterises the biotope LR.FLR.Eph.EntPor (Porphyra purpurea and Entomorpha spp. on sand scoured lower eulittoral rock).

Beadlet anemones (Actinia equina) in a rockpool. Habitat classification: LR.FLR.Rckp (Rockpools).

Common star fish (Asterias rubens) still occur in the rock pools beneath the sea defences. Habitat classification: LR.FLR.Rckp (Rockpools).

Rockpooling destination:Near Mallaig, Scotland, May 2013

The shore comprises a small sandy bay with a cobble upper shore flanked by steep outcrops of bedrock and boulders, amongst which rockpools occur.

Habitat classifications: 

Substrate	LR (Littoral rock)		LS (Littoral substrate)
Habitat	HLR (High energy littoral rock)	FLR (Features of littoral rock)	LS.LSa (Littoral sand)
Biotope complex	LR.HLR. MusB (Mussel and/or barnacle communities)	Rkp (Rockpools)	LS.LSa.sh (Shingle and gravel shores)	LS.LSa.St (Strandline)
Biotope		LR.FLR.Rkp.Cor (Coralline crust dominated shallow eulittoral rockpools)

The shore. Habitat classification: LS.LSa (Littoral sand), LS.LSa.sh (Shingle and gravel shores) and LR.HLR. MusB (Mussel and/or barnacle communities).

Cobbles and pebbles comprise the substrate of the upper shore. Due to their mobile and porous  nature this is a species poor area of the shore. Habitat classification: LS.LSa.sh (Shingle and gravel shores).

Where a strand line forms fauna may be found as it provides a source of food and shelter from desiccation. Habitat classification: LS.LSa.St (Strandline) surrounded by LS.LSa.sh (Shingle and gravel shores).

Turning over the crisp seaweed within the strand line reveals a damp and moist environment where amphipods and terrestrial insects occur. Habitat classification: LS.LSa.St (Strandline).

The occasional wrack (Fucus spp) grows on the larger more stable boulders. Habitat classification: LS.LSa.sh (Shingle and gravel shores).

The ephemeral green algae Entomorpha spp. occurs where fresh water influx influences the shore during the spring/summer when the substrate becomes more stable. Habitat classification:  LS.LSa.sh (Shingle and gravel shores).

Entomorpha spp. Habitat classification:  LS.LSa.sh (Shingle and gravel shores).

The bedrock and boulders that flank the bay and extend around the coast are covered in barnacles and hold a number of varying sized rockpools. Habitat classifications: LR.HLR. MusB (Mussel and/or barnacle communities).

A coralline crust covered pool with limpets (Patella spp) and snakelocks anemones (Anemonia viridis). Habitat classification: LR.FLR.Rkp.Cor (Coralline crust dominated shallow eulittoral rockpools).

Coralline pool with limpets (Patella spp), Uvla spp. and snakelocks anemones (Anemonia viridis). Habitat classification: LR.FLR.Rkp.Cor (Coralline crust dominated shallow eulittoral rockpools).

Coralline pool with limpets (Patella spp), grey topshell (Gibbula cineraria), and open and closed snakelocks anemones (Anemonia viridis). Habitat classification: LR.FLR.Rkp.Cor (Coralline crust dominated shallow eulittoral rockpools).

Coralline pool with daisy anemones (Cereus pedunculatus). Habitat classification: LR.FLR.Rkp.Cor (Coralline crust dominated shallow eulittoral rockpools).

A serpulid worm in a coralline rockpool. Habitat classification: LR.FLR.Rkp.Cor (Coralline crust dominated shallow eulittoral rockpools).

Coral weed (Corallina officinalis) in a coralline rock pool. Habitat classification: LR.FLR.Rkp.Cor (Coralline crust dominated shallow eulittoral rockpools).

Coral weed (Corallina officinalis). A close up of the frond shows the white tips of new growth. Habitat classification: LR.FLR.Rkp.Cor (Coralline crust dominated shallow eulittoral rockpools

A china limpet (Patella ulyssiponensis). The tide had recently receded so that many limpets were still returning to their ‘scars’. Habitat classification: LR.FLR.Rkp.Cor (Coralline crust dominated shallow eulittoral rockpools).

Two china limpet (Patella ulyssiponensis). Habitat classification: LR.FLR.Rkp.Cor (Coralline crust dominated shallow eulittoral rockpools).

Two limpets interacting; often limpets will slam the edges of their shells down on one another in such interactions. Habitat classification: LR.FLR.Rkp.Cor (Coralline crust dominated shallow eulittoral rockpools).

china limpet (Patella ulyssiponensis) on its way and covered in epifauna including coralline crust, brown algae and spirorbid worms.  Habitat classification: LR.FLR.Rkp.Cor (Coralline crust dominated shallow eulittoral rockpools).

A small community algae, escape limpet predation by growing on its shell! Habitat classification: LR.FLR.Rkp.Cor (Coralline crust dominated shallow eulittoral rockpools).

Coralline crust has completely engulfed this limpet. Habitat classification: LR.FLR.Rkp.Cor (Coralline crust dominated shallow eulittoral rockpools).

Coralline pool with beadlet anemone (Actinia equina), daisy anemones (Cereus pedunculatus), edible periwinkles (Littorina littorea), flat topshell (Gibbula umbilicus), limpet (Patella spp) and a blenny. The blenny lies perfectly still relying upon its camouflage to stay undetected.  Habitat classification: LR.FLR.Rkp.Cor (Coralline crust dominated shallow eulittoral rockpools).

Edible periwinkles (Littorina littorea), beadlet anemone (Actinia equina) and Coral weed (Corallina officinalis) in a coralline pool. Habitat classification: LR.FLR.Rkp.Cor (Coralline crust dominated shallow eulittoral rockpools).