The rocky
shore occurs throughout the mid and lower shore of a large, sheltered sweeping
bay, and comprises boulders and cobbles lying on sand or, bed rock.
Fucoid seaweeds dominate
the rocky shore habitat, exhibiting zonation, whilst other organisms live and
seek refuge amongst the fucoid understory, in crevices, under boulders and
within rockpools.
The
mosaic of boulders and cobbles on sand or, bedrock
provides a variety of micro
habitats which in turn enables more organisms to co-exist. For
example, the
organisms living on top of the boulder will vary to those living underneath.
Habitat
classification:
Substrate
|
LR (Littoral rock)
|
|
Habitat
|
LLR (Low energy littoral rock)
|
FLR (Features of littoral rock)
|
Biotope complex
|
LR.LLR.F (Fucoids on sheltered marine
shores)
|
Rkp (Rockpools)
|
Biotope
|
LR.LLR.F.Fserr (Fucus serratus on
sheltered lower eulittoral rock)
|
|
Sub Biotope
|
LR.MLR.BF.Fser.Bo
Fucus serratus and under-boulder fauna on lower eulittoral rocks.
|
|
Below are images of organisms you may encounter whilst rock pooling in these habitats:
 |
| The rocky shore comprises boulders and cobbles on bedrock and sand. Fucoid seaweeds form a blanket covering the rock and are a characteristic feature of the different sub habitats within the broad habitat, fucoids on sheltered marine shores (LR. LLR. F). |
 |
Bladder wrack
(Fucus vesiculosus) amongst serrated
wrack (Fucus serratus).
|
 |
| Common limpets (Patella vulgata) with a covering of the brown encrusting seaweed, Thick topshell (Osilinus lineatus) and barnacles occur on a boulder amongst the blanket of fucoids on the lower shore. |
 |
| Turning over the boulders reveals a different group of organisms to that above including, Berthella plumula, young whelks, cushion star (Asterina gibbosa) and Broad-clawed porcelain crab (Porcellana platycheles).Habitat classification: LR.MLR.BF.Fser.Bo Fucus serratus and under-boulder fauna on lower eulittoral rocks. |
 |
| An under-boulder community of young topshells, cushion star (Asterina gibbosa), Broad-clawed porcelain crab (Porcellana platycheles) and encrusting seasquirts and bryozoans. |
 |
| An under-boulder community of green sea urchin (Psammechinus miliaris), grey topshell (Gibbula cineraria) and flat topshell (Gibbula umbilicus). |
 |
| Green shore crab (Carcinus maenas). |
 |
| Brittlestar and spirorbid polychaetes are both filter feeders that are found amongst the under-boulder community. |
 |
| A colonial seasquirt. |
 |
| Anemones occur throughout the lower shore rockpools. Habitat classification: LR.FKR.Rkp (Rockpools). |
 |
| Anemones occur throughout the lower shore rockpools. |
 |
Hermit crabs
can also be found foraging amongst the rockpools.
|
No comments:
Post a Comment