Rockpooling destination: Unst, Shetland September 2014

The rocky shore comprises steeply shelving bedrock with crevices and small rock pools.

Tar lichen occurs in the littoral fringe and extends as patches into the upper shore (supralittoral). The upper and mid shore are charecterised by barnacles, periwinkles and limpets with the addition of mussels and dog whelks in the mid shore; ephemeral red and green seaweeds occur across the mid and lower shore. The abundance of barnacles and clumps of large mussels in the mid shore and presence of rock pools is characteristic of the habitats LR.MLR.BF (barnacles and fucoids on moderately exposed shores) and LR.FLR.Rkp (rock pools).

Habitat classification:

Biotope complex	LR.MLR.BF (Barnacles and fucoids on moderately exposed shores)			LR.FLR.Rkp (Rockpools)
Biotope				LR.FLR.Rkp.Cor (Corallina officinalis, coralline crusts and brown seaweeds in shallow eulittoral rockpools)

Below are images of the organisms you may encounter within this habitat:

The rocky shore comprises steeply sloping bed rock with crevices and small coralline rock pools.  The upper shore is charecterised by barnacles and periwinkles, the mid shore by barnacles, periwinkles, limpets, mussels, dog whelks and red seaweeds, whilst the lower shore is charecterised by ephemeral green and red seaweeds.

Barnacles and small periwinkles ( Melarhaphe neritoides) of the upper shore.

Barnacles density increases as you go down the shore.
Barnacles, mussels (Mytilus edulis) and small periwinkles ( Melarhaphe neritoides) of the mid shore. 

Dog whelks (Nucella lapillus), barnacles and M. edulis on the mid shore.

Old N. lapillus egg capsules.

M. edulis overgrown by red seaweeds.

M. edulis covered by Porphyra sp

Ephemeral greens (Ulva sp) and red (Porphyra sp) seaweeds on the lower shore.

Ephemeral greens (Ulva sp) and red (Porphyra sp) seaweeds on the lower shore.

Ephemeral greens (Ulva sp) and red (Porphyra sp) seaweeds on the lower shore.

Mastocarpus stellatus on lower shore.