Embryo Dunes at Winterton, Norfolk

It is great to see embryo Dunes forming Infront of the main dune system between Hemsby and Winterton. The coast here is subject to erosion but dunes protect the land behind. I hope these dunes will one day grow up like those behind!

Red Seaweed Identification

A diverse array of red seaweeds occur within the intertidal many of which require specialist terminology and equipment to identify them. 

The following posts include images of common red seaweed groups and seaweeds that can be identified in the field.

The first step in identifying red seaweeds is to be able to recognize the major groups, then try to recognize the family and note the habitat in which the seaweed is found. 

The most commonly recorded red seaweeds belong to the following orders:

Ahnfeltiales, Bangiales, Bonnemaisoniales, Ceramiales, Corallinales, Gigartinales, 

Gelidiales, Palmariales, Plocamiales,  Nemaliales and Rhodymeniales.

The orders Ceramiales, Corallinales, Gigartinales and Rhodymeniales contain the highest 
 number of common intertidal red seaweeds.

A tree weed - Washed up onto the shore at Great Yarmouth, Norfolk December 2014

Rockpooling with CoCoast and the barnacle survey!

A New year and a great time to get involved in rockpooling and citizen science by joining the cocoast barnacle survey!!

To find out more visit: https://www.capturingourcoast.co.uk/

Characterizing species of the upper eulittoal shore

The upper eulittoral shore hosts species that can with stand exposure to the atmosphere, many have adaptations to reduce water loss. Lichens are tough and barnacles and limpets occur in close proximity to create cooler, damper micro climates.

The communities you find on the upper eulittoral shore will differ depending on the wave exposure.

Below are images of characterizing species of the upper eulittoral shore:

Fucus spiralis occurs on sheltered to moderately exposed shores

On more exposed shores barnacles and shallow coralline rockpools occur.

Lichina pygmaea and small periwinkles (Melarhaphe neritoides) occur among the barnacles on South West shores.

Mytilus edulis also occur in low numbers

Often seaweeds from the sublittoral are washed up onto the upper eulittoral shore.

In summer porphyra sp can cover upper eulittoral shore rock.

Rockpooling destination: Dorset April 2017

The rocky shore comprises shelving bedrock that forms a series of ridges that extend into the sea. Fucoids and ephemeral greens lace the ridges, whilst in between, seaweed covered gravel and shingle dominate the channels. 

The rocky shore is comprised of shelving bed rock

Washed up fucoids form a strand line

Seaweeds exhibit zonation across the shore

Ephemeral green seaweeds form patches on the shore 

Barnacles and ephemeral green seaweed 

Fucus serratus and Fucus vesiculosus co-occur on sections of the shore

Beneath which are found understorey seaweeds such as the green seaweed, Cladophora sp, Corallinacea crusts and turf forming red seaweeds.

Fauna and seaweeds beneath the fucoid canopy

Coralline algae are found beneath the fucoid canopy within rockpools.

Storms bring up peaty wood remains!!

Winter storms have brought up peat and semi- fossilised tree remains that aggregated among the strand line that otherwise comprised a variety of washed up bryozoan species. The peaty wood remains give an indication of the vast tracts of woodland and swamps that once stretched between East Anglia and continental Europe.

Rockpooling destination: Revisit West Penwith, June 2016

The rocky shore is comprised of boulders and bedrock with rockpools, crevices and gullies. Habitat classification: LR.HLR (High energy littoral rock) EUNIS: A1.1 , LR.FLR.Rkp (Rockpools) EUNIS:A1.41 and LR.FLR.Lic.(Lichens on supralittoral and littoral fringe rock) EUNIS: B3.11

The rocky shore is a high energy environment comprised of boulders and bedrock with rock pools, crevices and gullies.

The high energy environment of the shore leads to an extended lichen zone, that descends over much of the boulder field, which apart from Littorinids is relatively barren. Patches of lichens extend further down into the barnacle communities, which dominate from the upper to lower shore, inter-dispersed by shallow coralline rockpools in the mid shore, and deeper cobble filled rockpools on the lower shore. As the low tide mark is reached wave tolerant seaweeds lace the gullies.

Habitat classification:

Substrate	LR (Littoral rock)
Habitat	LR.HLR (High energy littoral rock)			LR.FLR (Features of littoral rock)
Biotope complex	LR.HLR. MusB (Mussel and/or barnacle communities)		LR.HLR.FR (Robust fucoid and/or red seaweed communities)	LR.FLR.Lic.(Lichens on supralittoral and littoral fringe rock).		LR.FLR.Rkp (Rockpools)
Biotope	LR.HLR.MusB.Cht (Chthamalus sp on exposed upper eulittoral rock)	LR.HLR.MusB.Sem (Semibalanus balanoides on exposed to moderately exposed or vertical sheltered eulittoral rock)		LR.FLR.Lic.Ver (Verrucaria Maura on  littoral fringe rock)	LR.FLR.Lic.YG (Yellow and grey lichens on supralittoral rock)	LR.FLR.Rkp.Cor (Coralline crust dominated shallow eulittoral rockpools)

Below are images of the organisms you may encounter in these habitats:

Among the mobile boulders and bedrock of the littoral fringe are populations of rough and small periwinkles with occasional limpets on the lower littoral. In this high energy environment organisms are confined to crevices and nooks, where they are buffeted from the full force of the waves and potential dislodgement. Habitat classification:  LR.FLR.Lic.(Lichens on supralittoral and littoral fringe rock) EUNIS: B3.11

During winter storms slabs of granite were broken away from the bedrock. Now in June this rock has not yet been colonised. 

The same area of bedrock in March 2016.

The exposed uppershore bedrock is covered in dense barnacles, with crevices jammed by mussels, anemones and coralline seaweeds. Small periwinkles occur among the barnacles, seeking shelter within the dead barnacle tests. The black lichen Lichina pygmaea forms tufts on the upper rock. All these organisms are characteristic of the biotope: LR.HLR.MUSb.CHT (Chthamalus sp on exposed upper eulittoral rock) EUNIS: A1.112. Darted among this habitat are small coralline rockpools. Habitat classification: LR.FLR.Rkp.Cor (Coralline crust dominated shallow eulittoral rockpools) EUNIS:A1.411.

Lichina pygmaea forms tufts of varying density

During the summer months rockpools experience prolific growth of ephemeral green seaweeds.

 The distribution of the ephemeral green seaweeds can be patchy.

In many cases the ephemeral green seaweeds dominate the coralline rockpools.

Ephemeral green seaweeds come to dominate many of the shallow rockpools during the summer months.

The coralline rockpools of the mid and lower eulittoral support a greater diversity of seaweeds than the upper, including Bifurcaria bifurcata, Corallina officinalis, coralinaceae crusts and ephemeral green seaweeds, along with beadlet anemones, china limpets, flat topshells and thick topshells. Habitat classification: LR.FLR.Rkp.Cor.Bif (Bifurcaria bifurcata in shallow eulittoral rockpools) Eunis A1.4113

Bifurcaria bifurcata in a shallow coralline eulittoral rockpool

Compared to March there are a greater diversity of  ephemeral and seasonal seaweeds, including Scytosiphon lomentaria.

On the sections of moderately exposed lower shore the diversity of seaweeds on the exposed bedrock also increases.

In these areas the abundance of barnacles is lower and the abundance of topshells, anemones, limpets, fucoids and red seaweeds increase. Habitat classification: LR.MUSb.Sem (Semibalanus balanoides on exposed to moderately exposed or vertical sheltered eulittoral rock) EUNIS: A1.113.

Red seaweed 'turfs' form between damp crevices and beneath overhangs.

The highest diversity of life is still found within the rockpools and on the lower shore were there is an explosion of seaweeds!

As the subtidal pools are reached the abundance of red seaweeds and kelp increase.