Tuesday 9 April 2013

Rock Pooling Destination: Worms Head, Wales

Rock pooling destination: Worms Head, Wales, March 2013 (Porcupine Marine Natural History Society Field Trip)

The shore comprises a causeway that stretches out toward Worms Head, and contains shelving gullies and pools, with occasional boulders. Mussels and barnacles dominate the shore, with the mussels forming intertidal beds on sections of the rock and sediment. Pools are characterized by coralline species of red seaweed and the lower tide swept gullies are covered in Osmudea spp. and Laminara spp.

Below are photographs of some of the animals you may encounter in this type of habitat:


Lichens on supralittoral rock. Biotope description: LR.FLR.Lic (Lichens or small green algae on supralittoral and littoral fringe rock).
Orange lichen on supralittoral rock


Lichens on supralittoral rock (Lichina pygmaea)


Barnacles and Mussels community on Rock. Biotope description: LR.HLR.MusB (Mussel and/or barnacle communities)




Mussel (Mytilus edulis) and barnacle community on eulittoral rock (LR.HLR.MusB)


Mussel (Mytilus edulis) beds on eulittoral rock and mixed sediment




Barnacle (Balanidae) on a mussel (Mytilus edulis).


Barnacles and Mussels (Mytilus edulis) with a dog whelk (Nucella lapillus)


  Barnacles, Mussels (Mytilus edulis), Limpets (Patella vulgata) and Perwinkles (Littorina spp and Melarhaphe neritoides). The Barnacles, Limpets and Periwinkle community on rock is a sub division within the broader barnacles and/or mussel biotope description


 Barnacles, Limpets (Patella vulgata), Beadlet anemone (Actinia equina) and Topshells (Gibbula spp.) aggregate in crevices to avoid desiccation when the tide is out
 
       Barnacles have gained considerable height on this section of the shore

Intertidal pools. Biotope description: LR.FLR.Rkp.Cor.Cor (Coralline crusts and Corallina officinalis in shallow eulittoral rockpools)

Intertidal pools of the shore are characterized by coralline and Ulva species, whilst the barnacles and mussels (Mytilus edulis) community dominate the areas above the pools


Intertidal pools of the shore are characterized by corallinacea crusts, Corallina officinalis and Ulva species


The coral weed (Corallina officinalis)


The coral weed (Corallina officinalis) in an intertidal pool
Corallinacea crust
Corallinacea  crust


A paddle worm (Eulalia viridis)
The egg of a paddle worm (Eulalia viridis)

Corallinaea crust, Barnacles and a serpulid polychaete worm in an intertidal pool

Hermit crabs (Paguroidea)
Hermit crabs (Paguroidea)
Young crab eating a phylodocid worm


The under boulder community in the intertidal pools:
A cushionstar (Asterina phylactica) on the underside of a boulder in an intertidal pool.



Under boulder community- Dog whelk (Nucella lapillus), Common starfish (Asterias rubens), Barnacles and Topshells (Gibbula spp)


Under boulder community- Brittlestar (Ophiothrix fragilis) on the under side of a boulder in an inter tidal pool


Under boulder community- Brittlestar (Ophiothrix fragilis) on the under side of a boulder in an intertidal pool


Under boulder community - Dog whelks (Nucella lapillus), Brittlestars, Barnacles and the green sea urchin (Psammechinus miliaris)


Under boulder community - Dog whelk (Nucella lapillus), Brittlestars and the green sea urchin (Psammechinus miliaris)


Under boulder community - Cushionstar (Asterina phylactica) and Flat Topshell (Gibbula umbillicus)


Under boulder community- A scaleworm on the under side of a boulder in an intertidal pool


Under boulder community- Bryozoa, Serpulid polychaete worms and anomiidae shell
Under boulder community- Common starfish (Asterias rubens) and a dog whelk (Nucella lapillus) under a boulder in an intertidal pool


Under boulder community- Broad clawed porcelain crab (Porcellana platycheles)



Under boulder community- A Chiton



Under boulder community- Long clawed porcelain crab (Pisidia longicornis)


Under boulder community- Grey seaslug (Aeolidia papillosa)


The rhodophyta dominated community of the gullies. Biotope description: LR.HCR.FR (Robust red seaweed communities)
The red seaweed Osmundea dominates this section of the shore and forms its own biotope (LR.HCR.FR.Osm) Osmundea on moderately exposed eulittoral rock that is encompassed under the broader biotope complex of robust red seaweed communities


Gullies of the intertidal

The acorn barnacle (Balanus perforatus) occurs along the sides and beneath the overhangs of the gullies

The red seaweed Osmundea spp, Topshells (Gibbula spp.) and the breadcrumb sponge (Halichondria panicea)
The red sausage weed (Lomentaria articulata)
Grape pip weed (Mastocarpus stellatus)
Dog whelks (Nucella lapillus) aggregate in the gully crevices

Whelk eggs are laid is the damp shade beneath an overhang


An anemone living in the shade beneath an overhang


Anemones living in the shade beneath an overhang


The green seaweed (Cladophora spp.) comprises part of the seaweed community of the gully


The red seaweed Osmundea dominates this section of the shore and forms its own biotope (LR.HCR.FR.Osm) Osmundea on moderately exposed eulittoral rock that is encompassed under the broader biotope complex of robust red seaweed communities

Sea squirts (Ascidiacea) occur on the under side of boulders within the gullies


Bryozoa occur on the frond of Kelp (Laminaria) 




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