Rogue Community College; Bi 212

ROGUE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

BI 212 COASTAL FIELD TRIP

Crescent City, CA Saturday Mar 8th 2014

Important Phone Numbers:

· Kevin’s cell phone: 541 – 292-2083

· Battery Point Lighthouse: (707) 464-3089

· Crescent City Harbor 101 Citizens Dock Road, Crescent City, CA: (707) 464-6174

To Crescent City from Riverside RCC:

1: Go on I-5 north and exit at Grants Pass.~ 25 miles

2: / Keep going SOUTH on REDWOOD HWY/US-199 ~70 miles
3: / Merge onto US-101 South/REDWOOD HWY ~5.6 miles
To Battery Point Lighthouse: 11:00 am -12:30 pm
Go west (turn Right) on Front Street until it ends at A Street.
Turn right onto A Street and follow it to the 3rd and turn left to the end. Park on the street.

To Crescent City Harbor 1:30-2:30 pm

Follow 101S Past Ocean World. Turn Right on Citizens Dock Road and park at the end!

Total Est. Driving Time: 2 hrs 15 minutes Total Est. Distance: 111 miles

Please see attached Crescent City map above…

Recommended FIELD GUIDES: (optional of course!)

***The Beachcomber’s Guide to Seashore Life in the Pacific Northwest

by Sept. J. Duane (covers OR, WA, BC)

*Pacific Intertidal Life* by Ron Russo and Pam Olhausen. 1981. Nature Study Guild.

The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Seashore Creatures.

Alfred A. Knopf, New York

Please come prepared for the weather and to get your feet wet!!! The rocks are wet and very slippery, therefore please where shoes with some sort of TREAD. Chaco type sandals or scuba diving booties are recommended, although gym shoes will suffice just fine. Please, no flip flops while walking around the rocks! We will be outside all day, rain or shine, so dress accordingly (no whining!).

PART ONE: INTERTIDAL EXPLORATION

adapted from “Rocky Intertidal Transect Survey” By Anne Maben, AP Science Coach, Los Angeles County Office of Education ;

“OCG 561 Intertidal Lab” by Candace Oviatt, Graduate School of Ocenography, University of Rhode Island

Melissa Nystrom, Rogue Community College

· Our study site is the beach at the end of West 3rd street and Wendell in Crescent City, CA

· If you remove an organism, please place it back where you found it!

· We will meet at the top of the stairs at 11:00 am. This is important, as our activities depend on the tides (and the tides will not wait for us!). Low tide = 11:30 am

CAUTION: Please be aware of "rogue" waves that could pull you into the ocean when sampling the low tide zone. Never sample with your back to the waves nor sample alone!

You should treat animals carefully if temporarily removing them for counting or observation. Always replace animals where they were found, with their habitat intact. Respect your surrounding environment and the creatures therein!

INTRODUCTION:

The rocky intertidal community, present in the area between high and low tide, provides an excellent ecosystem in which to observe community ecology. Ecologists have been aware of vertical zonation in intertidal habitats since the early 1800's, and noticed that organisms found between the high and low tide marks seemed to vary in a consistent way. For example, periwinkles might be found in the upper splash zone, gooseneck barnacles and mussels in the middle intertidal, and sea hares and octopus in the lowest levels. The number, abundance, and distribution of species within this community are determined by both biotic (living) and abiotic (physical) factors. Biotic factors, such as space (colonization), inter- and intraspecific competition and predation often set the lower limit for an individual organism’s distribution. Conversely, abiotic factors such as wave action, substrate, and tidal height greatly affect the upper limit of distribution, by causing a range of desiccation, temperature, and salinity extremes.

Most species are successful competitors only within rather narrow ranges of physical and biological conditions. As a result, their distribution is restricted to those areas in which such conditions exist. In the intertidal region, the restricted distribution of many plant and animal species occurs in definite zones arranged in vertical sequence. Each zone is characterized by particular groups of plants and animals that give that zone a unique appearance.

Activity :

1. Begin by simply exploring the habitat. Identify as many organisms as possible. Make a list of all of the organisms that you see (including Phylums, and Genus/species, and common names).. For each one, make OBSERVATIONS (meaning, write notes, draw pictures, etc). If you are unable to identify any of the organisms, make sure that you make good enough observations to be able to identify them later! Make observations and be as complete as possible: collect as much information as you can relating to such factors as food preferences, feeding behavior, and associations with other plants and animals, which may be helpful in understanding the role of the plant or animal in the intertidal community.

2. Discuss the environmental parameters of the habitat (e.g. temperature, salinity, desiccation/tidal changes, wave forces and direction) and how these may differ from other habitats (i.e. subtidal zones). Do these intertidal organisms face challenges compared to those of other habitats?

3. Survey another location of the habitat (perhaps further out (but be careful!)) with different hydrodynamic conditions. Pick a handful of target species: do you notice differences with each location?

4. Think about the different lifestyles of the organisms: modes of locomotion, feeding, reproduction and how the organisms protect themselves in the environment. For each organism you have observed above, comment on these lifestyles.

Use the chart on the next page to help you organize your thoughts. You may include within this chart: numbers of each species seen, names, descriptions, etc. Your written submission must be reorganized and NEATLY presented and include all of the above parameters!

DATA COLLECTION SHEET - ROCKY INTERTIDAL SURVEY Activity 1 Dominant intertidal species found

Name of Species / # organisms / Description of Organism(s)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.

INTRODUCTION:

The submerged portions of docks, buoys, and other human-made structures provide extensive habitat for a community of typically benthic marine algae and animals. Commonly referred to as fouling communities, these nuisance assemblages of organisms superficially resemble rocky intertidal communities. Most fouling community members are attached to solid substrate or seek hiding places among the larger sessile forms.

Regardless of the similarity between fouling communities and rocky intertidal habitats, there are some important differences that are reflected in the community structure. Floats and docks are located in bays and protected areas with little exposure to the effects of large waves. More important, these floating habitats move up and down with the tides. Thus, there is no intertidal zone, so the inhabitants do not experience the problems caused by periodic exposure to the atmosphere. Suspended food and dissolved oxygen are continuously available. Salinity and temperature variations are also moderated.

The habitat occupied by fouling communities is a highly desirable one. Unless a float has been scraped recently, it harbors crowded assemblages of small algae, mussels, barnacles, sea squirts, a variety of worms and crustaceans, and even several nudibranchs. (One year we even saw a tunicate!).

* Be careful to leave the habitat as undisturbed as possible. Do not unnecessarily remove organisms (particularly sessile animals.) Re-submerge the substrate/animals as soon as you are finished looking at them. Many of the organisms (such as sponges) will not survive if exposed to air for too long.

* Expect surprises. Given the diversity of organisms that typically inhabit floating docks, one can't expect to be able to identify everything. Check local field guides to aid in identifications and to provide additional information about the natural history of the organisms you discover.

ACTIVITY & QUESTIONS

1. Begin by simply exploring the habitat. Pick a good spot and identify as many organisms as possible. Make a list of all of the organisms that you see (including Phylums, and Genus/species, and common names). For each one, make OBSERVATIONS (meaning, write notes, draw pictures, etc). This should be a great place to really observe some of the behaviors of barnacles, tubeworms, mussels, etc. If you are unable to identify any of the organisms, make sure that you make good enough observations to be able to identify them later!

2. Discuss the environmental parameters of the habitat (e.g. temperature, salinity, desiccation/tidal changes, wave forces and direction) and how these may differ from other habitats (i.e. rocky intertidal zones, coastal wetlands). Do these fouling organisms face challenges compared to those of other habitats?

3. Survey another location of the dock (be it another dock, or another side) with different hydrodynamic conditions. Pick a handful of target species: do you notice differences with each location?

4. Think about the different lifestyles of the float inhabitants: modes of locomotion, feeding, reproduction and how the organisms protect themselves in the environment. For each organism you have observed above, comment on these lifestyles.

______

5. Are there any patterns of organism distribution on the substrate? Are certain animals clustered at certain levels (depths) along the floats? What evidence is there of animal interactions within the habitat, such as space competition or commensalism?
______

6. In the winter most of the algae growing on the tires dies or is reduced to holdfasts. How would the loss of this group or other species affect the distribution and relative abundance of other members of the float community?

______

PART TWO: Subtidal Ecosystems

FLOATING DOCKS & FOULING COMMUNITY STUDIES

Portions of this lab adapted from “laboratory and Field Investigations in Marine Life, 8th ed.” By Sumich and Dudley, Jones and Bartlett Publishers/ Melissa Nystrom, Rogue Community College

· We will meet at Crescent City Harbor at Citizen’s Dock Road around to the new docks to the right at 1:30 pm.

· Please come prepared for the weather and to (perhaps) get your feet wet. We will be outside on our ventral surfaces (stomachs) looking at a floating dock community~ dress accordingly!

· If you remove an organism, please place it back where you found it.

· What to bring: field guides, notebook paper to write on, clipboard, binoculars, warm clothes, change of clothes.

INTRODUCTION:

The submerged portions of docks, buoys, and other human-made structures provide extensive habitat for a community of typically benthic marine plants and animals. Commonly referred to as fouling communities, these nuisance assemblages of organisms superficially resemble rocky intertidal communities. Most fouling community members are attached to solid substrate or seek hiding places among the larger sessile forms.

Regardless of the similarity between fouling communities and rocky intertidal habitats, there are some important differences that are reflected in the community structure. Floats and docks are located in bays and protected areas with little exposure to the effects of large waves. More important, these floating habitats move up and down with the tides. Thus, there is no intertidal zone, so the inhabitants do not experience the problems caused by periodic exposure to the atmosphere. Suspended food and dissolved oxygen are continuously available. Salinity and temperature variations are also moderated.

ACTIVITY & QUESTIONS & NOTES

1. Begin by simply exploring the habitat…. Pick a good spot and identify as many organisms as possible. Make a list of all of the organisms that you see (including Phylums, and Genus/species, as well as common names). For each one, make OBSERVATIONS (meaning: write notes, sketch pictures, etc). This should be a great place to really observe some of the behaviors of barnacles, tubeworms, mussels, etc. If you are unable to identify any of the organisms, make sure that you make good enough observations to be able to identify them later.

2. Discuss the environmental parameters of the habitat (e.g. temperature, salinity, desiccation/tidal changes, wave forces and direction) and how these may differ from other habitats (i.e. rocky intertidal zones, coastal wetlands). Do these fouling organisms face challenges compared to those of other habitats? What’s different about their habitat?

3. Survey another location of the dock (be it another dock, or another side) with different hydrodynamic conditions. Pick a handful of target species - do you notice differences with each location?

4. Think about the different lifestyles of the float inhabitants: modes of locomotion, feeding style, reproduction and how the organisms protect themselves in the environment. For each organism you have observed above, comment on these lifestyles.

Use the chart on the following page to help you organize your thoughts.

You may include within this chart numbers of each species seen, names, descriptions, etc.

DATA COLLECTION SHEET – FLOATING DOCK COMMUNITY

Dominant species found

Name of Species / # organisms / Description of Organism(s)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.

Add additional notes on other side