Daily Archives: Tuesday,November 15, 2005

Biogeochemical Cycles of Race Rocks

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BACKGROUND:
From the file Structure and Function of Ecosystems, we come now to that component which represents part of the Functional Aspects, the Material or Biogeochemical Cycles. In this file we will refer you to some of the cycles which are operating in ecosystems, but there are others of course, wherever minerals or ions that become part of the nutrients for plants are taken up by the plants and thus passed on through the other trophic levels or levels of nourishment.
Normally, most texts and many websites have diagrams of the cycles. ( just Google the cycle name) The approach of presenting a completed diagram is rather boring, as it is more interesting to just look around yourself in the ecosystem in which you are living and using other diagrams as models you will easily be able to build up the cycle using local examples yourself.
OBJECTIVES: After doing this assignment students will be able to:a) Construct digital image biogeochemical cycles using images of local examples.
b) Explain how biogeochemical cycles are impacted by anthropogenic activities.
c) Discuss your own responsibilities in terms of biogeochemical cycles.
d) Evaluate how you can help in dealing with the problem of sustainability of Materials cycles.

Many references on the internet give an opportunity to investigate ideas about how humans can be involved responsibly in sustainable cycles. Google “MSustainable Materials management”They deal with the issue that human activities are seriously affecting the materials cycles of the earth. What are examples of this and how can you personally do something about this?

CARBON CYCLE

Cup coral

Mussel shell

Diesel fuel
Anthropogenic Carbon

Anthropogenic Carbon
Dead kelp drift on the shore

Dead kelp drift on the shore

 

photosynthesis in a tide pool

rockfish

Live bull kelp

Anthropogenic Methane

Anthropogenic Methane

Dead seal- eaten by eagles and gulls

phytoplankton

Native grasses

Native grasses

Smoke stacks (pulp mill) across the Strait in Port Angeles

NITROGEN CYCLE

Eagle feces

air

lightning strikes

Anthropogenic Nitrous

Beach pea–Legume

Elephant seal soil– urine.

Elephant seal feces

Fish bones

PHOSPHOROUS CYCLE

Cabezon fish

bird bone

Canada geese

goose droppings

vegetation

phosphorous

lichen on rock

Fish bone

CALCIUM CYCLE

black oystercatcher eggs

pouring concrete

Bird Skeleton

coralline pink algae

California mussels

chiton with calcareous shell plates

seawater

Dead coraline algae

WATER CYCLE

 

water

clouds

tidepool

sun

native grasses

frost

seawater

rain

snow

drinking water

fog

Oystercatcher bathing

The Biotope: Marine Ecological Classification

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BACKGROUND : In this exercise, we rely heavily on the work done by Scientists across Canada and the US. The NatureServe network includes member programs operating in all 50 U.S. states, in 11 Canadian provinces and territories and in many countries and territories of Latin America and the Caribbean.
NatureServe is a non-profit conservation organization that provides the scientific information and tools needed to help guide effective conservation action. NatureServe and its network of natural heritage programs are the leading source for information about rare and endangered species and threatened ecosystems.
NatureServe represents an international network of biological inventories—known as natural heritage programs or conservation data centers—operating in all 50 U.S. states, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean. Together they not only collect and manage detailed local information on plants, animals, and ecosystems, but develop information products, data management tools, and conservation services to help meet local, national, and global conservation needs. The objective scientific information about species and ecosystems developed by NatureServe is used by all sectors of society—conservation groups, government agencies, corporations, academia, and the public—to make informed decisions about managing our natural resources. To visit the local website for any of these natural heritage programs or conservation data centers, use the reference: http://www.natureserve.org/visitLocal/index.jsp
The Classification Hierarchy

“The classification for coastal and marine habitats identifies and categorizes the physical environment at different spatial scales in estuarine, coastal and marine regimes, and places the associated biology in the context of the physical habitat. This is called the CMECS or Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard. The classification standard is organized into a branched hierarchy of six nested levels (Figure 1). The levels correspond to both a functional ecological relationships and a progressively smaller map scale from the order of 1:1,000,000 (Regime) to the order of 1:1 (Habitat/Biotope). The classification branches into five Regimes at the highest level: estuarine, freshwater-influenced marine, nearshore marine, neritic, and oceanic. Regimes are divided into large- scale physical structures, including geoforms and hydroforms called Formations. Each of these forms can be further compartmentalized according to its Zone, or position relative to the water: whether it is continuously submerged bottom or at the waterline (littoral), or within the water column. Each of these components further divides into Macrohabitat and then Habitat. The Biotope represents the quantum unit of the habitat combining both the physical habitat and its associated fixed biota. At each level, units are distinguished from each other by the application of classifiers that capture the defining differences among units. The classifiers are integral components of all levels of the classification; particularly the Habitat and Biotope levels that further define units based on such qualities as substrate, energy, salinity, turbidity or characteristic structural components. ”
See further reference including the Biotope definition below
OBJECTIVES: After doing this assignment, students will be able to:

a) Discriminate between and designate the six levels of Environmental classification for the different biotopes of Race Rocks.

b) Enter a Coastal Classification for one of the areas they can observe at Race Rocks .

PROCEDURE:

1. Choose one of the biotopes in the table below for an area you can observe at Race Rocks, either directly if you are able to go there or by means of the remote cameras .
2. In your notebook, justify why you classify the area that way, providing the list of the six levels.

ECOLOGICAL REGION
 Level 1 REGIME— Level 2
Formation
Geoforms and Hydroforms 		Level 3 Zone Level 3 b subzone Level 4
Macrohabitat		 Level 5-Habitat Level 6 Biotope
ECOLOGICAL REGION
#21 COLUMBIAN PACIFIC.UTM— to —-?(The Columbian Pacific region stretches along the Pacific coast from Cape Mendocino in the South, northward to include the Straight of Juan de Fuca and end at northern tip ofVancouver Island, in the North. The region is home to abundant plant and wildlife, but also has one of the fastest growing human populations in North America. )
 
A. Estuarine regime
 A.01 Estuarine lagoon formation
A.01.WWatercolumn zone
A.01.BBenthic zone
Epibenthic subzone
Subbenthic subzone
A.01.LLittoral zone
Supratidal subzone
Backshore lagoon flats macrohabitat Biotope: Phragmites, cattail, reed canary grass
drainage channels macrohabitat Biotope: stickleback, cutthroat trout
Intertidal subzone
salt marsh macrohabitat Biotope: Distychlis, Salicornia
salt pans macrohabitat Biotope: acorn barnacle,
mud flat macrohabitat Biotope: wading birds,
drainage channels macrohabitat Biotope: iron bacteria,
Infratidal subzone
A.02Estuarine embayment formation
A.02.B bottom zone
A.02.L littoral zone
A.02.W water column zone
A.03 Estuarine Shoreline Formation
A.03.L
Estuarine littoral shore zone
A.03.L.a estuarine shore unconsolidated sediments macrohabitat
A.03.L.b  Estuarine shore unconsolidated sediments macrohabitat
A.03.L.f   Estuarine shore water column macrohabitat
B.Freshwater-influenced regime

C.03 Marine Shoreline Formation
Benthic zone
Epibenthic
Subbenthic
littoral zone
Supratidal
Intertidal
Infratidal
water column zone
Upper Water Column layer
Pycnocline layer
Bottom Water Column layer
C.05 Nearshore Island formation
C.05.B Benthic or bottom zone
C.05.B.01Epibenthic subzone
C.05.B.01aunder water– cliff face macrohabitat Biotope: basket star, Gersemia rubriformis (soft pink coral) hydroids (see reference .. 65 species),Gorgonocephalus eucnemis (basket star),
C.05.B.01btumbling rock macrohabitat Biotope: Nereocystis luetkeana (bull kelp), Pterygophora californica (Stalked kelp), Calliostoma (top shell), Solaster stimpsoni( stripped sunstar), Pycnopodia helianthoides (sunflower star) Henricia leviuscula (blood star).Cucumaria miniata (orange sea cucumber), Metridium farcimen (Giant plumose anemone) Enteroctopus dofleini (Giant Pacific Octopus), Ophiothrix spiculata (brittle star)
C.05.B.01chorizontal current channel macrohabitat Biotope:Cystodytes lobatus (lobed compound tunicate), Ascidians, Isodictya rigida finger sponges, Mycale toparoki (yellow sponge), Aglaophenia latirostris (ostrich plume hydroids) Tubularia regalis (regal pink mouth hydroid ) also other hydroid species
C.05.B.01dshell fragment bottom macrohabitat Biotope: Oligocottus maculosus (sculpin),Opalia chacei (Chace’s wentletrap)
C.05.B.01ebare rock substrate macrohabitat Biotope: Lithothamnion sp. (encrusting pink algae), Dodecaceria concharum (coralline fringed tube worm) , Cucumaria pseudocurata (Tar Spot Sea Cucumber)
C.05.B.02Subbenthic subzone
C.05.B.02.ashell -fragment macrohabitat Biotope: Ptilosarcus (Sea Pen),Opalia chacei (Chace’s wentletrap)
C.05.B.02.bgravel, sand macrohabitat Biotope:Myxicola infundibulum jelly tube
C.05.B.02.c
mud macrohabitat		 Biotope: none available
C.05.Llittoral zone..
C.05.L.01Supratidal subzone
C.05.L.01.arock cliff and boulder habitat
Biotope:, Cepphus columba (pigeon Guillemot) and Phalacrocorax pelagicus (pelagic cormorant )nesting, Phalacrocorax penicilatu, (Brandt’s Cormorant) and Larus thayeri (Thayer’s gull) overwintering.
Biotope:Romanzoffia (mist maidens) Plantago,
C.05.L.01.bupper island rock plateau habitat
Biotope: thrift, Larus glaucescens (Glaucous-winged Gull) nesting, Phalacrocorax auritas, (double-breasted cormorant- winter resident), Haliacetus leucocepfalus ( bald eagle), Falco peregrinus (peregrine falcon) Corvus caurinus (North-western Crow) Corvus corax, (Raven–winter)
Biotope: Haulout for the following marine mammals: Harbour seal, Mirounga angustirostris (elephant seal), Zalophus californianus (California sea lion), Eumetopias jubatus (northern sea lion), Phoca vitulina Harbour seal.
C.05.L.01.cupper spray Zone rock and gravel habitat
Biotope: Caloplaca verruculifera (orange lichen), Xanthorea candelaria (orange lichen) Lecanora straminea (grey lichen) Prasiola meridionalis (uppermost green algae
Neomolgus littoralis (red velvet mite)
Biotope: Haematopus bachmani (Black-Oystercatcher nesting), Arenaria melanocephala (Black turnstone)
C.05.L.01.dinner island grassed plain habitat Biotope: Native fescue grasses, several flower garden escapes,
and introduced brome and orchard grass, Branta canadensis (Canada goose) nesting,
C.05.L.01.eBrackish pools in spray zone Biotope: Pyramimonas (green water pool )
C.05.L.02Intertidal subzone
C.05.L.02.a Rocky
shoreline….. macrohabitat
High energy intertidal boulders and loose rock sub-habitat Biotope: Hemigrapsus nudus (Purple shore crab),
High energy intertidal high elevation tidepool sub- habitat Biotope: Harpacticoid, Littorina sitkana and Littorina scutulata (littorine snails, isopod
High energy intertidal low elevation tidepool sub- habitat Biotope: low level pool: Phyllospadix scouleri (surfgrass) Strongylocentrotus purpuratus (purple urchin), Oligocottus maculosus (tidepool sculpin) Anthopleura xanthogrammica (Giant green anemone)
High energy intertidal solid substrate subhabitat Biotope: Porphyra, Halosaccion, Chthamalus sp.(barnacle) Neomolgus (red mite)
High energy/high current solid substrate habitat Biotope: Mytilus californianus, (California mussel), Anthopleura elegantissima ( small intertidal anemone, Endocladia muricata (red algae) Chthamalus (barnacle) Pollicipes polymerus (goose-necked barnacle)
Low energy solid substrate habitat Biotope: Alaria marginata (short stipe algae), Eudistylia vancouveri (feather duster worm) Mopalia mucosa (mossy chiton)
Surge Channel habitat Biotope: Polycepes polymerus (Goose-neck barnacles):Anthopleura xanthogramica (large intertidal anemone)
Intertidal reef habitat Biotope: Mytilus californianus ( mussel), Phyllospadix scoulleri (surf grass)
Anthropomorphic (human modified) structure:concrete dock. Chthamalus( barnacle), Ulva (green algae)
C.05.L.02.bHigh energy bay macrohabitat
Shell beach habitat Biotope:
sand beach habitat Biotope:
cobble beach habitat Biotope:
C.05.L.02.c.Low energy bay macrohabitat
Shell beach habitat Biotope:
sand beach habitat Biotope:
cobble beach habitat Biotope:
C.05.L.02.d High energy beach macrohabitat
Shell beach habitat Biotope:
sand beach habitat Biotope:
cobble beach habitat Biotope:
C.05.L.02.eLow energy beach macrohabitat
Shell beach habitat Biotope:
sand beach habitat Biotope:
cobble beach habitat Biotope:
C.05.L.03Infratidal subzone

Depth to 10 meters affected by tidal surge
C.05.L.03.asolid substrate macrohabitat
10 meter depth habitat Biotope: Nereocystis (bull kelp), Membranipora serrilamella (bryozoa) Epiactis prolifera (brooding anemone), Urticina crassicornis (Fish eating anemone)
5-10 meter depth habitat Biotope: Pterygophora californica (perennial algae)
0-5 meter depth habitat Biotope:Laminaria groenlandica (Brown Algae), Ophlitaspongia pennata (velvety red sponge), Calliostoma ligatum (Blue top snail)
C.05.L.03.bTumbling rock macrohabitat
10 meter habitat Biotope: Strongylocentrotus (red urchin), Cucumaria miniata (sea cucumber)
5-10 meter depth habitat Biotope:Strongyocentrotus purpuratus (purple urchin), Cucumaria miniata (orange sea cucumber), Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis( green urchin)
0-5 meter depth habitat Biotope: (leather chiton, limpet species, northern abalone.
C.05.L.03.c Shell fragment gravel pockets macro habitat
10 meter habitat Biotope:swimming scallop, Opalia (chalces wentletrap)
5-10 meter depth habitat Biotope: sculpin
0-5 meter depth habitat Biotope: Surf grass, abalone, Laminaria saccharina
(brown algae)
C.05.Wwater column zone
C.05.W.01 and Upper Water Column layer subzone
Biotope: phytoplankton, zoooplankton,(krill),
Biotope: salmon species, black rockfish, herring.
C.05.W.02Pycnocline layer subzone
Biotope: none established:
C.05.W.03Bottom Water Column layer subzone
Biotope: Planktonic
Biotope:Hexagrammos decagrammus (kelp greenling), Sebastes nigrocinctus (tiger rockfish, china rockfish), Scorpaenichthyes marmoratus (cabezon), Ophiodon elongatus (ling cod),
C.05.W.04 Surface and diving depth subzone
Biotope: Orcinus Orca (killer whale)
Biotope: Histrionicus histrionicus Harlquin Duck, Larus glaucescen (Glaucous-winged gull), Cepphus columba (Pigeon Guillemot), Phalacrocorax pelagicus (Pelagic Cormorant)
D
Neritic regime
E
Oceanic regime
From the NatureServe website, a brief description of the BIOTOPE:
The finest level of the classification is the Biotope. The biotope is a specific area of a habitat that
includes recurring, persistent, and predictable biological associations. The biological associations can
include plants, attached sessile fauna and unattached but relatively non-motile fauna and bacterial
colonies. A biotope is environmentally uniform in structure, environment, and is defined by the dominant
biota. The primary characteristic of the biotope is the relationship between the physical habitat and a
strongly associated or fixed “high fidelity” plant and animal species. “Fixed” is defined as an individual
organism that cannot move beyond the frame of reference of the habitat boundary within one day.

Epibenthic,( on the surface of the ocean bottom) organisms like anemones, sponges, hydroids, and benthic infauna (buried in the bottom sediments) such as polychaetes would be considered part of a biotope complex.While much of the sedentary or fixed biota defines a particular biotope, other organisms demonstrate less
fidelity to any specific biotope. More motile or vagile organisms can be associated with multiple biotopes or
interact with the physical structure of the environment at any number of classification levels and spatial or
temporal scales. Larger animals, such as blue whales, may interact with elements defined in the
classification at a level of Formations, such as the shelf break or submarine canyon. Smaller animals
interact with Macrohabitats, Habitats or Biotopes. As the classification matures, the linkages of species and biological
associations to different classification units at different levels will become better known and documented.Detailed Description and Rationale
The biotope concept has been employed for several years in Europe and is defined as the “physical
habitat… and its community of animals and plants (Costello, 2003).” This refers to the dominant
biological inhabitant(s) of a specific habitat, whether the species are “diagnostic,” as in the terminology of
Cowardin (1979) and Dethier (1990), or if they are “commonly associated.” A species is considered to be
part of a biotope if it is conspicuous, dominant, and physically linked to the habitat. The concept and
nomenclature for the biotope follow the BioMar system (Costello, 2003; Connor, 1997), which has been
integrated into the EUNIS classification for European habitats (Davies and Moss 1999) and into this
classification, although some of the terminology has been changed here.
Vegetation units such as specific algal and rooted plant species, salt marsh and other vegetation are
recognized at the biotope level. This biota is recognized as being associated with a particular habitat,
rather than defining the habitat. This is an important departure from several widely used classifications
such as those developed by Cowardin (1979), Ferren et al. (1996) and Madley et al. (2002) but follows
the same logic as the Dethier (1990) and the Costello (2003) classifications.
Adapted from CMECS Classification http://www.natureserve.org/getData/CMECS/cm_pub.pdfFor subcategories see also from the NatureServe site: http://www.natureserve.org/getData/CMECS/app/classification/tree/pivot/browse

Biotic Asociations at Race Rocks

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The California Sea Cucumber exhibits an escape response when approached by the Sunflower Star.

Also see the video on Phyllospadix and its biotic associations

This mussel will no doubt have a competition for food with this barnacle.

Mussels have a number of associations.
  The whale barnacle living as a commensal on Gray Whales
You will find below a set of photos from our photo archives depicting two or more organisms in a biotic association. These associations fall into one of several categories: mutualism, commensalism, parasitism etc. By going through the many organisms in the Race Rocks Taxonomy, you will find explanations for these and other biotic associations.
Coraline Algae and Epiactis Boring Sponge (Cliona) and Purple- Hinged Rock Scallop (Hinnites) Cup Coral (Balanophyllia) Epiactis and Encrusting Algae (Lithothamnion)
Basket Star and soft coral
 Basket Star and sea urchin
 Abalone (Haliotis) and Lithothamnion
Anthopleura xanthogramica with internal green coccoid algae Brittle Star and Kelp Holdfast Brittle Star
Nudibranch and the orange hydroid Garveia Swimming Scallop and Encrusting Sponge Scallop with blue eyes

Samples of screenshots from the remote cameras.

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Observation of the scenes on the cameras often yield some interesting and varied scenes. Feel free to add to this collection of the screen shots from the video cameras. e-mail : Garry Fletcher (garryf(use the @ sign)gmail.com See further directions on this .

Telephoto of the Olympic Mountains of Washington State. This was taken on a clear day- May 18, 2001 zoomed in on the remote camera. The tail end of a tugboat-drawn barge going up the Strait of Juan de Fuca, May 18, 2001 On a calm day, the area is a very popular site for observation of marine birds and mammals by the tour boats which take on passengers in Sooke or Victoria. May 18, 2001
Captive tourists look out on the life of freedom enjoyed by the elephant seals and sea lions. May 18, 2001 May 18, 2001: Inflatable boats are used by many of the marine mammal tour boats.  We get some glorious sunsets looking out from Race Rocks.This one has the Metchosin Hills in the foreground: June 11, 2001
July 1, 2001, Canada Day fireworks over the provincial capital Victoria, B.C. Mike Slater lined up this scene on camera 3. July 4, 2001, American Independence Day fireworks over Port Angeles to the south of Race Rocks. Jean Dalphond captured this collage of images when he was staying at RR doing a project in early June, 2001.
Gull chicks hatching
July, 2001		 Pigeon guillemots – nest in burrows in the rocks – use remote camera to find
July, 2001		 There was an abundance of baby seals – born in mid July – 2001. Mike and Carol set the camera up on this scene on camera 2 .

The Brandt’s cormorants on the west shore in
January, 2002
May 2002 : yes, sometimes Race Rocks can be “golden”. This is camera 1 on the elephant seals.
June, 2002 : We have had a successful year for gull hatching: 96 counted at one time and most of them survived.
Pam Birley from England has sent us this eagle sequence, January, 2004. She has contributed her album of pictures to our daily log files. The OCEANQUEST exercises:use screen capture to contribute to a database

Directory of OceanQuest Assignment Resources:

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Collage for OceanQuestOverview: Are you prepared to take on the challenge of OceanQuest? You are expected to be an active participant in helping to build a valuable resource database for a unique sensitive environment.

The basic starting resources you will use come from www. racerocks.ca but our vision for the future is that you may actively develop a set of internet resources for your own unique ecological area.

Link to The OceanQuest GIS With Curriculum Guide
NOTE: The link to the GIS which ran on an outside server arranged by the Open School has been discontinued.. The other curruculum materials are still valid however on this site.

Topic 1 :
BIODIVERSITY
Some of the folllowing files from www. racerocks.ca were used in the building of the OCEANQUEST website.
Lesson:Intertidal Race Rocks 1. Structure and Function of Ecosystems :
How can we model ecosystems in order to understand how they work ?
Student Activities: Objectives:
Procedure :
1. Introduction
2. Horizontal distribution

  • Objectives:
    Procedure:

    • 1. Use the remote camera.
    • 2. Use the dichotomous key for identification.
    • 3. Determine the sector from aerial view of horizontal distribution.
    • 4. Field techniques to quantify distribution.
    • 5. Describe the Role of organisms in determining horizontal distribution.
    • 6. Design your own horizontal structure analysis.
    • 7. How do Anthropogenic Impacts affect Biodiversity.
      • Objectives:
        Procedure:
3. Vertical Distribution

  • Objectives:
    Procedure:

    • 1. Use the remote camera.
    • 2. Use the Dichotomous key for identification.
    • 3. Vertical Stratification of Tide Pools
    • 4. Subtidal vertical stratification with seaweed canopy.
    • 5. Vertical Stratification in the water column.
    • 6. Vertical Stratification in Soil
    • 7. Design your own vertical structure analysis.
4. Biotic Components
List of birds and mammals most frequently observed from the remote camera 5.
5. Rare and Endangered Species
6. Coastal Classification System

  • Objectives
  • Procedure:
7. Abiotic Components (Topic 2 below)
8. Ecosystem Function

  • Objectives:
  • Procedure:
9. Biogeochemical cycles

  • Objectives:
  • Procedure:
10. Extension..Other ecosystems– structure and function.

 

Lesson:
 2. Why not Adopt an Ecosystem?
pond Use the internet as a means to get groups to collaborate to provide an educational resource while ensuring the stewardship of their own local ecological resources.
Objectives:
Procedure:
1. Identify the area
2. Establish goals and time lines
3. Establish a baseline inventory
4. Class project to provide a taxonomy
5. Use technology to document the area
6. Monitor for Structure and Function: (See topic 1.)
7. Submit site for inclusion in GIS
8. Obtain tiff-referenced aerial photography
9. Assemble a web-site to carry the information.
10. Create a list of the Ecosystem Services and Natural Capital of the area.

  • Objectives:
  • Procedure

11. Set up a weather monitoring Station

 

TOPIC 2: ABIOTIC FACTORS
Lessons:Link to Abiotic Factors Assignment 1. Selected Abiotic Factors (such as Barometric Pressure) :

The effects of physical factors on the life of an ecosystem is often taken for granted. Here we give you the chance to investigate some of the unique ways that organisms have evolved in order to adapt to the physical conditions of their environments.
Objectives:
Procedure:
1.Introduction
2. Wind Speed and Direction
3. Barometric Pressure
4. Lightning
5. Change through time: Salinity and Temperature.

  • Objectives:
  • Procedure:
Lessons: bell curve 2. Limiting Factors and the Ecological Niche
Objectives:
Procedure:
1. Introduction
2. GIS activity
3. and 4and 5. Contrast limiting factors in two closely related species.
6. Natural Selection
7. The Ecological Niche as determined by limiting factors
8. Adaptation: A classic study of limiting factors: The Bumpus sparrows.
9. Extension: Central Tendency and Variability.
Topic 3 : ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR
Lessons
Population		 1. Population Monitoring:
An activity which allows you to contribute to a scientific database for the census of animals
Objectives:
Procedure:
1. Census of the populations, and the use of the dichotomous key.
2. Race Rocks population numbers and sector designations.
3. Weather correlation to population levels.

 

2. The Ethology Assignment:
Lessons:Ethology An activity that may allow you to look at the behaviours of animals in a new way
Objectives:
Procedure
1. Preliminary Observation.
2. Collecting Data.. The ethogram and the time budget.
3. Using the dichotomous key for identification.
4. Compiling the Ethogram
5. Preparing the Time Budget
6. Doing a report and submitting results to the GIS
7. Extension material

Saving Images from Live, Streaming Video:

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DIRECTIONS for SAVING IMAGES and VIDEOS

Project Ideas for Viewers:We would like your help in contributing to our archive gallery of images from Race Rocks. Many times interesting behaviours occur on the screen which we can’t predict, but which could be part of a valuable contribution to our research database on Race Rocks, or you may be doing a school project where you could use a series of your own original images on animal behavior. From our cameras at Race Rocks, you can create a series of pictures, and embed them in a word processing document with your description of what was happening and the date and time.
This file shows some screenshots from the cameras at Race Rocks:

Here are some examples from our viewer in England PB:

PopulationPopulation Monitoring exercise.

 

 

EthologyAnimal behaviour Exercise:

 

 

How to Clip and Save Images :

The easiest way to save images is to go to the remote control  cameras and from the controls page you will see a button on the top named “CAPTURE” This allows you to freeze a frame, drag it to your desktop and then it is in your computer.

FOR MACINTOSH COMPUTERS: Clipping a picture from the browser is very easy with a Mac. For the whole page put on Caps lock, hold down shift/apple/and number 3. When you click on the screen it will save a screenshot to the hard drive. To clip a portion of the screen, simply hold down the shift, apple command and #4 keys, and position the cross hair of your cursor at the upper left hand corner of an image you wish to save. Drag the cursor diagonally across the area you want saved. Then release– you hear a shutter sound, the picture is stored on the hard drive where you receive downloads as Screencapture with date  etc. This image may be in a .png  format so you can open it in a photo editing program such as Graphic Converter and save it as a .jpg after trimming to the desired form. It is then ready for embedding in a web page. Behaviours are easily captured by a series of these clips, taken consecutively.

For Other Operating Systems:Please consult your help files for screen capture: Another alternative for capturing video is to download the software from a site that you may find by searching for Image capture or Screen Capture or video capture:

. We would appreciate it if you could credit “racerocks.com” from Lester B. Pearson College as the source of the picture!

To contribute your sequence to this web site e-mail files of pictures and text to us at the racerocks.ca website send an e-mail with your attached files. Indicate whether or not you want your name included as a contributor.

Falco peregrinus: Peregrine falcon –The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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ryanperegrine

This photo was taken on Race Rocks by Ryan Murphy in December of 2008.

See all the posts on this website with observations of Peregrines

Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Aves
Order: Falconiformes
Family: Falconidae
Genus: Falco
Species: peregrinus
Common Name: Peregrine falcon

Unusual footage taken by Pam Birley using the remote camera 5 of a falcon eating a seabird. Also see similar sequence on right below..

 

The Peregrine falcon, Falco peregrinus, is a bird of prey (or raptor) which has captured the attention and imagination of ornithologists and bird-watchers alike for several thousand years. With a body length of 15-20 inches and a body weight of 1.25-3.75 lbs, the falcon is built specifically for travelling at high speeds (up to 180 m.p.h.) in order to catch its prey. The name Falco peregrinus is derived from the Latin falx, or sickle-shaped, and peregrinus, meaning wandering. It is unclear whether the former is derived from the shape of the bird’s silhouette in the sky or from the shape of its beak, but the latter name comes undoubtedly from its propensity to migrate great distances.In the picture of a Peregrine Falcon and Bald Eagle from his Flickr site, Ryan Murphy said
“This was amazing to witness in person, I regret not having been able to capture it better than this! Just before this the eagle rolled backwards towards the chasing falcon… awesome aerial battle!”
Predation
Two sequences of pictures from Race Rocks below have been taken by Pam Birley showing the peregrine eating a shorebird.and a sea gull. Though peregrine falcons, like other birds of prey, are considered to be near the top of the food web, they are not completely free from predators. Great horned owls and golden eagles have been known to attack them. Humans have also been known to take their eggs in hopes to raise the falcons for hunting purposes.
As top predators, peregrine falcons play an important ecosystem role in regulating the populations of their prey.
Habitat
Peregrine Falcons prefer open habitats such as grasslands, tundra, and meadows. They nest on cliff faces and crevices. They have recently begun to colonize urban areas because tall buildings are suitable for nesting in this species, and because of the abundance of pigeons as prey items.
Peregrine falcons prey almost exclusively on birds, including mourning doves, pigeons, shorebirds, (see slide shows above) waterfowl, and smaller songbirds. They will also eat small reptiles and mammals. Although peregrine falcons capture their prey with their claws, they generally kill prey with their beak.The photos for this slide show and video were taken on the remote camera 5 at Race Rocks, by Pam Birley operating the camera from Great Britain. Pam had observed the peregrine falcon on various perches around the island in the mornings for several weeks in October and November. Her persistence paid off on November 17, 2005. Pam wrote in her e-mail ….”Today we had just returned home .. I just came up to the computer, switched it on and there was Perry with his breakfast….I really caught him in the act of devouring his prey today! “You may see other pictures that Pam has taken using the remote camera at Race Rocks by clicking here to go to her photo album .
CLICK ON THE BLANK SPACE

PEREGRINE FALCONS AT RACEROCKS: OCTOBER, 2004

Pam Birley of Leicester England captured some of the pictures remotely on robotic camera 5 and Mike Slater, our reserve guardian took the pictures of the antenna perch on the towerPam was interviewed recently about her wildlife viewing on racerocks.com
ref: Anderson, Charlie, “Live Wildlife for your Living Room “,
The Province (newspaper) , Vancouver, B.C. ( Sunday, Nov.21, 2004)

Conservation Status
Peregrine falcons have suffered due to their dangerous position atop the food chain. Pesticides accumulate in small (not lethal) quantities in the tissues of small birds and mammals, but become concentrated enough in predatory birds, such as falcons, to kill them or render them incapable of producing offspring. Organochlorine pesticides (DDT and dieldrin) have been proven to reduce the birds’ ability to produce eggshells with sufficient calcium content, making the egg shells thin and more likely to break. Peregrine falcon populations dropped greatly in the middle of the 20th century, they were threatened worldwide by the increasing use of pesticides. All breeding pairs vanished in the Eastern United States. A successful captive breeding/reintroduction program, combined with restrictions in pesticide use, has been the basis of an amazing recovery by peregrine falcons. Now the use of many of the chemicals most harmful to these birds is restricted. It is not yet restricted in the areas of Central and South American where many subspecies spend the winter. After having been on the endangered list since 1969, the incredible recovery of Peregrine Falcons has become a perfect example of how effective human conservation can be. In the 1990’s they were taken off the lists of endangered species in the United States.

Jan 25, 2010 Brian Mury sent this link to a set of images he took from Camera 1 on the top of the tower. The falcon is perched on the FM antenna which is used by Environment Canada to transmit anemometer readings from the top of the tower.

 

Other Members of the Class Aves at Race Rocks.

taxonomyiconReturn to the Race Rocks Taxonomy
and Image File
pearsonlogo2_f2The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams.

Chiara Ravetti PC yr 31

 

The Ecological Niche defined by Abiotic Factors

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EconicheThe file linked here was included to illustrate the concept of the Ecological Niche of an organism. Ecological Niches are determined by all the Biotic and Abiotic factors that make up the limiting factors on an organisms environment. It is impossible to represent in a diagram all the factors which define the full ecological niche. After studying the two references linked on this page, write a discussion on how our built-up environments with cats, lawns, and other introduced species limit the ecological niches available and thus impact negatively on Biodiversity.

anthopleura
“The ecological niche of Anthopleura elegantissima at Race Rocks”
In this research essay, Santiago has adapted a tool from EXCEL to illustrate his concept of the “cloud” that represents an Ecological Niche of a sea anemone. This is an original interpretation and one which helps us visualize the dimensions of niche requirements.

Limiting Factors: The Bumpus Paper

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malesparrowA classic study done over a century ago has provided the data for many studies on limiting factors of the environment, See this PDF, partially quoted here from The Condor Journal : For the complete article go to http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Condor/files/
issues/v094n04/p0944-p0954.pdf

 

 INTRODUCTION
Nearly a century ago, Hermon Bumpus received 136 House Sparrows (Passer domesticus) that had been collected after a severe winter storm in Providence, Rhode Island (Bumpus 1899). Over half of these birds revived in his laboratory and Bumpus proceeded to evaluate physical characteristics that might distinguish these survivors from their dead counterparts. He concluded that the storm had taken a greater toll on individuals whose morphometrics deviated most from the “ideal type” (Bumpus 1899). Bumpus was unabashed in claiming this pattern of differential survival to be due to the agency of natural selection. The provocative nature of his interpretation, coupled with publication of the complete data set on which it is based, has prompted repeated analysis of Bumpus’ study (e.g., Harris 1911, Calhoun 1947, Grant 1972, Johnston et al. 1972, Lande and Arnold 1983, Crespi and Bookstein 1989). Studies reappraising the Bumpus data generally agree that females suffered proportionately greater mortality than males and that female survivorship reflects stabilizing or normalizing selection (Grant 1972, Johnston et al. 1972, Lande and Arnold 1983). Disagreement persists, however, in deciding whether male survivorship reflects directional selection and, if so, whether this selection favors larger (Johnston et al. 1972) versus smaller individuals (Lande and Arnold 1983, Clutton-Brock 1988). Such contradictory conclusions from the same data set reflect differences in confidence that var- ious authors place in Bumpus’ morphometric measures. Those accepting at face value all nine of Bumpus’ morphometric measures conclude that the winter storm selected against larger adult males, because male survivors had significantly less mass and shorter total length than did their dead counterparts. On the other hand, some contend that his measures involving plumage (alar extent and total length) and mass may be biased, albeit for different reasons, and should not be considered when comparing characteristics of survivors to non-survivors (Calhoun 1947, Grant 1972, Johnston et al. 1972, Crespi and Bookstein 1989). When analysis is restricted to each of the six skeletal measures, adult male survivors and non-survivors cannot be distinguished from one another.

FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION:
The following original papers present the arguments for natural selection by abiotic factors in the environment:BUMPUS, H. C. 1899. The elimination of the unfit as illustrated by the introduced House Sparrow, Passer domesticus. Biol. Lectures, Marine Biol. Lab., Woods Hole:209-226.

JOHNSTON, R. F., D. M. NILES, AND S. A. ROHWER. 1972. Hermon Bumpus and natural selection in Passer domesticus.

PRICE, T. D., P. R. GRANT, H. L. GIBBS, AND P. T. BOAG. 1984. Recurrent patterns of natural selection in a population of Darwin’s Finches. Nature 309:787-789.
Return to the Assignment on Ecosystem Structure and Function

Return to the OceanQuest Index

Shipwrecks around Race Rocks

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The islets may be shrouded in fog for up to 45 days a year. With only the station bell for a keeper to sound in the fog, Race Rocks was for many years the final resting place of the ships of unsuspecting crews drawn to the reefs by the relentless tide rips. Unfortunately, because of the strong currents, most shipwreck evidence has been swept off the rocks into water too deep for regular diving.

he Nanette.. sank in 1860
Three days before the new light was lit, tragedy struck. If there was ever any doubt about the need for the lighthouse structure the loss of the 385 ton tall ship Nanette proved it. Without the warning the new light was to provide only three days later, the Nanette ran hard aground on Race Rocks and was a total loss.

The Nanette’s mate William McCullogh wrote in the ship’s log:

“At 8 o’clock saw a light bearing N by W [this must have been the new light at Fisgard lit only six weeks earlier] Could not find the light marked on the chart. At 8 1/2 o’clock it cleared somewhat, and then saw the point of Race Rocks the first time, but no light. Called all hands on deck, as we found the ship was in a counter current, and drifting at a rate of 7 knots toward the shore. We made all possible sail, but to no avail.”

With the assistance of the construction gang the crew of the Nanette found shelter although the lightstation boat was also lost. HMS Grappler was able to rescue the crew from Race Rocks the next day. The cargo of the Nanette , valued at over $160,000 was strewn across the rocks surrounding the stricken hull. This prize attracted many eager locals hoping to salvage what they could. One overly ambitious crew perished when their over loaded canoe capsized off Albert Head tossing five men, a woman and her 18 month old baby into the sea.

 

The Loss of the Nanette, 1860

The Mystery wreck.. possibly the Idaho discovered at Race Rocks
The SS Nicholas Biddle ..sank January 5, 1867.Feb 5, 1867

Disaster to the ship Nicholas Biddel- ran aground on Rosedale reefThe Swordfish, sank .. November 6 1877
Nov. 7 1877

Wreck of the HMS Swordfish off Beecher bay

Nov. 7 1877H.M.S.Opal rescues crew of the SwordfishNov.11 1877Sale of the Swordfish ( wreckage)In 1978, PC student Alex Guevarra and faculty member Garry Fletcher while diving on this wreck, discovered a cast iron cannon. The cannon was retrieved after some effort and under the direction of Pearson College Anthropology teacher Brad Myers, was restored over a period of 10 years in a solution with electrolysis. It was transferred to Race Rocks and now sits on a cradle, made by a former light keepers assistant, at the base of the tower. It has been found out since that the cannon was probably being carried as ballast on the ship. We found out It had been was cast in Glasgow in 1790, in a set of cannons that all had oval bores. The set was subsequently sold off as scrap metal.

November 2, 1886 The Barnard Castle, a coal freighter en route from Nanaimo to San Francisco struck Rosedale Rocks on , but made it to nearby Bentinck Island where it now lies in 12 meters of water. See this image from the BC Archives. (Image A-0007)
also this link: 

 

The Wreck of the Idaho: Little is known about this wreck, but it is believed by the BC Underwater Archeological Society to be the designation of a wreck that lies off Rosedale reef. The pictures below by Jacques Marc, in the late 1990’s show the extensive evidence of this wreck.

 

 

In 1892 the Department of Marine and Fisheries installed a steam plant and two compressed air fog horns at Race Rocks. The Department had taken over operation of lighthouses from the British Admiralty in 1871 when British Columbia joined the Dominion of Canada. Despite the addition of the powerful horns, tragedies continued at Race Rocks.

In 1896 the SS Tees crashed ashore,
followed by the Prince Victor in January 1901.
The worst disaster occurred on the dark night of March 24, 1911. The ferry Sechelt , bound for Sooke from Victoria found herself fighting a fierce westerly gale as she headed out the strait past Race Rocks. The captain decided against bucking the gale past Beechy Head and made the decision to make a fateful change of course to return his ship to the shelter of Victoria harbour. Caught in a beam sea the Sechelt capsized and sank rapidly taking her crew and 50 passengers with her to the bottom of Race Passage.

 

In July of 1923 the liner Siberian Prince went aground within a mile of the lighthouse without ever hearing the horn. Reports are that it was floated free.

 


On November 2, 1925 the Holland America liner Eemdijk also ran aground in almost the same location. Again the ship’s crew reported they did not hear the fog horns from nearby Race Rocks.>The tug Hope was lost with her crew of seven while attempting to salvage the Eemdijk . In 1927 Race Rocks was the first station on Canada’s West Coast to be fitted with a radio beacon. This did a great deal to prevent further tragedy.

 

 

And we still get shipwrecks at Race Rocks!