Ben Dougall (PC yr.28) from Australia has edited this clip demonstrating some of the highlights of his stay with “The Crew” at Race Rocks.They were there for the Johan Ashuvud Race Rocks02 Project in the first two weeks of June 2002 . As well as providing daily webcasts from the mobile camera, they took over the duties of the Ecological reserve ecoguardians and worked on producing a number of video sequences for the video archives and Race Rocks Taxonomy.
Go to “MEET THE CREW” for the Project.
The Feather Duster Tube worm is often associated with floating docks on the southern part of Vancouver Island. At Race Rocks, there are no floating docks but Eudistylia inhabits the protected rock crevasses of the lower intertidal zone. It can not withstand drying out too long so being in this tidal level will provide a maximum of an hour exposure at the lowest tides. While exposed in the air, their feather like gills are retracted, and the leathery parchment -like tubes are pinched closed at the opening. Underwater, the gills when released, are often banded a deep red and purple colour.
Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Annelida
Class Polychaeta
Order Canalipalpata
Suborder Sabellida
Family Sabellidae
Genus Eudistylia
Species vancouveri
Common Name: Northern Feather Duster Wor
GF photo, 2007
| Other Members of the Phylum Annelida at Race Rocks |
 Return to the Race Rocks Taxonomyand Image File |
 The 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.
June 2002 Garry Fletcher (PC) |
In June, 2002 the grade six students of Nadine Cruikshank’s class at West-Mont school in Metchosin came out to Race Rocks to participate in a live webcast. Pearson College students Ben,Joe, Kiprop and former student Ryan Murphy introduce them to the ecology and the history of Race Rocks. (17 minutes)
MEET THE CREW:
 Michael Kiprop Kenya (PC-2003) |
 Joe Downham UK (PC-2003) |
 Ben Dougall Australia (PC-2003) |
 Ryan Murphy Newfoundland & Labrador (PC-2001) |
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“We had a great time webcasting live from Race Rocks on Camera 4 during the first two weeks of June for the Johan Ashuvud Race Rocks02 Project”
Three current first year students from Pearson College and Ryan Murphy, who graduated last year stayed at the Marine Science Centre. Ryan is returning to Race Rocks this month to do research for Mt.Allison Univ. on the macroalgal community.
See one video on Pterygophora which was one part of his project here: They conducted daily live and prerecorded webcasts with Garry Fletcher from the intertidal and from underwater using camera 4.
Garry Fletcher Biology/Diving faculty
For one of the webcasts we were joined by Sean LeRoy, Graduate Researcher, Georgia Basin Futures Project Sustainable Development Research Institute, University of British Columbia and Dr.James Tansey also of UBC. They came to participate in the webcast with Garry and Ryan on Marine Protected Areas in new Zealand and Canada with Tim Langlois, Leigh Marine Laboratory University of Auckland, and Anne Saloman, University of Washington, Zoology Department.
On three days we hosted small groups of students from local elementary schools who served as proxies in webcasts done for their classmates.
Support for the Race Rocks 02 Project came from the Johan Ashuvud Race Rocks Memorial Fund
Below are some of the Videos produced by the crew during the week.
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| Ben’s movie put together during the week. | June 2002 field trip: for a live webcast with the crew, of the grade six students from West-Mont school . | One morning we found the body of an octopus washed up in the intertidal zone. An impromptu dissection led to this video. |
Here is a look into a day in the lives of students on the Johann Ashuvud Project 2004. as it was in June of 2004 See as they tour about the island executing everyday errands. Thanks to Jennifer (PC yr31), Emmanuel (PC yr30), Tanyella ( PC yr 31) and Michelle (PC yr30). Camera by Paul (PC yr30)
For the last 24 years, the first year environmental systems students have had their final term exam at Race Rocks. In May of 2002, Laura Verhegge continued the tradition with her two classes. They endured the west wind and went through the six stations of the exam. In this video the students and Laura provide the commentary about the investigations.
The Sea Cucumber Parastichopus californicus is normally a reddish-orange to brown color, although there is also a beige color phase with dark brown spots.( leucistic). In the past year, 2 of these white variants have shown up near Race Rocks
In April of each year we begin to get tides that are low enough for intertidal research. This video starts with students measuring temperature and salinity in tidepool #4 , then collecting “harpacticoids ” in tidepool #10, then doing further measurements in the new artificial pool #13. The wind was blowing at West 25 kn., but it didn’t deter our class!
This image of the scallop with very bright eyes was taken by Adam Harding on a dive in June 2010
The swimming scallop is closely related to clams, oysters and cockles. Unlike some of its relatives, the swimming scallop is not sessile. The ribs of the swimming scallop are rendered rasplike by the presence of curved spines. The shell can grow up to 5 – 6 cm in height. They have beautiful, green iridescent and almost luminous eyes called ocelli that are found around the edge of the mantle in both valves. The ocelli are sensitive to light intensity and are rather complicated but do not form images. They also have sensitive tentacles that project out of the edge of the mantle.
They are usually found in subtidal areas and sometimes in shallow water. They live at depths ranging from 2 – 150 m.
Swimming scallops normally lie with their right valves against the substratum, and they may be attached periodically when they are younger by means of a byssus, a fine elastic fibre as in that secreted by mussels. Scallops are free spawning organisms. Reproduction is done through the release of sperm by males and eggs by females into the water.
Swimming scallops are filter feeders. They feed with the shell agape as it the picture above.They process water, using their ctenidia (or gills) to collect microscopic food and Oxygen from the water.
Sometimes spontaneously, and just about always when menaced by a predator, such as certain sea stars (Pisaster and Pycnopodia). They swim by a sort of jet propulsion, clapping the valves together and forcing water out through openings on both sides of the hinge. This shows in the video when the Pycnopodia is brought close to the scallop. The scallop senses the pycnopodia by a chemical sensor. The swimming scallop also swims away when there is a change in environmental conditions.
Swimming scallops are usually colonized by sponges, mostly on the left valve, that form thick coatings. The sponges provide camouflage for the scallop as well as defense against predators. The sponge’s porous nature hinders potential predators, such as sea stars from getting a good grip on the scallop, and they may also provide a repulsive chemical odor. This shows biological mutualism, where both organisms benefit in the symbiosis.
References:
Kozloff, E. N. Seashore Life of the Northern Pacific Coast .4th Edition (1996). University of Washington Press. 539 pages.
Kozloff, E. N. Marine Invertebrates of the Pacific Northwest. (1996). University of Washington Press. 370 pages.
Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Mollusca
Class Bivalvia
Order Ostreoida
Sub Order Pectinina
Family Pectinidae
Genus Chlamys
Species hastata
Common Name: Swimming Scallop
Other Members of the Phylum Mollusca at Race Rocks.
| Return to the Race Rocks Taxonomy and Image File |
| The 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.
Victoriano de Jesus PC year 28 |
