Category Archives: Ecology

Garden Escapes and Invasive Species of Great Race Rocks Island.

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towerstockThroughout the year, on the main island of Great Race Rocks, a changing array of introduced garden flowers range over the landscape of the island. This island had been used by the British Colonial Navy and then by the Canadian Coast Guard since the 1860’s . During that time, many light keepers and their assistants had brought ashore soil and had planted gardens for their own provisioning. Along with the soil came many introduced species, and over the years, those species of plants that have been tolerant of the salt spray and the extreme drought of the summer months have survived. A further selective force was the “trimming and mowing” of the grass and the rock knolls on the island. Fire was always a hazard and as a result every attempt was made to prevent the build up of organic materials. In 1997 when Lester Pearson College started managing the environment on the island, a decision was made to attempt to restore the grassed area to a more natural environment by leaving it in its natural state. The introduced flowers are not cultivated, if they survived the conditions, they are allowed to flourish. Those that are unpalatable to Canada geese grazing now have an advantage. The unique thing about these perennials is that they often remain flowering throughout the winter since the air temperature, moderated by the surrounding waters keeps it the above freezing.

Link to other Posts on the Terrestrial Plants of Race Rocks

grape hyacinth images/crocus.jpg
Hyacinthoides non-scripta: English bluebells. Native to Europe. Matthiola incana: evening-scented stock, first discovered growing on cliffs above the sea in England. Also in picture with tower, above right. Muscari racemosum / neglectum: Grape Hyacinth: native to Armenia Crocus vernus subsp. vernus: Native to Asia.
wall flower and Race ROcks tower
Sedum sp.: possibly Sedum album see also below This was introduced beside the assistant keepers house in the mid 1980s and has since spread over most of the rock-exposed parts of the island, partially because of increased pressure of Canada goose grazing on other plants Calendula sp.: Native to the area from Macaronesia east through the Mediterranean region to Iran. Also shown beside the paths below where it self-seeds each year. Cheiranthus allionii: Perennial wall flower, native to the Canary islands. This plant will flower throughout the year.In mild winters it does not stop blooming. Cheiranthus allionii .–wallflowers near the residence with the tower in the background
sedum calendula gladiolus imbricatus
Gladiolus imbricatus,garden escape
 Sedum sp.  Pathway at Race Rocks with naturally growing border of Calendula.(Gulls will occasionally rip some out for nesting material.) Gladiolus imbricatus : It is not yet in bloom in this picture, but several clumps grow in late May on the east side of the main residence. G.imbricatusin bloom: Originally from south-eastern Europe/Turkey, it has been growing unattended here for over 50 years.

 

Amsinckia,fiddleneck
Amsinckia spectabilis , fiddleneck
 Amsinckia spectabilis , fiddleneck Amsinckia spectabilis , fiddleneck
This fiddleneck,Amsinckia spectabilis is a recent arrival to the islands, Amsinckia spectabilis in bloom. Although not a garden escape, it has colonized many areas here possibly because of the unpalatability to Canada geese. Close up of Amsinckia spectabilis in bloom.. Fiddle shaped seed heads of Amsinckia spectabilis. Below are  the seedsAmsinckia spectabilis , fiddleneck seedsUnless otherwise stated, photos on this page were taken by G. Fletcher

Video of Substrate at Tidal Current Energy Site

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Chris Blondeau and Juan Carlos do another video of the substrate at the site of the piling installation prior to the pile drilling operation for the Tidal Current Energy Project. They document some of the species of hydroid, colonial ascidian and sponges which grow on the giant barnacles in the area. March 29, 2006.

Note: The video pauses on each clump in order to have a better view.

 

 

Turbine Site Hydroid Survey- 2006

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Chris Blondeau and Juan Carlos Yabar, did this survey to document the Invertebrates, particularly hydroids,sponges and colonial tunicates in the are where the turbine Piling was to be installed later in the year.

See other archived video with Pearson College Divers

Zostera marina: eel grass–The Race Rocks taxonomy

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This true sea grass, is not an algae, but a flowering plant. It does have a close relative, the other sea grass Phyllospadix scouleri which does live at Race Rocks. We have included it here because it often ends up on the small pocket beach areas as drift along marine algae and logs. So technically its energy is imported into the Race Rocks Ecosystem with the help of storms. It actually grows in shallow offshore areas in a sand sediment bottom. The closest to Race Rocks is around Bentinck Island and in Emdyck Passage

Asexual Reproduction: In the photos you can see that it grows on a sediment substrate and has creeping roots or rhizomes just below the surface. They serve as its main method of propagation. It also can produce seeds from small inconspicuous flowers. A bed of this grass may be closely related genetically as it is joined by a network of these rhizomes underground.

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Alismatales
Family: Zosteraceae
Genus: Zostera
Species: marina
Common Name: Eel Grass

 

Other Members of the Angiosperms 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.

 name –year (PC)

Phyllospadix scouleri: surf grass– Race Rocks taxonomy

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Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Alismatales
Family: Zosteraceae
Genus: Phyllospadix
Species: P. scouleri
Binomial name
Phyllospadix scouleri

Genus/species Phyllospadix scouleri (Hooker)

 

Description: This flowering plant is most characteristic of the open rocky shores of the coast that are exposed to the full force of the waves, as on the west coast of Vancouver Island.  There it forms bright emerald-green beds on the rocks near extreme low-tide level.  The plants are relatively short, usually not more than a metre in length, and the leaves are 20-32 mm. wide.  Short basal flowering stems are produced, which are 5-8 cm. long.

Habitat:  On rocks in the lower intertidal and upper subtidal zones.

Pacific Coast Distribution:  Alaska to Mexico.

Robert Scagel, 1972

 
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. March 8 2009- Ryan Murphy

Limiting Factors and the Ecological Niche

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BACKGROUND:
normalcurveEnvironmental abiotic and biotic factors can also be termed “Limiting Factors.“ They are limiting in that they tend to select only for those organisms which have the best tolerance, or adaptation to the factor. At different times of the year, some abiotic factors take on more importance than others. Water is certainly not a limiting factor at Race Rocks in the months of December and January compared to the dry months of July and August. In this assignment, we will examine data records and determine what other factors are variable in their importance in various times of the year. This assignment is paired with the assignment on Abiotic Factors

Objectives:

1. Present an argument for what you consider to be the most important abiotic factor in determining the distributions of organisms at Race Rocks , and contrast this with what you consider to be the most important factor in determining the distribution of organisms where you live.

2. Use the following terms to explain with graphs, examples of the concept of Limiting Factors.

  • Euryhaline and Stenohaline
  • Eurythermal and Stenothermal

3. Describe how Natural Selection of species occurs as the result of Limiting Factors.

4. Demonstrate how Limiting Factors of the environment determine and define the ecological niche of an organism.

5. Produce a graph demonstrating the Ecological Niche of an organism.

6. Discuss how our built up environments with cats, lawns, and other introduced species limit the ecological niches available and thus impact negatively on Biodiversity.

PROCEDURE:

1.Introduction: Examine this graph representing the Normal Curve or a Bell Curve of the level of population of a species, in a certain area, or the density. If you think of the blue line here representing the number of individuals of animals or plants in a population, which exist in an environment with abiotic conditions favoring those at the central value of 0, then you can see that there is actually more positive selection for the central area being exerted than for either of the extremes. Species evolve in much this way. Those having the right amount of insulation, the right amount of ability to survive dessication or drying up, the right abilities to survive in a certain salinity or level of dissolved oxygen, or the right ability to tolerate a high level of wind in their environment, are the ones who are more successful in reproducing and thus their traits get passed along to more offspring. So the X-axis can represent the abiotic variables in an environment.

2. Correlate the month of occurrence of a species and the population levels for that month.

3. We can see from the assignment on abiotic factors, that there may be dozens of such graphs you could make for any organism.musshand At Race Rocks, we have two species of the molluscs called mussels. They are Mytilus californianus and Mytilus trossulus . Visualize the x-axis above being a scale of temperature, for a marine animal such as a mussel, lets say the ideal temperature for mussels is 10 degrees C. Draw a similar graph with 10 in place of the 0 . Show the scale going up and down from 10. Lets say that the Mytilus californianus mussels cannot reproduce at a temperature higher than 12 degrees nor lower than 8 degrees C, so the blue line tapers down and ends at 8 degrees C.
4. Now plot another graph on the same scale, This one is for the other local mussel, Mytilus trossulus. musselpool4It lives in the intermediate level tidepools and can survive in water up to 16 degrees and down to 4 degrees. In the sample above we say that the M.californianus is a Stenothermal ( narrow range of tolerance to heat) animal, whereas the M.trossulus is a Eurythermal (wide range of tolerance to heat) organism
5. Next we will do a similar plot for salinity. Here 30 parts per thousand for salinity becomes the central measurement and above and below that amount make the rest of the scale. M.Californianus prefers to live in water that is 27 parts per thousand. But it can live in up to 30 or down to 25. M.trossulus also prefers 27 parts per thousand, but can live in water that ranges from 32 down to 22 parts per thousand. Now if we combine the same prefixes: Eury and Steno,with the word haline, we will get a word that describes the organisms. So now you have two new words that help describe the variation the same abiotic factor can have on two closely related species.
6. Natural Selection which can lead to the evolution of separate species, is often determined by the way an organism is able to tolerate variations in the abiotic factors of it’s environment.variabilityJust when that seemed so straightforward, we have to recognize that selection pressure may affect the same species group in different ways. Two species of mussel may on the other hand prefer different ranges of temperature or salinty instead of the 10 degrees. The picture B could represent that situation. What would the skewed distribution in C therefore represent in terms of selective pressures on the population?

mus7. The Ecological Niche is defined by limiting abiotic and biotic factors: In this assignment, we deal with the problem of defining what are the ideal conditions for an organism’s existence. At Race Rocks, the position on a shoreline within a few centimeters can determine survival of an organism. Use these references to find out about how you can model an ecological niche of an organism. Choose an organism in your own ecosystem and produce a graph representing it’s ecological niche.

 

malesparrow8.This now brings us to a classical study in Adaptation which was done over a century ago! This study has provided the data for many studies on limiting factors of the environment. However, be careful about jumping to conclusions! This study points out the difficulties in attributing what may at first seem to be a simple cause and effect relationship. See Bumpus’ Sparrows

9. Extension Materials: Central Tendency and Variability

Also, you may wish to take this opportunity to get into an exercise on Standard Deviation. To draw such a curve as the Normal Curve at the top of the page, one needs to specify two parameters, the mean and the standard deviation.  The graph has a mean of zero and a standard deviation of 1, i.e., (m=0, s=1).  A Normal distribution with a mean of zero and a standard deviation of 1 is also known as the Standard Normal Distribution.

Animal Populations and Behaviors

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BACKGROUND: In the populations of animals which we encounter at Race Rocks, we see a good representation of the biodiversity of the area. For years we have wanted to get a better idea of the levels of the bird and mammal populations throughout the year and also from one year to another. We have had scientists record the Christmas Bird Count in recent years, but we also need to have an idea of the population levels throughout the year. Scientists can determine the health of an ecosystem by knowing the trends of the populations through time. You have an opportunity here to contribute to the body of knowledge about the changes in populations through time.
Objectives: After doing this assignment, students will be able to:

a) Gather census data on populations of animals at Race Rocks using the remote cameras.

b) Use a simple dichotomous key for the identification of species.

c) Analyze the seasonal trends in populations of birds and mammals from Race Rocks

d) Describe the correlations between population trends on a particular day, and climatic conditions.

(If you are on sight at RR) you can document populations of species closeup such as in the surge channel or tidepool areas. Also physical factors such as ph, Salimnity and temperature, along with stratification can be recorded. These change through the seasonsd. If there is no reference file set up for one of the areas , feel free to start one and contribute it here. )

Procedure:

1. Census of Population: We will be estimating the numbers of a particular species in the areas visible from the remote control camera 1 or camera 5 of racerocks.com. Choose a bird or mammal species while viewing the area through camera .Verify the identification of a species observed by using the Dichotomous key for birds and mammals of Race Rocks.

2. Estimate the numbers of individuals of this species in the various sectors of the island visible from camera 5 and or camera 1. Record these in your data book.The ecosystems of Race Rocks are identified below in Table 1.

( You do not need to cover all sectors, however, if you choose a few and monitor them several times, you will get some figures that can be used to establish correlations with time of year, time of day, weather conditions or whatever you define as a possible physical factor that determines population distribution.)

3.Record the location of the population on the Sector maps of Race Rocks. Click on the appropriate image below for the sector designation. Where possible, capture a photo and include it with your data report..

4. Record the weather conditions from the weather page, and indicate weather you think that they have any effect on the population levels and locations.
Note: In the table below other sectors not visible from the cameras such as the tidepools have been numbered. If you are doing research on the island you can link to thespecific tidepool file with the number referred to in the list below.
Great Race Sectors from Cam 1 Great Race Sectors Race Rocks Reserve Sectors
Great Race Sector Image Map for Camera 1 views
Click on the pink-outlined polygons to identify the extra views from camera 1 not visible from cam 5.		 Great Race Sector Image Map for Camera 5 viewsClick on the red-outlined polygons to identify the views from camera 5. Race Rocks and Race Passage Sector Image MapClick on the red-outlined polygons to identify the outer islands views from camera 5
TABLE 1: Race Rocks Sector Designations:
1.0.1.1.8 Race Rocks
1.0.1.1.8.1 Shore and Rock Rise North East of Jetty
1.0.1.1.8.1.1 East Rock rise
1.0.1.1.8.1.1.1 East of House and Bay
1.0.1.1.8.1.2 East shore
1.0.1.1.8.1.3 Water to East
1.0.1.1.8.1.3.1 within 1 km
1.0.1.1.8.1.4 underwater
1.0.1.1.8.28.6 Winch House and grass plain
1.0.1.1.8.28.7 North lawn to dock
1.0.1.1.8.3 Shore North of Jetty
1.0.1.1.8.3.1 Tidepool#14
1.0.1.1.8.3.2 Tidepool#15
1.0.1.1.8.3.3 Tidepool#16
1.0.1.1.8.3.4 Tidepool #17
1.0.1.1.8.3.5 Tidepool#18
1.0.1.1.8.3.6 Tidepool#19
1.0.1.1.8.3.7 Tidepool #20
1.0.1.1.8.3.8 Crevasse
1.0.1.1.8.3.8 underwater
1.0.1.1.8.4 Jetty and Jetty Bays
1.0.1.1.8.4.1 underwater1.0.1.1.8.5 North Perch by cam 5
1.0.1.1.8.6 West Perch and cliff face
1.0.1.1.8.6.1 underwater

1.0.1.1.8.7 Rain Pools and close foreground -cam5
1.0.1.1.8.8 Heli pad and near camera 5
1.0.1.1.8.9 West shore and tide pool area
1.0.1.1.8.9.0
1.0.1.1.8.9 .1 Tidepool#1
1.0.1.1.8.9 .2 Tidepool#2
1.0.1.1.8.9 .3 Tidepool#3
1.0.1.1.8.9 .4 Tidepool#4
1.0.1.1.8.9 .5 Tidepool#5
1.0.1.1.8.9 .6 Tidepool#6
1.0.1.1.8.9 .7 Tidepool#7
1.0.1.1.8.9 .8 Tidepool#8
1.0.1.1.8.9 .9 Tidepool#9
1.0.1.1.8.9 .10 Tidepool#10
1.0.1.1.8.9 .11 Tidepool#11
1.0.1.1.8.9 .12 Tidepool #12
1.0.1.1.8.9 .13 Tidepool#13 artificial tp
1.0.1.1.8.9 .14 underwater

1.0.1.1.8.10 SW corner by surge channel rock
1.0.1.1.8.10.1 Surge Channel
1.0.1.1.8.10.2 South East Rise
1.0.1.1.8.11 South shore to Engine Room
1.0.1.1.8.11.1 Outfall surge channel
1.0.1.1.8.11.2 Shoreline
1.0.1.1.8.11.3 Underwater
1.0.1.1.8.12 Science House and lawn areas
1.0.1.1.8.13 Tower and Base area
1.0.1.1.8.14 Shore South and East of tower
1.0.1.1.8.15 South Rock Islands
1.0.1.1.8.15.1 Beyond South Rocks to Strait
1.0.1.1.8.15.1 underwater
1.0.1.1.8.15.2 underwater Rosedale reef
1.0.1.1.8.16 South-east rock beach bay
1.0.1.1.8.17 North side of the Keeper’s House
1.0.1.1.8.18 Water channel off docks
1.0.1.1.8.18.1 underwater
1.0.1.1.8.19 Middle Island
1.0.1.1.8.19.1 East islet of middles
1.0.1.1.8.19.2 Main middle
1.0.1.1.8.19.2.2.1 underwater
1.0.1.1.8.19.3 Turbine Channel
1.0.1.1.8.19.3 underwater
1.0.1.1.8.20 North Rock
1.0.1.1.8.20.1 underwater
1.0.1.1.8.21 North to Pedder Bay and Victoria

1.0.1.1.8.22 Race passage to Bentinck Island
1.0.1.1.8.23West ocean view area
1.0.1.1.8.24 West Race Rocks
1.0.1.1.8.24.1 underwater
1.0.1.1.8.25 Strait of Juan de Fuca West and South
1.0.1.1.8.25.1Within 1 km
1.0.1.1.8.25.2 Beyond 1 km
Lesson 2: Animal Behavior.Go to this file for the Animal Behavior lab.
Link to the Reference File for the Census Lab:

THE ENERGY FLOW ASSIGNMENT

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OBJECTIVES: After doing this assignment, you will be able to:a) Trace the pathway of the flow of energy in a portion of the Race Rocks Ecological Reserve.

b) Use a symbolic model to represent energy flow in your own ecosystem.

c) Discuss the contributions of the Odum brothers to the science of Ecology.
PROCEDURE:1.Energy Flow in the Ecosystems of Race Rocks can be partially represented by the figure1.Click on any of the boxes to see the organism which is part of the energy flow and the food web of the Islands.
2. You will have seen that some of the links, especially for the top level consumers have videos and slide shows of energy flow in action involving the predators at Race Rocks. Some of these images have been submitted by viewers using the remote camera 5 .
Your challenge is to come up with a picture or a set of pictures which show energy flow in action. Watch the seabirds on the island, especially in the summer during nesting season as they deliver food to chicks. At low tide, you can often see shorebirds like the Black oyster-catcher as it hammers away at intertidal invertebrates for food. Use the OceanQuest GIS sighting report process to add your observation to the records.3. Use this blank template to construct an energy flow model for your observation.( For further information on the definition of the symbols, see #4 below. You can eliminate most of the boxes, just include ones for which you have direct evidence.4.This is a link to a resource which outlines the theory of modelling energy flow with odum symbols. You may also use it for further ideas that will help you in the construction of an energy flow diagram your own ecosystem.

5. Extension material: Investigate the work of the Odum brothers, in material linked at the bottom of the reference in #4. Write a paragraph on the significance of their work for the modern understanding of Ecology.

6..Extension Material: Investigate the application of the Odum Energy Flow Models in the reference below on the Ebro Watershed.

 

Figure 1: Energy Flow at Race Rocks…click on the symbols below

For Further Reference on the application of this model: External Link: Models of Energy Flow for Rural Planning in the Ebro River Watershed

Structure and Function of Ecosystems

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BACKGROUND:
The “ECOSYSTEM PARADOX” : The assemblage of organisms and the physical, chemical, geological, and biological factors that determine their numbers, is what an ecosystem is all about. This community of organisms and the non-living environment with which they interact is called an ecosystem and all the populations of organisms inhabiting an area are a community .It is important to understand that these designations provide a convenient model or framework which enables us to understanding complex and interdependent processes. In the real world however, discreet packages called “ecosystems” do not actually exist, since everything on the planet is ultimately interrelated.Despite this, it is much more practical and convenient for scientists to look at the smaller interacting units of the planet, so we define oceanic ecosystems according to where they occur and the type of organisms which live in them. In this part of the OceanQuest Project, we will investigate some specific examples of how we can organize an ecosystem in our own minds in a famework of Structure and Function.
OBJECTIVES: After doing this project, you will be able to: a) Outline what is meant by the structure and Function of an Ecosystem using as an example an ecosystem near where you are living.

b) Analyze how the effects of vertical stratification in your ecosystem produce a number of different micro-habitats, and predict the effect of this on organisms.

c) Describe the causes of horizontal distribution in several examples from the Race Rocks Ecosystems and then show similar examples in your own ecosystem

d) Document the kind of abiotic factors which are important in the Race Rocks Ecosystems and then describe those which determine your own ecosystem.

e) Model the process of Energy flow in an ecosystem.

f) Model how Biogeochemical cycles operate in ecosystems.

g) Add the coastal classification designation to the level of the biotope to your observations .

h) Determine how the presence of rare species may be determined by environmental factors.
PROCEDURE:
Introduction:
1. Table 1 below shows one outline of the way that we can look at any ecosystem. You can see that there are a number of completely different components, which alone do not mean much. When taken together however, they help us to understand how the ecosystem is really working. In fact they help us to create a better “Model” of how the ecosystem works. Since many of our environmental concerns today are related to how we are damaging, interfering with, modifying or restoring ecosystems, it is useful to know how these whole systems work.. Take a full page and make an outline in a notebook with spaces similar to those shown in Table 1. Use this outline to help guide you through the different parts of Structure and Function. Make notations in the boxes to help you remember important points about how you will look at your own ecosystem.
2. One of the advantages of using Race Rocks as a model to study ecosystems is that many parts of these components can be studied remotely on the internet. Go to this file to see how you might use the robotic cameras to study the horizontal distribution of the ecosystem. It also provides several examples of how you can determine horizontal distribution of organisms.

3 . Since Race Rocks is rather devoid of trees, the vertical distribution of the ecosystem is not so obvious. It is however an important factor on a different scale, in the intertidal zone, in the tidepools, on the thinly vegetated rock surface and even below the ground. See this file on vertical distribution on the Race Rocks website which documents some of these variations. Then design your own protocol for analyzing the effect that vertical stratification has on the abiotic factors affecting the species of an ecosystem.
4. Biotic components comes next in our attempt to model the structure of the Ecosystem. All ecosystems have a set of organisms which are specific to that ecosystem. In some cases, the set of organisms indeed is the defining character of the ecosystem. We speak of “index species” or “the biotope” to help us define and characterize the ecosystem. On racerocks.com, we are continually updating the list of organisms which occur in the many definable micro-ecosystems of Race Rocks.

The students of the Biology and Environmental Systems classes of Lester Pearson College have helped in the production of the Race Rocks Taxonomy. If you go to that link, shown below, you can work through the hierarchy of a system of classification which allows you to pull up photographs, videos and descriptions of the species we have identified. Also a set of directions which can help you to set up your own taxonomy of an ecosystem near you can be found in the Adopt an Ecosystem assignment.In order to be sure that you understand how our Taxonomy works, we will go through the process of looking for information on the Elephant seal.

a) From the racerocks.ca home page click on the Ecosystem icon.

b) Select the image of The Race Rocks Taxonomy.

c) Follow with your cursor Kingdom Animalia/Phylum Chordata/Subphylum vertebrata/Class mammalia/ and then in the list you should see Mirounga angustirostris, the Northern Elephant Seal. You have essentially followed through the classification right to the genus and species level of this marine mammal often visible at Race Rocks.

5. Rare and Endangered Species: In some areas you will have rare, or endangered species. The abiotic factors may be so specific that only few organisms have adapted to survive in that ecological niche. Choose one of the species shown here that have been sighted only occasionally at Race Rocks, and propose an hypothesis about how environmental factors may determine the distribution of the rare species. It is anticipated that changing climatic conditions as the result of anthropogenic impact might lead to a change in the species that can tolerate the environmental conditions of the future.
6. We will now look at a new concept which involves classification of Coastal Ecosystems in terms of the “Biotope” The Biotope represents the quantum unit of the habitat combining both the abiotic habitat and its fixed biotic components.
7. Many of the abiotic components of the Structure of an Ecosystem are monitored at Race Rocks, and are indexed here in the Index of Race Rocks Environmental Data Index. .

Review this index, noting in particular that there are three sections devoted to :
PRESENT WEATHER DATA AND FORECASTS.
TERRESTRIAL ABIOTIC or PHYSICAL FACTORS
OCEANIC ABIOTIC or PHYSICAL FACTORS
Information from the weather station at Race Rocks provides the weather data when you add a sighting in the OceanQuest GIS database. Go to the Lesson on Abiotic Factors, where you will be able to investigate in greater detail how these determine the Structure of Life in the Ecosystem.
8. In the ECOSYSTEM FUNCTION section, Energy flow is modelled by a diagram showing the flows of a part of the food web for Race Rocks.

Go to this exercise to see what is involved in modelling energy flow and then draw your own energy flow models of your favorite ecosystem.
9.Biogeochemical cycles represent the other part of the FUNCTION of ECOSYSTEMS.
In this part of the assignment, you will be able to assemble some examples of biogeochemical cycles from images of Race Rocks, and from this get the ideas of how to model your ecosystem’s biogeochemical cycles.
TABLE 1. Structure and Function of Ecosystems
1.0 ECOSYSTEM STRUCTURE
1.0.1 DISTRIBUTION OF
POPULATIONS OF SPECIES
1.0.1.1 Horizontal Distribution
1.0.1.1.1 random
1.0.1.1.2 regular
1.0.1.1.3 clumped
1.0.1.2
Vertical Distribution
1.0.1.2.1 Elevation
1.0.1.2.2 Stratification (terrestrial)
1.0.1.2.3
Vertical Stratification (Oceanic)
1.0.1.3
Temporal
Distribution
1.0.1.3.1
Present time
1.0.1.3.2
Hourly patterns
1.0.1.3.3
Monthly patterns
1.0.1.3.4
Yearly patterns
1.0.1.4.5
Long term patterns
1.0.2.1 Domain Eukarya
1.0.2.1.1
Kingdom Animalia
1.0.2.1.2
Kingdom Plantae
1.0.2.1.3
Kingdom Fungi
1.0.2.1.4
Kingdom Protoctista
1.0.2.2 Domain Eubacteria
1.0.2.3 Domain Archaea
1.0.3.1 Solar Energy
1.0.3.2 Wind Speed and Direction
1.0.3.4 Precipitation
1.0.3.5 Temperature
1.0.3.6 Current
1.0.3.7 Salinity
1.0.3.8 List Others??
2.0 ECOSYSTEM FUNCTION
2.0.1.1 Autotrophs
2.0.1.2 Heterotrophs
2.0.1.3 Decomposers
2.0.2.1 Carbon Cycle
2.0.2.2 Nitrogen Cycle
2.0.2.3 Phosphorous Cycle
2.0.2.4 Potassium Cycle
2.0.2.5 Calcium Cycle
2.0.2.6 Water Cycle
2.0.2.7 add other cycles
10.Extension materials: Report on how a research team is studying the Structure and Function of other Ecosystems. Use one of the following external links:ARCTIC and ALPINE Ecosystem Structure and Function Research.<.http://instaar.colorado.edu/research/ecosystems.html>

 

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