Category Archives: ER Warden Report

Phyllolithodes papillosus: Heart Crab –The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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The Heart Crab – Phyllolithodes papillosusGeneral Description:

This very distinct crab is most commonly identified by the heart shaped markings on its back, hence his common name, the Heart Crab. This triangular carapace measures from 50X60mm (female) to 90X90mm (male), and is coloured a muddy greenish brown with dark red ridges. The claws, legs and carapace are covered in prickly spines, which helps to camouflage and as a defense mechanism. The Heart Crab has three pairs of walking legs coloured dark brown and a pair of chelipeds that are dark brown with turquoise bumps. Another distinction that is evident on the Heart Crab is the two blunt horns above his eyes and a large spine between them.
Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animal
Phylum Arthropoda
Class Malacostraca
Order Decapoda
Family Lithodidae
Genus Phyllolithodes
Species papillosus
Common Name: Heart Crab
Habitat and Range:

The Heart Crab is rarely sighted in the open nor do they inhabit the intertidal zone, instead they prefer to live subtidally in a rocky habitat, hiding in crevices with moderate exposure and strong currents. They range along the Pacific coast of North America from Alaska to California inhabiting areas as deep as 183m.

Predators and Prey:

The main predator of the Heart Crab is the octopus, and the main prey of heart crabs are sponges and sea urchins, however they are observed eating other things in captivity.

Reproduction:

All mature female Heart Crabs undergo an obligate molt occuring in the spring, from March through May. At this time of molting female are held by the chelipeds of a male. After the molting is finished and the female’s exoskeleton has hardened, the couple copulate. During this a ribbon containing spermatophores is attached around the female. The fertilization occurs within hours, after this the male separates from the female. The female then incubates her eggs for almost twelve months. Eggs are layed in the late summer, August through September. Newly laid eggs are bright yellow, orange or dark red coloured which eventually dull to a muddy brown prior to hatching.

Biotic Association:

An interesting behavior observed of the Heart Crab is the form of symbiosis,commensalism, the association between two organisms when one organism benefits and the other is neither harmed nor benefited. After molting, the Heart Crab takes shelter under the tentacle canopy of the snakelock anemone, as he is not harmed by this and the crab is protected,
References:Accessed Jan.25, 2001

http://oceanlink.island.net/oinfo/biodiversity/heartcrab.html

http://www3.bc.sypatico.ca/kerryw/creature/heart.htm

http://www.afsc.noaa.gov/kodiak/photo/triangle.htm

 

Other Members of the Phylum Arthropoda 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.

Cait Caines–year 28(PC)

Acmaea mitra: whitecap limpet– The Race Rocks taxonomy

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Introduction:The White Cap Limpet, very common on the British Columbia coast, is usually found on the lower zones as compared to the intertidal zones of other limpets. White cap limpets shells are white in colour amd rather thick in nature. The animal extends from 19-44cm (0.75-1.75″) in size.

The limpet, however, can only be seen as white after it is dead. When alive, it usually is covered by a pinkish coralline algae, Lithothamniom sp. which is also its main source of food. This forms an excellent comouflage. It’s predators include sea stars.

References: now defunct
http://web.mit.edu/corrina/tpool/limpets.html#whitecap
http://www.gastropods.com/shell_pages/m/Shell_Acmaea_mitra.html
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. January2002-Amardeep Kaur (PC yr. 27)

Euphausia Pacifica: Krill–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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A swarm of krill in a kelp bed. November 2006 PC Divers

Euphausia pacifica is, with Thysanoessa spinifera, the most common krill off the West coast of Vancouver Island.General description Krill are shrimp-like in appearance (Body plan of krill).The abdomen is large, and well-developed. Antennules are long, biramous and may be modified in males. Antennae are equipped with large scales. The mandibles usually have a palp and the two pairs of maxillae are small and flattened. All the thoracic legs are similar, and carry a gill formed from a typically branched epipodite and natatory setea. The last one or two pairs of legs however are often reduced or vestigial The first two pairs of pleopodes are modified as copulatory parts in males. along the British Columbia coast range up to 25 mm (1″) in length, but average 16 mm (5/8″) in length.

Habitat Krill undergo a daily or ‘diurnal’ migration, where they spend the daylight hours in the twilight depths of the ocean (~100 m or 300 feet), out of sight of their predators. As the daylight decreases, the krill rise to the surface to feed in the dark on phytoplankton. In the morning, as the sky gets brighter, the krill will return to the twilight zone. A clear day may push the krill as deep as 150 m (450 feet); on a cloudy day, the krill may be at depths of only 60 m (180 feet). Krill are not distributed evenly within a body of water; they form characteristic ‘clouds’ or patches of high biomass in some areas, whereas other areas may be devoid of krill. Euphausia pacifica is found by the Pacific ocean’s coast from the south of USA to Japan (Distribution of Euphausia pacifica).

Feeding Most krill are herbivorous, but some are omnivorous feeders. Adults migrate diurnally to the surface at night, to feed on the phytoplankton. They are exclusively filter-feeeders: water enters in a “filter” as the animal swims, and food is shoved forward to the mouth.

Reproduction Males produce spermatophores in the dilated terminal part of the sperms ducts, and transfer them to the female with the aid of the first abdominal appendages. The female stores the male’s sperm and releases it to fertilize her eggs, which appear as small bubbles in her feeding basket. Females can produce many sets of eggs (totaling more than 20 000) during the summer spawning season. Krill larvae emerge from their shells at depths of several hundred meters, where, safe from predators, they subsist on yolky materials. Eggs hatch as non-feeding nauplii and pass through protozoea, zoea, and postlarval cyrtopia stages.

Predators Their predators are mainly finfish and baleen whales (picture of krill: stomach content of Bryde whale). Krill are a large dietary proportion of many local finfish (hake, herring, rockfish, salmon) and if krill stocks should fall, finfish could be affected. Humans are also a predator. A emerging commercial krill fishery exists on the B.C. coast with a current annual limit of 500 tonnes. Krill in B.C. are harvested mainly as a feed supplement for both fish farms (gives salmon their ‘pink’ colour) and aquariums. In other areas of the world (e.g., Japan) they are also used for human consumption in limited quantities. Fresh, uncooked euphausiids have almost no taste. Frozen or dried krill develop a strong, rather discouraging flavor. They constitute the ocean’s richest source of protein and are rich in vitamins (especially vitamin A)

Biotic association Some organisms are associated with the Euphausia pacifica but it seems that few are identified. Some of the identified ones are cilliates attached to eggs of the krill, and the parasite Thalassomyces fagei that belongs to the family Ellobiopsidae (Protista (Incertae sedis))  and infests the euphausiids. The Ellopbiopsidae have been classified at various times as protistans, colorless algae, fungi, or protozoans. They are multinucleate protistans with reproductive structures outside the host (here Euphausia pacifica) and absorptive portions inside.  The organ of fixation has fine protoplasmic filaments, which are believed to absorb nutrients from the host. The parasite usually affects the maturation, molting, and growth of the Euphausia pacifica.

Traditionally, krill and other plankton have been captured with net tows. Now the use of bioacoustics allows for the detection of plankton at a much greater rate than net sampling, but does not provide any information about what species and what age classes are being sampled.
Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Arthropoda
Subphylum Crustacea
Class Malacostraca
Subclass Eucarida
Order Euphausiacea
Family Euphausidae
Genus Euphausia
Species pacifica
Common Name: Krill

References
Kozloff, E. N. 1996. Marine Invertebrates of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press, Washington, United States of America.Meglitsch, P. A. 1972. Invertebrate Zoology. 2nd edition. Oxford University Press, United States of America.Gomez Gutierrez, J. 2001.Non- identified parasite associated to Euphausia pacifica: Part I and Part
I

Other Members of the Phylum Mollusca 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. The original text for this file was written by Marie-Noelle Belanger-Levesque (Quec, Canada) PC Year 28

 

Cryptochiton stelleri: Gumboot Chiton

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gumbootchiton

Cryptochiton grazing on red filamentous algae.

 

Characteristics: Chitons are characterised by their eight calcareous plates that are embedded in their dorsal surface. The Gumboot Chiton is usually dark reddish-brown in colour. The tough girdle that completely overgrows the plates is bristly and leathery in texture. The chiton has a large muscular foot and feeds using the radula.

Diet: Chitons, like limpets, are grazers that feed using their rasping radula. The radula consists of two rows of sharp teeth that function by scraping algae and benthic diatoms off rock surfaces.

Reproduction: Chitons are dioecious, which means there are both male and female chitons. The male releases the sperm into the water as shown in the video above, and it is taken up by the females. Fertilised eggs are shed singly or in gelatinous strings. The eggs develop into trochophore larvae before they metamorphose into the adult chiton form.
Classification:
Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Mollusca
Class Polyplacophora
Order Neoloricata
Family Acanthochitonidae
Genus Cryptochiton
Species stelleri
Common Name: Gumboot Chiton

gumchiton1

In one section of the video linked below,  a very rare sequence is shown. A male Gumboot Chiton on the end of the docks at Race Rocks was shedding his gametes into the water. This was observed by our divers on several consecutive days. in the spring of 2002

This video shows the gumboot chiton in several locations at Race Rocks. Note the gills under the mantle on each side of the large foot. Of particular interest is the rare sequence taken at one meter depth in the surging water right off the docks, showing a male shedding gametes into the water.

Locomotion: Chitons have a broad and flat muscular foot which functions in adhesion as well as locomotion. Chitons move slowly and gradually by waves of muscular activity called ‘pedal waves’. The plates fuction to help them attach onto curved surfaces of the rocky intertidal zone.

Predators: The chiton’s main predator is the sea star Pisaster ochraceous, which are common on the coasts of Vancouver Island, but rare at Race Rocks and certain species of octopus.

Longevity: Gumboot chitons can live for approximately 20 years and can grow up to 30cm.

Other Members of the Phylum Mollusca 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.

original by: Sarah Mason PC yr 28

Cliona celata: Boring Sponge–Race Rocks taxonomy

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cliona

Cliona celata: This closeup image was taken by Ryan Murphy in May 2010. Clicking on the image gives a very large magnification. Clicking on the image below gives a sample of that level of magnification.

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Porifera
Class Demospongiae
Order Hadromerida
Family Dysideidae, Tetilla
Genus Cliona
Species celata
Common Name: Boring sponge

Cliona celata is lobular in shape with wart like projections on it surface. This species is commonly found in colonies and the portions of the colony showing at the surface have projections appearing  as yellow in color. They are evenly distributed on the sponge and are inhalent and seive like. Below the surface, the Cliona celata shell may look like a honeycomb. Cliona celata is commonly referred to as the boring sponge because it bores into soft limestone, using an acid digestion technique thus forming systems of interconnecting chambers within the matrix of the substrate

The opened up hinge area of the Purple Hinged Rock Scallop. Calliostoma is the snail and Metridium is the anemone. G.Fletcher photo.

 

The sponge can also bore as a parasite into mollusc and barnacle shells. It is common on many of the purple hinged rock scallops that we see underwater at Race Rocks.

At Race Rocks, the boring sponge is commonly found around the Rosedale Reef area. Its exhibits a biotic association with the purple -hinge rock scallop (Hinnites giganteus ) . Below is a picture of a complete rock scallop with small yellow dots where the sponge is located.

Boring sponges are the small yellow dots on the outside of this live Rock Scallop

Boring sponges are the small yellow dots on the outside of this live Rock Scallop which measures 18 cm in diameter.

 

References: As of 2001

http://web.ucs.ubc.ca/csmecher/demospon.htm 

http://www.diveinfo.com/porifera

http://www.itsligo.ie/biomar/porifera/clicel.htm

Kozloff, Eugene.N, Keys to the Marine Invertebrates of Puget Sound, the San Juan Archipelago, and Adjacent Regions; University of Washington press, 1974.
Other Members of the Phylum Porifera 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.  Dec. 2001–Misozi Phiri PC year 27

 

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Male Elephant seal Vocalization

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Normally in past years, during the winter and summer, the 2 male elephant seals have stayed around the middle island. This year, this one large male hauled out onto the rocks to the south of the tower for a few days. In this video, note the clicking sound that he emits when his head is in the air. Thanks to Chris Blondeau and Jane Johnston for getting the footage for this unique piece of video late one evening in late December, when they were out relieving for Mike and Carol at the MPA.

Report on Pearson College and Race Rocks Activities Dec 2002

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December 16  Report
Race Rocks Marine Biology Project
By Garry Fletcher
Faculty Member, Lester B. Pearson College
Ecological reserve Warden for Race Rocks.
Education Director, racerocks.com

This report outlines the activities of the Race Rocks Marine Biology Program at Lester Pearson College from December 15, 2001 to December 15, 2002. During this second year of the Richard Ivey Foundation’s three-year commitment to this project, there has been  on-going advancement in our project objectives. Additional funding has been forthcoming this year from the World  Wildlife Fund,  the Georgia Strait Alliance, a private dive charter group and a member of our Race Rocks Advisory Board.  The provincial government has completed a long term lease agreement with us and is assisting us to upgrade the sewage system to a composting system and with repairs to buildings at the islands.
Project Objectives Report
Objective 1: To provide appropriate staffing and a pool of skilled volunteers who are dedicated to monitoring the local marine environment.
    I have continued to devote part of my teaching schedule to educational work involving Race Rocks. I am in constant communication with Mike and Carol Slater, the eco- guardians at Race Rocks as they provide assistance in monitoring the cameras and computers and alert us to any issues involving enforcement of the guidelines of the reserve.
    A further improvement to our Daily Log kept by Mike and Carol was developed this year. We were fortunate to have the volunteer services of Alec Matthews of the software design company WhiteAtom Design, work with us in the development of a database into which the daily observations of Race Rocks are entered. This now runs on a server on the island, with the added advantage being that in the database form, we are able to do reports on selected fields of the database. This makes our reporting to BC Parks and Fisheries more efficient, and allows us to link the content of the database to the resources on the web pages.

    Chris Blondeau, our seafront manager, has been active with the college divers, teaching them underwater camera skills and adding to the underwater video library for the college.  We have made a video of one of the incidents that Chris was involved with while assisting with the ongoing public education role which we conduct with the local community in the monitoring and enforcement of infractions in the reserve. http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/archives/vidfishing.htm
    My two colleagues in the biology and environmental systems department Catrin Brown and Laura Verhegge have incorporated a number of the resources of the website and Race Rocks into their teaching program. We were able to webcast live two of their low-tide field labs last spring. A video was added to the education section of the archives that shows Laura’s first year environmental System classes doing their final exam at Race Rocks. http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/archives/videxam2002a.htm
    The popularity among the students of the “new media” approach in education has led to an increase in demand for facilities to do video editing on campus. Examples of producing video on-line provided by the racerocks.com experience, led one of the students in the racerocks.com activity to produce video clips of our annual “One World Show .
I gave this same student a video camera when he went home to Kenya this summer. He was able to take his skills learned in the webcasting experience from racerocks.com activity and produce several excellent videos of the life of the children in rural Kenya. In the new year, the students of the activity  will be live webcasting a bi-weekly program presenting events of the week at Pearson College.
    The college has been able to set up a new computer media room for students to work on other video editing projects.  Adding this option for our students has been a valuable spin off of the racerocks.com program. Sylvia Roach, another science faculty member is supervising the students involved with this option.  We were also fortunate to be able to hire Scott Nichol this year. He is a software and web specialist who also helps us in sorting out some of the technical problems with the computers at Race Rocks.

Objective 2. To supplement environmental monitoring through 24 hr video monitoring through the racerocks.com website.  Our cameras and computers set up in the Millennium project have served us well in providing continual live access to the islands resources through live streaming video.
    In January of 2002, we were introduced by our contacts in Apple, to the computer software company Channelstorm and their software “LiveChannel” which  we now use in webcasting on several of the cameras. http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/rrcom/livechannel/livechannel.htm
I worked extensively in collaboration with the software engineers of the company to adapt the webcasting software to our application. They have freely provided us with the software as they are able to use our site as a valuable example of the success of their software.  After going through several Beta versions of the software, we now have a very useful tool for involving creative input from the students for our webcasts.  On campus we have used it to broadcast the weekly International Affairs program and have webcast two evening performances for the International Day presentations on campus. At Race Rocks, we use it in the live webcasts from the portable camera and the students of the racerocks.com activity have developed expertise in this software and are now interested in expanding their use of it to provide a bi-weekly live web cast which will be a presentation of events of the week at the college.

Objective 3: To educate Pearson College students about the marine environment and to involve these students in a direct stewardship experience.  
    In October, our college hosted the CISTA  schools conference. Four of the students of the racerocks.com activity gave 6 workshop presentations to the delegates.  Their topic was the use of technology for Environmental Conservation as a method of Community Action. Since the delegates were made up of teachers and students from across Canada, the US and Latin America, they experienced a great interchange of questions and ideas. It was clear that the “ownership“ of the racerocks.com process, gave our students confidence in their role as environmental stewards, and this was clearly evident to the participants.
    During our November Project week, this year, three of our first year students stayed at Race Rocks producing daily programs about the wildlife and the ecosystems of the island. They also were trained at  that time to operate the MPA when our eco- guardians are on leave. As a result of their work several videos have been added to the archives. Two of the students had been in the racerocks.com activity , and the other student was already familiar with the editing video program so that they were able to do the video and editing work in the making of the following QuickTime movies.

Daily Duties For Assistants to the MPA Guardian
http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/archives/viddailyduties.htm
Tidal Variation at Race Rocks at http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/archives/vidrrtides.htm
Race Rocks Tour: with an English Version,  an Arabic Version , and a German Version at http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/archives/vidrrvirtourara.htm
    For some time we have been concerned with the effects of the demolition blasting at the nearby Department of National Defence facilities on the marine mammal and bird populations at Race Rocks.  It has been our belief that mitigation of this impact could be done by controlled levels of blasting and proper timing. On November 7, 2002, the DND were still doing their demolition blasting exercises at Bentinck Island. These students were able to video the images of the impact of these blasts on the first day from the science centre window and on the second day from the top of the light tower. In the tower, they interviewed Mike Demarchi of LGL who is currently doing a contract for the Department of National Defense to monitor the impact of these blasts and to compare them with other disturbances at Race Rocks. This video will help in public education and is now included in our marine mammal archives at: http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/archives/vidlionblasts.htm  In doing the work, they had a keen sense of the role that they were providing in terms of our on-going stewardship of the island  and they felt they had contributed by this process.
    The spring 2002 field lab program was completed with involvement of the following students in direct contact at Race Rocks.
    Spring 2002- 40 Biology first year students in three classes were involved in field research at Race Rocks. They did a population study in tidepools and an invertebrate survey.
    Spring 2002- 30 students of Environmental Systems did  several field labs on intertidal transect methods.
    Fall 2002- In orientation week ten students  were involved in a program of interpreting Race Rocks Live by webcasts for an afternoon at Race Rocks.  These webcasts were viewed by other students as an introduction to Race Rocks
    These environmental systems students also did their final exam on the island in May of 2002 and
    Fall 2002 – 36 students in first year biology did an introductory field survey at Race Rocks.

    In May 27 of 2002, I was invited to participate as a finalist in the New Media Awards ceremony in Toronto, having been nominated in the category of Educator of the Year.
    While there, I was able to visit the offices of the World Wildlife Fund  in support of an application for funding from this organization. Visits were also made to the Ontario Science Centre  and the Royal Ontario Museum to investigate the possibility of getting our educational resources available through the internet to these institutions.

Objective 4: To lead environmental field trips for local school children to Race Rocks.  Our school trips have been reduced to lessen the impact on the island but we have continued with using a system of student “reporters” from a school :
    In June three groups of such  students went with us to Race Rocks  where our students provided an informative introduction to ecology of the organisms at Race Rocks. This 17 minute video shows the kinds of experiences they have while out in the field, http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/archives/vidwestmont2a.htm
The complete webcast went live to their schools and to other schools who could be on line. We also re-webcast the tapes of the sessions several times.
Objective 5: To facilitate marine education programs for schools across the country and internationally through racerocks.com
    In March a major project was undertaken at the request of the Apple Learning Interchange. Apple Computers were planning to set up a “Gallery of Best Practices” on their website.  We were invited to provide the resource materials detailing our innovations at Race Rocks for this special website.  Race Rocks  is currently the featured exhibit and can be found from the education links to the Apple Learning Interchange at http://ali.apple.com/
The gallery is set up to encourage others to try to incorporate this form of resource into their own instructional program.
An outline of the exhibit follows:
Introduction:  I provide an introduction by video of the way that Apple Learning Interchange is providing the distribution network making it possible for thousands of student connections per week.  I explain that this exhibit will provide you with a glimpse of our educational programs, the technology that makes it possible, as well as ideas to help use our resources in your classroom.
The Lesson : Here you will find an example learning activity that we use in our curriculum entitled: “A Project to Establish a Digital Taxonomic File.” We have also included a learning activity contributed from the Apple Learning Interchange which may give you ideas on how to use our live video streams and web resources in your classroom.  A weblink to an index of files that may be useful for statistics labs in biology or environmental systems and a link to the new section on resources for the Jason project are included.
Assessment : As well as showing the video on the environmental systems exam, a video with Garry and Laura discussing assessment is included: “ Every Field Lab in which the students are involved at Race Rocks becomes part of a portfolio of student work which is graded according to a number of criteria, as suggested by the International Baccalaureate Science Syllabi. We are particularly concerned with observational and interpretational skills, although manipulation, attitude, and planning skills may also be assessed. This first video presents a short discussion on assessment between Garry Fletcher and Laura Verhegge, faculty members in Biology and Environmental Systems at Lester B. Pearson College.
Student Work : In this file Example Student Research videos are highlighted. Rocks Island is a valuable component of the IB Environmental Systems and IB Biology curriculum at Pearson College of the Pacific. This island research center makes it possible to immerse students in real inquiry as they investigate ecosystems both on the surface of the island and below the surface of the surrounding water. Students work in small groups often with visiting scientists adding to the growing knowledge about life at Race Rocks. It is also possible for students at remote schools to participate in observational research and to join live reports by the students and staff at Pearson
Reflections : Video segments of students  and the faculty discussing their experiences  are provided.
Administrative Support: Angus Matthews provides an administrators perspective on the program, encouraging other educational administrators to take the leap and get involved in programs like this because of the spin-offs possible to other aspects of education.
Resources: This site summarizes the links to the racerocks.com website which relate to education in four areas
A)    Race Rocks Ecosystems
B)    B) History of Race Rocks
C)    Video
D)    Communications
http://www.uwc.ca/racerock/aliassets/resources.htm

Technology: I use an annotated slide show, to explain how one can use Apple streaming technology to share their local ecosystem with the world. By following through the process of how we use technology on the islands,  a model is presented for similar projects as part of educational programs elsewhere.
Background :Maps showing location and a profile of the history of the racerocks.com project are provided in this section.

    In the fall of 2002 we took on an added responsibility, that of being the Canadian content provider for the Jason Project . http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/jason/jasonproject.htm
With Assistance from the Jason Foundation, we hired Jane Johnston, to do the middle school level curriculum level work to bring together the resources of our site into Lesson Plans. These are now being made available on our website and are linked to the Jason website which is subscribed to by 70,000 teachers in the US.

Special curriculum guides are being developed for:
1.    Geology and Geography (Abiotic Characteristics at Race Rocks), http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/jason/abiotic/t_instr.html
2.    Preserving the Past and Present Culture of Race Rocks (The Thirteen Moons), http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/jason/firstnations/t_intro.html
3.    Maintaining our Coastal Ecosystems (An Ethology),
4.    The Northern Abalone, http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/jason/abal_seastar/t_info.html
5.    Pinnipeds, http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/jason/pinnipeds/seal_sealion_differ.htm
6.    Conservation.

    The production of the Race Rocks taxonomy is a curriculum development event that has consumed a great amount of my time this past year. http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/eco/taxalab/taxonomy.htm
This is a collaborative project with students and we have the goal of eventually achieving  a comprehensive linking of all the information and media resources for all the organisms of Race Rocks.   In the late fall and early spring terms 44 biology students contributed their records and 21 Environmental Systems students. This is currently being added to with another 48 biology students and a further 30 environmental systems students in the next term. By the end of next term, our taxonomy index will have grown to almost 150 species.  I emphasize to the students that this “digital legacy” which is a valuable addition to the management of this ecological treasure. These students are all exposed to a varying degree of research in doing these assignments, and it is anticipated that the end product  after several years will be a unique addition to the efforts for conservation of Biodiversity in the area.

Objective 6: To facilitate marine research projects by providing facilities and volunteers at Race Rocks.
    Three current first year students from Pearson College and Ryan Murphy, who graduated last year stayed at the Marine Science Centre for the first two weeks of June 2002. http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/rrcom/june02/webcrew.htm
Ryan had returned  to Race Rocks assisted by a research grant from Mt.Allison University  to do research on the macroalgal community. He was able to amass over 400 digital images of the macroalgae of Race Rocks in his underwater and intertidal photography for a digital herbarium project he is doing for the unversioties biology department . He also produced two algal videos  for our archives: http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/archiveplants.htm
The students conducted daily live and prerecorded webcasts with me from the intertidal and from underwater using camera 4.
    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.
Two university students have completed their Master’s Thesis on Race Rocks with our assistance over the past year.
    Sean Leroy  of the UBC School of Community and Regional planning UBC, mentioned above, did research on Public Process and the Creation of a Marine Protected Area at Race Rocks British Columbia http://www.interchange.ubc.ca/aleroy/Portfolio/549C.html
As members of the Race Rocks Advisory Board, myself and Angus Matthews had provided our insights into the process in interviews he had conducted in the spring of 2002.

    In 2002, Taco Niet finished his Masters degree in the Engineering Department’s Institute for Integrated Energy Systems at the University of Victoria (IESVic)
http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/archives/vidtaco2a.htm
As a result of his work, several visitations have been made with  Individuals and Companies who are interested in promoting the use of Alternate Energy at Race Rocks.  Currently the Friends of Renewable Energy, BC (forebc.com) has taken up with the considerable enthusiasm the idea of a renewable energy cooperative and representatives will be making a site visit with me next week.

    We have continued to provide assistance to Dr. Anita Brinckmann-Voss for her hydroid research. In July, I assisted another researcher who was working on hydrocoral to get samples from Race Rocks.  Alberto Lindner is a Brazilian student in a Masters program in Duke University. He is now involved in analyzing the samples to determine if through DNA evidence, the two color morphs of Allopora can be designated as separate species or whether as can be determined by standard methods, they are actually the same species. His report and his masters thesis on this will be linked to this website when he is finished. http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/archives/vidlindner.htm

Objective 7:  Facilitate marine research projects by providing data from video cameras and data sensors that can be accessed through racerocks.com.
Some progress on this objective has been achieved, although accessing of all the environmental data through the internet is still being worked on. It is anticipated that this feature will take on added impetus in the next term.

Two other reports that also give an indication of our role in the operation and stewardship of the MPA  may be found on-line at:
http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/admin/may02update.htm
and at
http://www.racerocks.com/racerock/admin/aug02update.htm

 

Haliacetus leucocephalus: Bald Eagle–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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In November 2009, Ryan Murphy captured this set of images when a juvenile eagle was making his daily pass by to prey on a seabird. The juvenile california gull provides the meal for that day. Click the image to see a slide show video of this sequence..See the Eagle Set on Ryan’s Flickr site

Bald Eagles measure from 30″ to 43″ ( 76 to 109 cm) in length and from 70″ to 96″ ( 2 to 2.4 m) in wingspan. They have a high thin, chittering voice which contrasts with its magnificent appearance. Bald Eagle’s diet is primarily based on fish catching. It also eats carrion and crippled waterfowl. At Race Rocks, eagles frequently take adult Gulls and Pigeon Guillemots as can be seen in the accompanying images.

The adult Bald Eagle has a snow-white head and tail, the immature ones have brown head feathers which develop white underneath and gradually grow out over several years.
It was formerly found living all over North America. Hunting, poaching and the growth of civilization has had a negative impact in the Bald Eagle population whch has dimished considerably in the last decades. Nowadays it is found only in the Aleutians, Alaska, sections of Northern and Eastern Canada, British Columbia, Northern United States and Florida.

Its habitat is on or near seacoasts as well as close to large lakes and rivers, where the fish population is abundant. It nests in tall conifers, often old growth Douglas Fir or Cedar. Nests are common in the Southern part of Vancouver island. The closest to Race Rocks are on Bentinck Island and along Taylor Beach. The nests are renovated every year starting in January with new sticks, often ripped from tall dead fir trees. The eggs are white and come in groups of 1 to 3 each time.Its beachcombing , scavenging role, and the fact that it eats at the highest trophic level, can cause the Bald Eagle to accumulate pesticides in its body ( from contaminated fish and wildllife. ) The Bald Eagle population remains high in the rain forest coastal area of central and Northern British Columbia and Alaska.

This image comes from the slide show “Fresh Kill” It provides a closeup of an eagle whose head coloring is almost mature, but has not yet lost its dark speckling.
Reference: Miklos D. F. Uduvardy ,1977 The Audubon Society, Field Guide to North American Birds, Western region., Chanticler press, fifth edition: NY

 

The nictitation membrane is a transparent inner eyelid in birds, reptiles, and some mammals that closes to protect and moisten the eye. It is also called the third eyelid.
Pam captured these images of young eagles close to camera 5 in the spring of 2005 to help us demonstrate this adaptation.You can find further information about this feature at: http://ebiomedia.com/gall/eyes/protect.html

Bald Eagles in the Rain

 

 

 

 

Bad Hair Day for the Eagles

 

 

 

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. Carolina Munoz 1987

 

Haliclystus salpinx –Stalked jellyfish: The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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These animals are best desribed as “upside down” medusae, with their bell extended into a stalk which is attached, in the case of this species, mostly to surfgrass leaves. They occur from low intertidal to the subtidal littoral. They feed mostly on caprellid amphipods. Natural size up to 1cm :

 

Stalked Jellyfish Haliclystus salpinx

Stalked Jellyfish Haliclystus salpinx

Note update on Taxonomy of :STAUROZOA*

“Stauromedusae are little stalked jellyfishes that spend their entire life attached to the substrate (rock or algae, usually), rather than swimming freely up in the water column like most other jellyfish. They have long been considered to be in the Order Stauromedusae in the Class Scyphozoa of the Phylum Cnidaria, but recent morphological and molecular studies (Marques and Collins, 2004; Collins and Daly, 2005) argued convincingly that they should be elevated to a rank equal to both the Scyphozoa and Cubozoa, as the Staurozoa. For those who prefer to apply taxonomic ranks, these might now all be considered Classes, but many scientists are pulling away from the concept of tight adherence to the old hierarchies of rank, in which case just “Staurozoa” will do.” (C.Mills)

rm18910stalked

Image by Ryan Murphy of the habitat of this animal, showing attachment to eel grass. Taken at Swordfish Island at 4 metres depth.

The Haliclystus salpinx is among the order of cnidarians which the more commonly known are jelly fish. Unlike jelly fish however this family of cnidarians is not free floating but more or less fixed, and always attached to the blade of eelgrass. It occurs frequently in the eelgrass bed around Swordfish island and Emdyck Pass near Bentinck island adjacent to Race RocksIt moves on very slowly or by somersaulting itself from one plant to another. Its physiological makeup has not been studied in enough detail at the present time how ever it shares some characteristics with more documented species. The Haliclystus salpinxas can be seen by the photo appears as an upside down medusae or in common terms jelly fish with its tentacles pointing outwards. The bell of the hydroid is then attached to a stalk that is stationery on the eel grass. It is found in the tidal and intertidal zones rendering it more conducive to shallow water as opposed to deep water.

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Cnidaria
Class Staurozoa*
Order Stauromedusae
Suborder Eleutherocarpida
Family Lucernariinae
Genus Haliclystus
Species salpinx   (Clark, 1863)
COMMON NAME: Stalked Jellyfish

RANGE:

It is located most abundantly in the North Atlantic, Europe and Asia where areas are generally free external influences on rocky coasts. They are generally found in intertidal and tidal zones attached to surf grass.

REFERENCES CITED:

Mills, C.E. Internet 1999-2001. Stauromedusae: list of all valid species names. Electronic internet document available at http://faculty.washington.edu/cemills/Stauromedusae.html Published by author, web page established October 1999, last updated December 2nd 2001.

This file is provided as part of a collaborative effort by the students, faculty, volunteers and staff of Lester B. Pearson College– Dec 2001, by Sarah Gross

 

 

Orange hermit crab

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In this video, the orange hermit crab inhabits the shell of an Oregon triton


The Elassochirus gilli (Benedict 1892), commonly known as the Orange Hermit Crab, is commonly found in the waters around Race Rocks. Hermit crabs are abundant around the world. They have soft rear ends that need the protection of the hard snail shell for survival. Hermit crabs carry their shell homes on their backs and tuck themselves away inside for protection using their strong stomach muscles. Sometimes, hermit crabs experience housing problems. As the crab outgrows one shell, it must find another often running into serious competitions for available homes in the right size range. Once it has found a suitable home it will not look again for some time. In any case, hermit crabs will fight for exclusive rights to empty shells. However, they will never displace a live snail from its home.In the video above, the crab inhabits the shell ot the Oregon triton snail, Fusitriton oregonensis .They have two sets of legs that they extend outside their shell for walking and two pairs of legs tucked away inside that they use to move their body around inside their shell.
The right cheliped surface of the Elassochirus gilli is smooth (without small spines) with its shield equal in length and width. The eyestalk of the crab is stout and its cornea is not inflated. The left hand is oval with a wide fixed finger. However, its greatly expanded and flattened right claw is a distinguishing feature. The walking legs of the crab are compressed and yet another distinguishing feature of the species is its bright blue upper leg. The Elassochirus gilli is usually rather uniformly orange to red.

The size of the male crab, is on average, about 20.4m in length. In this secies, the males are without paired pleopods and the females are without paired gonoppores.

The Elassochirus gilli prefers bedrock in areas of fast moving current. As such, its primary habitat is in rocky areas.
Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Arthropoda
Class Crustacea
Order Decapoda
Infraorder Anomura
Superfamily Paguroidea
Family Paguridea
Genus Elassochirus
Species gilli
COMMON NAME: Orange Hermit Crab

WEBSITES AND REFERENCES ON ELASSOCHIRUS GILLI

http://www.oceanlink.island.net/oinfo/biodiversity/hermitcrab.html

Kozloff, Eugene N. Seashore Life of the Northern Pacific Coast, University of Washington Press (1996), p.410

Hart, Josephine F. Crabs and their Relatives of British Columbia, British Columbia Provincial Museum, Victoria (1982), p.124

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. Dec 2001- N’kiru Okagbue