Category Archives: Marine Algae

Mesophyllum sp.: epiphtic coralline algae–Race Rocks Taxonomy

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mesophyllumbad

Mesophyllum sp.Photo by Ryan Murphy

mesophyllum

Ryan Murphy photographer pointing to the the round epiphyte

Classification:
Phylum: Rhodophyta
Class: Rhodophyceae
Order: Cryptonemiales
Family: Corallinaceae
Mesophyllum sp.

Description: This plant is erect, up to 2 cm. wide. Its colour is dark pink to purple. Shape is circular. It exists as a flattened growth epiphytic on many geniculate rhodophytes such as Bossiella sp.
Habitat: On geniculate rhodophytes in tide pools.
Pacific Coast Distribution: Alaska to California.
Other Rhodophytes or Red Algae 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. —Ryan Murphy

 

Pictures

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Clear skies. Moderate West in the am, Force 3. Strong West this evening, Force 6.
Barometer rose until 1600, then dropped. The daily West wind cycle continues, light in the am and picking up in the pm.

3 tour boats

The Race Rocks website says that there are typically 6 Oystercatcher nests on Great Race, I have only found two. Tomorrow I will see if I can find more. The Oystercatcher nest next to the jetty no longer has eggs in it. A bird was sitting on the nest yesterday when I showed the nest to my Mom. If I had to guess, I would say that the River otter ate the eggs because it lives under the walkway very close to the nest. I am curious to see if the pair tries another nesting site. I saw two Oystercatchers poking around the rocks on the West side of the jetty so maybe they will try again. There has been a lot of Eagles around lately. Juveniles and adults. My Mom saw one empty the eggs out of a Gull’s nest. Apparently Glaucous winged Gulls can learn to recognize particular people, to a point where they will allow familiar researchers right up to their nests. My new plan is to befriend the Gulls that are nesting next to the tank shed and maybe they will stop flying at my head whenever I walk past.

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Alaria nana: Brown Algae – Race Rocks Taxonomy

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Photos by Ecoguardian Ryan Murphy

Phylum: Phaeophyta
Class: Phaeophyceae
Order: Laminariales
Family: Alariaceae
Alaria nana (Schrader)

Description: The plant is olive brown to yellowish-brown in colour with a conspicuous blade (eroded at maturity), stipe, and holdfast. The holdfast is made up of short, firm root-like structures and is 3-7 cm. long, 5-8 mm. in diameter, merging into a slightly compressed rachis 2-4 cm. long. The rachis in turn merges into the blade, which is linear, tapering gradually to the apex and abruptly to the rachis; the blade is 40-60 cm. long and 3-8 cm. wide with a conspicuous, solid percurrent midrib 4-6 mm. wide.

Habitat: On rocks in the middle and upper intertidal zones in exposed areas.

Pacific Coast Distribution: Alaska to California.

Robert Scagel, 1972
See all Phaeophytes in the Race Rocks Taxonomy

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. Ryan Murphy PC yr 26

 

Lithothamnion sp.: Pink encrusting algae–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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rhodcrust

Lithothamnion sp. Photo by Ryan Murphy

Lithothamnion sp. is one of the most abundant of the red algaes at Race Rocks since it covers most of the rock surface in the subtidal zone. In the images below by Ryan Murphy this encrusting algae is the predominant substrate.

 

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A cluster of the hydroid Clavularia sp. A sculpin exhibits cryptic colouration as it blends into the background
rmsnailcasel copy lithothamnion
Due to the high calcium carbonate content of it’s thamnion, it can only be grazed by molluscs such as this lined chiton with very hard rasping radulas above the ring of nudibranch eggs. The holdfast of a kelp spreads over the Lithothamnion surface.
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A porcelain crab hovers over the surface of rocks covered in Lithothamnion The small black tentacles of the annelid Dodecaceriia concharum: the coralline -fringed tube worm are dispersed evenly through the layer of Lithothamnion.

Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Protoctista
Phylum: Rhodophyta
Class: Florideophyceae
Order: Cryptonemiales
Family: Corallinaceae
Genus: Lithothamnion
Species: sp.
Common Name: Pink encrusting coralline alg
The following video was done by Victor Rakou in the week of June1 2000. We have assembled here various segments of video to illustrate the community of organisms which live on and around Lithothamnion in the subtidal area at about 5 to 8 meters off the North side of Great Race Rocks, just out from the docks. In some areas large rock surfaces are completely covered with this encrusting red algae.. See also the blue waved chiton pictures where you can see photos of Lithothamnion lining the vertical sides of some of the lower level tidepools near peg 6. It also thrives in the tidepools east of the docks (peg 14b)

Lithothamnion sp.: Pink encrusting algae–The Race Rocks Taxonomy


Other Rhodophytes or Red Algae 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. Garry Fletcher, 2007

 

6-Month Fouling Records on Tidal Energy Turbine

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A week before raising the turbine in April 2007, the outer Nereocystis, or Bull kelp  growth was removed by the Pearson College Divers. Since the top of the turbine is in a water depth averaging 10 metres it is shallow enough for the brown Macroalgae to take foothold and within a few weeks it would have reached the surface. This algae can atttach to a solid substrate within the top 12 metres of water at Race Rocks.

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Nereocystis on the beach

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Organisms are often involved in modifying the environment. The images in this file were taken in December 2006 after a strong north east wind pounded the lower end of Vancouver Island with the result that many Nereocystis ended up on local beaches near Race Rocks. Their stipes, lamina and holdfasts formed long twisted drifts of kelp, some of which would later decompose, adding to the energy flow from the marine ecosystem. Moreover, the presence of many kinds of materials carried along by the holdfasts provide an interesting insight into what contributes to accretion or buildup of materials along a coastline. (Che waits patiently while is master picks up seaweed!)

 

 

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Go to the taxonomy file on Bull kelp, Nereocystis leutkeana

Marine Macroalgae Archived Video

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 “Saltwater” the images of kelp at Race Rocks set to the music of Holly Arntzen.  The “Color of Kelp” .. a different view of the effects of sunlight transferred through kelp blades. epiphytes on Phyllospadix or surf grass at Race Rocks.  Epiphytes on Pterygophora californicus.
 Subtidal Lithothamnion with its typical community of invertebrates.

Marine Plants at Race Rocks form a valuable base of energy flow and habitat they offer other organisms. This file will have examples of single species as well as associations. The biology and environmental systems class projects and diver assistance the process of documentation of these species and habitats of Race Rocks is continuing. Video clips as well as links to other documentation are available here.

This file has links to other resources on Algae at Race Rocks.

 

 

 

Desmarestia herbacea: The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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desm

Desmarestia herbacea at the base of a Laminarian Photo by Ryan Murphy

Desmarestia herbaceaPhylum: Phaeophyta
Class: Phaeophyceae
Order: Desmarestiales
Family: Desmarestiaceae
Desmarestia herbacea (Lamouroux)

Description:  This plant is erect, up to 2m. high, flattened, 1-2 cm. wide, tapering abruptly to a short cylindrical stipe with a discoid holdfast.   The plant has 3-4 orders of branches from a percurrent axis; branching opposite; base of branch esstipitate.  The main axis and branches have a conspicuous thick percurrent midrib, and branch apices are densely clothed with acute hairs.

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

Pacific Coast Distribution:  Alaska to Mexico. Robert Scagel, 1972
Other Phaeophytes or Brown Algae 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. —–——- PC yr 31

 

Corallina officianalis: The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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Corallina officianalis – all photos by Ryan Murphy

Phylum: Rhodophyta
Class: Florideophyceae
Order: Cryptonemiales
Family: Corallinaceae
Corallina officinalis (L.)

geniculate corallinacostaria

Description: This plant is erect, 4-6 cm. high, dark pink in colour, arising from an encrusting basal layer attached securely to the substrate. The erect portion is a branched system of jointed segments. The segments below are cylindrical, about 0.75 mm. diameter; above slightly cgracilis2compressed and about 1 mm. broad. The axes are clothed with narrower short lateral branchlets that shorten to the apex. Branching pattern gives the plant a clumpy appearance.

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

 

Pacific Coast Distribution: Alaska to Mexico.

 
Other Rhodophytes or Red Algae 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. Ryan Murphy PC yr 26