This Elephant Seal was struck by a motor boat at Race Rocks in January of 2003. Fortunately he has recovered well as can be seen her in two videos taken by Mike Slater in July and August ,2003. See the footage taken of his original injuries here.
2009: We have called this elephant seal “SLASH” and he now has his own page here
MPA Guardian Carol Slater’s comments on these animals in the Daily log of Jan19, Feb 11, Feb13, Feb 14 and Mar 1, 2003
Human disruption in a seabird nesting colony at certain times of the year can have disastrous consequences for young birds. The territorial instinct is so strong that young birds leaving the envelope of their nesting territory get attacked by other adults of nearby territories. This incident was precipitated when a Canadian Coast Guard helicopter made an unscheduled landing at the island in August 2003. Normally they do not come to the island in the sensitive period, this time a mistake was made!
“The number of living creatures of all orders whose existence intimately depends on kelp is wonderful…I can only compare those great aquatic forests…with terrestrial ones in the intertropical regions. Yet if in any country a forest was destroyed, I do not believe nearly so many species would perish as would here from the destruction of kelp”
Thus commented Charles Darwin on kelp. Pterygophora californica commonly known as stalked kelp) which is part of the great kelp family that act as the trees of the oceans. This species is present, amongst other places, at Race Rocks.
BIOTIC ASSOCIATIONS: Ryan Murphy, (PC yr 26) obtained a grant from Mount Allison University in June of 2002 to help him do a project on macroalgae at Race Rocks. In this video below , he captures some of the many epiphytes growing on the perennial Pterygophora californica, a brown algae which grows sub-tidally to a depth of 12 meters at Race Rocks. It is a valuable habitat for the many invertebrates in the subtidal and serves as a buffer to storm surges. From June 2-14 a group of students from Pearson College stayed at Race Rocks for the Johan Ashuvud project. Meet the webcrew here
Like other kelp species, this one can mostly be found in subtidal zones. It occurs in subtidal zones mostly up to 12 meters of depth. It is mostly found therefore in subsurface canopies of kelp forests. For this reason it is able to live well around the islands of Race Rocks. The Stalked Kelp grows up to 2 meters in length. It has a straight or gnarled, woody undivided stalk and smooth , strap-like blades extending on opposite sides from the top half of the stalk . The end of the stalk results in a terminal blade with midrib and the stalk develops rings as the years go by similar to those of a tree. Pterygophora is an excellent example of a long -lived perennial seaweed. The blades usually degenerate or wear away in winter and new ones are produced each spring. Often, violent winter storms tear up some of the anchored kelp and deposit it on beaches as in the photo above.
Stalked kelp can reach an age over 17 years. It is possible to find out the exact age of a stalked kelp plant by cutting it down (best to use drift ones that are already detached) and counting the rings in its stalk. At Race Rocks this type of kelp provides habitat for a number of fish and invertebrates and a large community of epiphytic algae.
Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Protoctista
Phylum: Phaeophyta
Class: Phaeophyceae
Order: Laminariales
Family: Alariaceae
Genus: Pterygophora
Species: californica (Ruprecht)
Common Name: Stalked Kelp
Description: This plant has a large stout holdfast of branched root-like structures, and a woody stipe up to 2 m. long and 2 cm. in diameter. The stipe is terete below and flattened at the apex. A terminal flat, smooth blade arises from the apex of the stipe; it is linear, 6-10 cm. wide, 60-90 cm. long, and tapers in the attachment region. Sporophylls are pinnately arranged along the two sides of the flattened portion of the stipe. The sporophylls are linear, approximately the same shape and size as the terminal blade; up to 20 occur on each side.
Habitat: On rocks in the upper subtidal zone and down to a depth of about 5 fathoms.
Pacific Coast Distribution: British Columbia to Mexico.
Reference:
Guide to Common Seaweeds of British Columbia, by R.F Scagel, Printed by K.M Macdonald,1972
 In the winter storms the woody Pterygophora stipes or stems often end up in drifts on the rocky beach. This photo was taken by G.Fletcher in February 2007. |
 The stars on the stipe of Pterygophora were made by a sea urchin grazing. . Photo by Ryan Murphy |
 Annual rings in a cross-section of the stipe of Pterygophora : G Fletcher photo |
 Return to the Race Rocks Taxonomy and Image File |
 The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams. -Ryan Murphy PC yr 26 |
Phylum: Phaeophyta
Class: Phaeophyceae
Order: Chordariales
Family: Ralfsiaceae
Ralfsia pacifica (Hollenberg)
Description: This plant forms a flat encrusting layer, firmly attached to the substrate; it is irregularly circular in outline, often lobed at the margin, 2-12 cm. in diameter, 0.5-1.0 cm. thick, and olive brown to black in colour; surface with radial or concentric rings.
Habitat: On rocks and shells in the middle and lower intertidal zones.
Pacific Coast Distribution: Alaska to Mexico.
Robert Scagel, 1972
R. pacifica with several rhodophytes in a tide pool
Phylum: Rhodophyta
Class: Rhodophyceae
Order: Ceramiales
Family: Rhodmelaceae
Rhodomela larix (Turner) C. Agardh
Description: This plant is erect, up to 30 cm. high, brownish black in colour, in clusters, attached to the substrate by a discoid holdfast. The plant is branched, usually with one or more major cylindrical axes. The major axes have a profusion of radially arranged cylindrical branchlets, all approximately the same length and unbranched. At the apices of the branches, evanescent trichoblasts are apparent.
Habitat: On rocks in the intertidal zone.Pacific Coast Distribution: Bering Sea to California
Adapted from Robert Scagel, 1972
Phylum: Rhodophyta
Class: Rhodophyceae
Order: Cryptonemiales
Family: Cryptonemiaceae
Prionitis lanceolata (Harvey)
Description: This plant is erect, up to 30 cm. tall, reddish brown in colour, growing in clusters, and attached to the substrate by small discoid holdfast. The erect portion is narrowly stipitate below, tapering above to a flattened lanceolate portion. The apices of the branches taper gradually to a point. Numerous proliferous flattened short pinnately arranged branchlets occur along the margins of the main axes
Habitat: On rocks in the lower intertidal and upper subtidal zones.
Pacific Coast Distribution: Alaska to Mexico
Adapted from: Robert Scagel, 1972
Research suggestion: Look for galls on this algae: Reference.
Kingdom Protista
Phylum Chlorophyta
Order Chlorophyceae
Family Ulvaceae
Class Ulvales
Genus Ulva
Species lactuca
Description: At Race Rocks, Ulva lactuca occurs in some areas at the .2 m level in the intertiidal zone. This plant is light to dark green, erect, lanceolate to broadly ovate, often ruffled along the margins, 18-60 cm. high; at times irregularly split into broad lobes, tapering abruptly near the base to a short stipitate region and a small discoid holdfast of rhizoidal cells.
Habitat: On rocks and epiphytic on other algae in the upper intertidal zone; often floating on mud flats in the lower intertidal zone in quiet bays and lagoons.
Pacific Coast Distribution: Bering Sea to Chile.
Adapted from:Robert Scagel, 1978
Photos by Ryan Murphy
| Domain | Eukarya |
| Kingdom | Protoctista |
| Division | Phaeophyta (Brown algae) |
| Class | Phaeophyceae |
| Order | Chordariales |
| Family | Chordariaceae |
| Genus | Analipus |
| Species | japonicus (Harvey) Wynne |
| Common Name: | thickly leaved rockweed |
Description: This plant has one or more erect axes arising from a common conspicuous, lobed, encrusting holdfast. The erect portion has a percurrent cylindrical axis, up to 30 cm. high, clothed on all sides with short cylindrical to flattened branchlets up to 3 cm. long; light tan to dark brown in colour.
Habitat: On rocks in the middle and lower intertidal zones.
Pacific Coast Distribution: Bering Sea to California, (Robert Scagel, 1972)
General Characteristics
Analipus japonicus is found in the upper intertidal area frequently on rocks exposed to moderately heavy surf. This brown alga possesses a thallus of light brown color that supports branches up to 35 cm tall. Until recently, the species has been considered to be rare as it was represented by only two or three patches at Race Rocks. It is now becoming more abundant,(2002) on both the western shelf near peg 6 and the north-eastern corner near peg 15.
Reproduction Patterns
Development of the brown alga Analipus japonicus exhibits a pronounced seasonal pattern in many regions of the world. In winter and spring, this alga is found only as prostrate crusts; erect axes develop during the summer and fall. Reproduction is chiefly asexual and takes place from July to November. Unilocular sporangiate plants occur very rarely only in June and July. Plants bearing plurilocular sporangia are abundant from July to November.
Pharmaceutical Uses
In a study by various professors at the Sung Kyun Kwan University, there is a report of the results of a screening of 89 seaweeds collected from British Columbia, Canada, and Korea for antiviral activity. Various concentrations of methanol extracts of dried algae were tested against 100 plaque-forming units of herpes simplex virus type 1 and Sindbis virus in Vero cell monolayers. With reference to Analipus japonicus, it was the most potent anti-herpes species, according to the experimental results.
References:
http://www.usfca.edu/fac-staff/chienp/division%20phaeophyta.html
Biologiya Morya, Vladivostok, 2000, vol. 26, no. 6, pp. 426-429
http://www.skku.ac.kr/~ecology/professor/abstract/biological.html
This file was provided as part of a collaborative effort by the students, faculty, staff and volunteers of Lester B. Pearson College by Paolo Danese 2002 (PC yr 28)
July 22, 2003: The 2 smallish elephant seals still hauled out and staying close to each other.The big fellow continues to haul out behind the boat house for a time each day.The three do not interact, in fact the 2 smaller ones do their best to move out of the big fellow’s way as he ambles along the sidewalk to ‘his’ spot.
| Tidal Levels | |
| Procedures for Processing the Images | |
| 1998 Class Photo transects of PEG #15 North side of Great Race Rocks Island |
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| Other transect images from different locations |
BACKGROUND
The students and faculty of Lester B. Pearson College which is a member of the United World Colleges have used the ecological reserve and now the MPA of Race Rocks for studies of marine ecosystems, both subtidally and intertidally since1978. During that time a number of exercises have been developed to use in teaching ecological concepts in the International Baccalaureate Environmental Systems and Biology classes.
While using basic research techniques it has been possible to start to build up a library of information that can be more useful for determination of the effects of long term climatic changes or changes induced by humans, (anthropogenic). In addition this record may provide ideas to encourage others to apply the techniques to other ecosystems. In 1999 the Race Rocks Ecological Overview was added to help bring together the ecological information on Race Rocks.
NUMBERING SYSTEM
A numbering system had to be developed that reflected the concept that this was only one of many that could be referenced from this site if individuals from around the world were willing to collaborate with us in building the project.
LOCATION….PEG NUMBER…TRANSECT NUMBER….QUADRAT NUMBER..
A0………………….05………………………..01…………………………………..01………
Where:
A0 refers to the first site to be added to this WWW site
05 refers to the peg location ( we have 15 such locations permanently identified at the Race Rocks Ecological Reserve.)
01 refers to the first transect entered from this location.
01 refers to the first quadrat picture that you can access on this photographic strip.
SOME IDEAS FOR USE OF THESE TRANSECT PHOTOS