For the past week or so, first year Marine Science students have been learning about plankton. After collecting plankton of the Pearson College dock, students examined the samples using microscopes.
Some of the species in the sample included a cross jellyfish (Mitrocoma cellularia):
A sea gooseberry / comb jelly / ctenophore (Pleurobrachia bachei):
A sea cucumber auricularia larva:
More images and videos to follow…
As I was leaving the floating building at 12:15 pm yesterday (1 October 2014), I noticed a golf ball-sized green blob floating past the Pearson College dock. It turned out to be this red-eye jellyfish (Polyorchis penicillatus) and right next to it was a sea gooseberry or ctenophore (Pleurobrachia bachei) and a barnacle moult.
The bell of the jellyfish is covered in a green algae and the red eyespots are visible around the margin of the bell and there is a red amphipod living in association with the jellyfish too (see it peeking out from the margin of the jelly in the two photos below).
And here is a better view of the comb jelly / ctenophore Pleurobrachia bachei which we rarely see around the Pearson College dock, but is periodically very common at the Race Rocks jetty.
Simon and I also met several students at the dock last night at 8:30 pm to observe bioluminescence. It was magical! While moving our hands through the water we saw a line of bioluminescence about 6 cm long which turned out to be a cross jellyfish (Mitrocoma cellularia) which “luminesces if disturbed in the dark, especially in a band along the margin of the bell” according to Cowles (2009).
On Tuesday 8 October and Thursday 10 October, second year marine scientists journeyed to a small kelp forest near Fossil Point.
Griffin & Ivan did a dive in the kelp on Tuesday, while Lily & Lucas (pictured below) went on Thursday.
Divers took a video camera with them that is connected via a cable to a monitor in the cabin of the boat so that students not in the water could see what the divers see, in real time.
We even saw a diver underwater: Lily in the photo below!
Several students also snorkelled to experience the kelp forest.
Some of the species observed include: bull kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana) of course!, cross jellyfish (Mitrocoma cellularia), blood star (Henricia sp.):
Sunflower star (Pycnopodia helianthoides):
Hooded nudibranch (Melibe leonina):
A brittle star in a kelp holdfast:
And ochre stars (Pisaster ochraceus):
Two wonderful trips!
Pearson College Marine Science 