Tidepool studies

First year marine scientists have been investigating tidepools at Weir’s Beach today and at Witty’s Lagoon, Tower Point over the past few days. Above Jacqueline and Ochuko are making observations about a high tidepool.

A low tidepool at Weir’s Beach

A high tidepool at Witty’s

Ilana and Jaime

Abbie observing a feather duster worm

We also observed some interesting organisms and events:

A shaggy mouse nudibranch (Aeolidia papillosa) at Weir’s Beach (perhaps the same individual that Roxi spotted last year). These slugs eat anemones! And speaking of anemones…

A dividing aggregating anemone (Anthopleura elegantissima).

A spawning aggregation of whelks (Nucella lamellosa) and an abundance of egg capsules.

Eek, a sea mouse!

Roxi (PC 41) spotted this sea mouse / shaggy mouse nudibranch (Aeolidia papillosa) while recording data during the transect study at Weir’s Beach on 21 April 2015. One of the coolest things about this nudibranch species is that it feeds on anemones – mostly aggregating anemones (Anthopleura elegantissima) and plumose anemones (Metridium senile). In the photo above there are many aggregating anemones surrounding the sea mouse. A. papillosa is also well-known for storing undischarged stinging cells in their cerata which are likely used for defence of the slug.

Weir’s Beach 16 September 2014

Tuesday morning, 11 am, F block first year Marine Science students explored Weir’s Beach.  Not many photos to mark the occasion, but two great ones thanks to Adva.

Below is the moult of a first instar juvenile Dungeness crab, Metacarcinus magister.

World Oceans Day 2012

Every day should be a day to celebrate and appreciate the ocean, but the 8th of June has officially been designated as World Oceans Day. Sadly, there are no Pearson marine scientists here to celebrate today, so I have posted a few photos from this afternoon at Weir’s Beach.

Great Blue Heron

Laura & Simon collected and observed a few purple shore crabs.

Simon found a young bull kelp in the drift algae.

And we spotted two clusters of fish eggs in the holdfast of a bull kelp.

We investigated the piles of seaweed on the beach.

Tucker plowed through the still suspended drift seaweed.

And finally here are a few links for further information about World Oceans Day:

http://worldoceansday.org/

http://theoceanproject.org/

http://www.worldoceannetwork.org/