BETWEEN the TIDES Friends of Fitzgerald Marine Reserve J u n e 2 0 1 2 Continuing Education Debuts with Doug Mason as Featured Speaker The first FFMR Continuing Education event, co- ordinated by Linda Ciotti and hosted by Mary DeLong and Jamie Rioto, was held Sunday, April 15, in Princeton. The featured speaker was Doug Mason, noted nudibranch expert. Mason, a science teacher at California High School in San Ramon, spoke of the decline of nudibranchs in the Central California coastal region. Mason began by explaining that most common nu- dibranch larvae in our area are planktonic, and feeding on other plankton enables them to drift in the water table for weeks or months, up to hundreds of kilometers from their place of origin. Only a few species (Doto amyra and Phidiana hiltoni), are lecithotrophic—their larvae feed on the egg yolk and thus are limited in their travel. The class, left to right: Julie Walters, Doug Mason, Susan Evans, Jan Pelinka, Piming Lai, Kris Lannin He discussed one of the stud- Mason began by explaining that most ies in which he had participated; that common nudibranch larvae in our area are study provided data for a publication planktonic, and feeding on other plankton entitled “Climate-index response profil- ing indicates larval transport is driving enables them to drift in the water table for population fluctuations in nudibranch weeks or months, up to hundreds of gastropods from the northeast Pacific kilometers from their place of origin. Ocean.” From 2007 to 2009 quarterly timed counts of nudibranchs were conducted in fixed interval areas at three sites that had previously been studied between the 1960s and 1990s. Evaluation of past counts and use of various statis- Aeolidia papillosa (Shag rug) tical indices by Stewart Schultz, lead author and statistician, resulted in rejection of food sources and water temperature as causes of the recent decline of nudibranchs. The scientists concluded that the decline is related to recruitment-limiting, off-shore larval advection (movement by currents) caused by unusually strong El Nina conditions, and also to a positive correlation with the ENSO continued on page 3 April Nudibranch Survey Friends of The ninth quarterly nudibranch sur- Cypress Point to Seal Cove: 67 Domi- Fitzgerald Marine Reserve vey was held April 9 at FMR. Julie Walters nant species: Triopha maculata followed by coordinated the efforts of 12 volunteers, a Diaulula sandiegensis P.O. Box 669 record number. Moss Beach, CA 94038 Thanks to the following volunteers Phone: 650.728.3584 The total nudibranch count, tallied who spent a very early Monday morning www.fitzgeraldreserve.org by Julie, was 139, the second highest since looking for these tiny creatures: Jennifer Brey, counts started in April of 2010. The total Tom Ciotti, Anne-Ly Crump Garay, Su- Board of Directors: number of species seen was 19 with Triopha san Evans, Sasha Greenawalt, Bill Kennedy, Robert Breen maculata accounting for 45%. That was the Sandi Meyer, Tom Niesen, Jan Pelinka, Leslie Joseph Centoni largest number of any one species seen. The Pelinka, Carissa Shipman, Julie Walters Linda Ciotti Doto kya was a new find, and it was thought A detailed account of the survey is as Tom Ciotti, President that a Cuthona abronia was seen (so small follows: Acanthodoris lutea (5), Aeolidia papil- Mary DeLong, Vice President it was difficult to verify). The rarely found losa (8), Cadlina luteomarginata (2), Cadlina Ellen Gartside Hallaxa Chani, first found in the December modesta (4), Cuthona abronia (1 unverified), Bill Kennedy 2011 survey, appeared again for this count. Jenna Kinghorn Dendronotus albus (1), Diaulula sandiengensis (16), Doriopsilla albopunctata (6), Doto kya Sarah Lenz The count by area was as follows: (1), Geitodoris heathi (1), Hallaxa Chani (1), Dr. Tom Niesen Syncline: 26 Dominant species: Phidiana Hope Suchsland, Treasurer Hermissinda crassicornis (6), Limacia cocker- Hiltoni elli (2), Peltodoris nobilis (3), Phidiana hiltoni Our Mission: Creek to Cypress Point: 46 Dominant spe- (9), Rostanga pulchra (4), Triopha maculata To inspire the preservation cies: Triopha maculata (62), Berthella californica (3) of our unique intertidal Many thanks to Julie environment through education and the Walters for all of her organiz- support of research. ing efforts, survey details and pictures. u Newsletter Editors: Janet Pelinka Sasha Greenawalt Consultant: Jenna Kinghorn Design and Production: Martie Sautter Sautter Graphics and Print Webmaster: Sandy Emerson Carissa Shipman from the Academy of Sciences and two Phidiana hiltoni special assistants counting nudibranchs. The graph displayed across the page bottoms shows tides The lowest tides this period are: for 5/29/12 to 10/16/12. Where the date appears is mid- night. The reefs are accessible for exploring during low -1.93 6/5 5:58 am tides—at least 0 or below. See: http://fitzgeraldreserve.org/ -.78 6/20 6:00 am resources and click on “Tides” for a more detailed tide -1.58 7/3 4:57 am chart. -.54 7/19 5:35 am Good summer tides are in the early morning. There are -.94 8/1 4:41 am almost equally low tides several days before and several days after the noted low tide dates. 29 30 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 +5 0 -2 May Jun -1.93 2 www.fitzgeraldreserve.org • June 2012 Continuing Education from page 1 (El Nino/Southern Oscillation) climate index. finds were the Doto amyra, the Dedronotus subra- They believe that populations will rebound with mosus, and a carnivorous chiton. the return of El Nino. Thanks to Doug for his highly informative He showed a diagram Mason presented beautiful slides of nudi- and entertaining presentation in the classroom branchs and discussed various nudibranch fea- and on the reef. Additional thanks to Linda, of several radulae [the tures. He showed a diagram of several radulae, Mary and Jamie, and also to Susan Evans and radula can be loosely [the radula can be loosely defined as a tongue], Jennifer Brey for the photos. defined as a tongue], explaining that the shape of the organ is deter- Besides his nudibranch research, Doug explaining that the mined by the nudibranch’s food source. He de- Mason enjoys nature photography, birding, and scribed an interesting mechanism in some opis- traveling. u shape of the organ thobranchs, called sacoglossans, is determined by the that are closely related to nudi- branchs. It is now thought that nudibranch’s food these organisms absorb zooxan- source. thellae from their prey (mostly cnidarians), incorporate the zoo- xanthellae’s DNA, and use it to manufacture sugar that fuels the opisthobranch. Doug Mason—on his knees. We learned that the best (It seems that studying small time to look for nudibranchs is creatures in the tide pools just after peak tide in calm water, often involves being on your so we headed to the tidepools, knees or fully prone, as the where Mason offered informa- graduating naturalists fea- tive comments and answered tured on page 6 will testify!) our questions. The most unusual Dendronotus subramosus Doto amyra Berthella californica Veiled chiton Friends of Fitzgerald Marine Reserve Membership Secretary, P.O. Box 669, Moss Beach, CA 94038, or through our website: www.fitzgeraldreserve.org Contribution Levels: Name __________________________________________________________ q $25 q $100 q $1000 Address _________________________________________________________ q $50 q $500 q Other q I want to double the value of my gift through my City ________________________________ State _______ Zip __________ employer's matching gift program (please enclose the matching gift forms). Email __________________________________________________________ 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 +5 0 -2 Jun -.78 www.fitzgeraldreserve.org • June 2012 3 A Sea In Flames: The Deepwater Horizon Oil Blowout by Carl Safina; reviewed by Jenna Kinghorn, Crown Publishers (New York) 2011; 352 pages Editors Note: Shortly after the second anniversary of the BP gulf oil spill a Louisiana U.S. District Judge gave primary court approval of an estimated $7.8 billion settlement for payment of more than 100,000 claims by individuals and businesses. There is no cap on the amount so payout may be higher, and the settle- ment does not cover claims by the U.S. government or Gulf states. The judge set a November 8 fairness hear- ing to hear objections (and there appear to be many) and will then consider final approval. SG & JP Remembering the shock and outrage and Using transcripts and interviews with the eventual deep despair that afflicted me as the wak- men and women working aboard the Deepwa- ing nightmare of the Deepwater Horizon oil blow- ter Horizon—some of whom die, or watch their out unfolded in the spring and summer of 2010, I friends do so—Safina explains the chain of deadly was not sure I could bring myself to read this book. mistakes that led up to the blowout. He takes the But I’m glad I did. Far from bringing back the de- reader on a tour of the cleanup and prevention He catalogs the losses: of spair, this latest work from award-winning author, methods being tried on the surface. He resurrects ecologist, and marine conservationist Carl Safina BP’s attempts to plug the leaking hole. And he human life, of escaped gave me new hope. catalogs the losses: of human oil and the money it Safina felt the shock, life, of escaped oil and the money it represents, of dam- represents, of damaged anguish and helplessness that The outrage is multiplied when it aged habitat and dead fish, of habitat and dead fish, so many citizens expressed in comes out that the company’s public the early days of the disaster.