Sheltered Bays and Seagrass Beds of Bermuda (Second Edition) Project Nature Field Study Guide Sponsored by The Bermuda Paint Co. Ltd. Sheltered Bays and Seagrass Beds of Bermuda Seventh in the series of Project Nature Guides published by the Bermuda Zoological Society in collaboration with the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum & Zoo Second Edition Published September 2005 Copyright © 2005 Bermuda Zoological Society Details of other titles available in the Project Nature series are: Rocky Coasts. Martin L. H. Thomas First Edition (The Rocky Coast) April 1993 Second Edition May 2007. 100 pages. ISBN: 978-1-897403-03-7 Sandy Coasts, Martin L. H. Thomas First Edition (The Sandy Shore) November 1994 Second Edition May 2008. 102 pages. ISBN: 978-1-897403-49-5 The Bermuda Forests. By BZS Volunteers. First Edition January 2001. Second Edition March 2002. Third Edition December 2005. 114 pages. ISBN: 1-894916-26-3 Bermuda’s Wetlands. By Martin L. H. Thomas. First Edition January 2001. Second Edition March 2002. Third Edition July 2005 Fourth Edition December 2005. 186 pages. ISBN: 1-894916-62-X Oceanic Island Ecology of Bermuda. By Martin L. H. Thomas. First Edition February 2002. Second Edition September 2004. Third Edition September 2005. 88 pages. ISBN: 1-894916-63-8 Coral Reefs of Bermuda. By Martin L. H. Thomas. First Edition May 2002. Second Edition September 2005. 80 pages. ISBN: 1-894916-67-0 The Ecology of Harrington Sound, Bermuda. By Martin L. H. Thomas. First Edition May 2003. Second Edition September 2005. 96 pages. ISBN: 1-894916-65-4 The Open Ocean around Bermuda. By Martin L. H. Thomas. First Edition September 2003. Second Edition September 2005. 86 pages. ISBN: 1-894916-64-6 Cover photograph of Whalebone Bay by Martin L. H. Thomas ISBN: 1-894916-66-2 Sheltered Bays and Seagrass Beds of Bermuda Foreword Foreword Approximately 6,000 years ago, with the end of the most recent ice age, sea levels rose and the lowlands of the Bermuda seamount were flooded. Flowing across the northern marshlands to fill the valleys between Bermuda’s highest hills, these rising waters created sheltered harbours and bays. Marine organisms swept north with the warm waters of the Gulf Stream found these quiet waters and settled to populate the unique inshore habitats of this remote oceanic outpost. The environmental challenges of this northern island limited the success of many southern species particularly in the inshore waters where winter temperature lows may have proven lethal. Despite these challenges, a wide range of Caribbean species thrived in Bermuda, making the coastal waters a fascinating area for exploration. Today, the shape of the Bermuda Island chain is reminiscent of a fishhook, an elongate narrow landmass with no site far removed from the ocean. This shape makes it virtually impossible to spend a day without experiencing open vistas of the ocean, harbours and bays. Indeed, the feeling of space created by these views is critical to Bermuda’s aesthetic appeal. Bermuda’s inshore waters have become the playground of the people, an area where adults teach their children to swim and young people learn to experience the wonder of the natural world beneath the sea. This book is the most recent in a series of field guides that are designed to promote the exploration of the natural wonders of Bermuda’s varied habitats. The Sheltered Bays and Seagrass Beds of Bermuda leads the reader on a fascinating tour of discovery through these calm and easily accessible areas. Learn how seagrass alters the environment to create stable and protective homes for juveniles of many species. Find out how to identify a wide variety of marine organisms, where to find them and what they do. Then, armed with this knowledge, don your snorkelling gear and search them out. You will not be disappointed. Jack Ward Director, Conservation Services Bermuda Aquarium, Museum & Zoo August 2002 Acknowledgements The help of the following people is gratefully acknowledged; without their encouragement and assistance this guide could not have been produced. Jack Ward, Principal Curator of the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo paved the way for its production and enthusiastically supported the work. Mary Winchell, the former Education Coordinator actively helped in the planning stages of the production of this guide and is largely responsible for the entire Project Nature series, now comprising seven field guides. Holly Holder, the present Education Coordinator has continued Mary Winchell’s supportive role and has been a great help. Liz Nash took on the task of preparing the manuscript for printing, including setting up the text, assembling all the illustrations, inserting them in the text and producing the final copy for binding. Her dedication to this task ensured that the final product would be most attractive and relatively error free. Many people have assisted in the background field, library, proof-reading and museum work essential to a task such as this. Without their help and encouragement the guide would be much less complete and practical than it is. Grateful thanks are extended to: Alan Logan, Anne Glasspool, Bobbii Cartwright, Judie Clee, Wolfgang Sterrer, Margaret Emmott, Penny Hill and Richard Winchell. Figure 2, a drawing of a seagrass bed was prepared by Jo-Anne Stevens of the Department of Biology, University of New Brunswick, Saint John, Canada. Figures 1 and 3 were drawn by the author. The illustrations of the species of plants and animals important in the sheltered bay and seagrass ecology of Bermuda were adapted, with permission, from a variety of sources including, “Marine Fauna and Flora of Bermuda” edited by W. Sterrer, “Bermuda’s Marine Life” by W. Sterrer, and “Bermuda’s Seashore Plants and Seaweeds” by W. Sterrer and A. R. Cavaliere; others were prepared Sheltered Bays and Seagrass Beds of Bermuda Contents Description ................................................................................................................ Page Introduction ................................................................................................................1-1 Geological Background .................................................................................................2-1 The Origin of the Bermuda Islands ................................................................................. 2-1 Ancient History ......................................................................................................... 2-1 The Making of Modern Bermuda ............................................................................... 2-2 Sediment Formation and Erosion ................................................................................... 2-2 Bays in the Making ................................................................................................... 2-2 Origins of Sediments ................................................................................................ 2-3 Biological Erosion ..................................................................................................... 2-3 Sediment Movement and Sorting .................................................................................... 2-4 Sediment Sorting ...................................................................................................... 2-4 Sediment Consolidation ............................................................................................ 2-4 Sediment Permeability .............................................................................................. 2-4 Sediment Movement ................................................................................................. 2-5 Sediment Particles of Biological Origin ........................................................................... 2-5 Sediments of Plant Origin ......................................................................................... 2-5 Sediments of Animal Origin ...................................................................................... 2-6 Sediment as Food. .......................................................................................................... 2-6 Biological Background .................................................................................................3-1 Features of Shallow Water Sedimentary Habitats ............................................................ 3-1 Very Exposed Locations ............................................................................................ 3-1 Sedimentary Environment Habitats .......................................................................... 3-1 The Sediment Surface Habitat .................................................................................. 3-1 The Buried Animals .................................................................................................. 3-2 The Water Above the Sediment ................................................................................. 3-2 Ecology of Bermuda’s Sheltered Bays and Seagrass Beds ..............................................4-1 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 4-1 General Adaptation among the Seaweeds to Sedimentary Life ......................................... 4-1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 4-1 The Anchored Seaweeds ........................................................................................... 4-1