A Guide to the P L A N T & A N I M A L D E B R I S of southern California sand beaches Robert Perry - UCLA OceanGLOBE & Malibu High School with original illustrations by Hayley O’Neill name_____________________________________________ This Guide, and other resources, are available for download a no cost from: http://www.msc.ucla.edu/oceanglobe and is intended for non-profit, face-to-face, educational use ONLY. © 2003 Robert Perry. All Rights Reserved. page 1 T A B L E o f C O N T E N T S t a x o n o m i c g r o u p : p a g e : KINGDOM PLANTAE DIVISION ANTHOPHYTA. .3 .2 DIVISION CHLOROPHYTA. .4 2 DIVISION PHAEOPHYTA. 5.3 DIVISION RHODOPHYTA. .8 5 KINGDOM ANIMALIA PHYLUM CNIDARIA. .9 .6 PHYLUM ARTHROPODA. .10 .7 PHYLUM MOLLUSCA. .11 .8 PHYLUM BRYOZOA. .14 11 PHYLUM ECHINODERMATA. 15.12 PHYLUM CHORDATA. .15 12 Image Citations: Unless otherwise cited: All photography © Robert Perry Instructor: UCLA OceanGLOBE & Malibu High School HO = Original Art Work © 2003 Hayley O'Neill Malibu High School - Independent Science Studies Student AH= Algae specimens and scans © 2003 Amanda Hine Malibu High School - Independent Science Studies Student Distribution Maps for Angiophytes (page 3): USDA, NRCS. 2002. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.5 (http://plants.usda.gov). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA. contact information: Robert Perry [email protected] page 2 KINGDOM PLANTAE: DIVISION ANGIOPHYTA (mostly terrestrial; only 2 marine species in Calif; flowering plants - roots, stems, leaves, flowers, seeds) Phyllospadix flowers Phyllospadix torreyi Seagrass or Surf Grass ( lives in between rocks in intertidal zone 4 and shallow subtidal areas ) Zostera marina Eel Grass ( lives in sheltered subtidal sand areas ) page 3 DIVISION CHLOROPHYTA (mostly freshwater; a few species live in shallow ocean waters) Ulva californica Sea Lettuce Enteromorpha intestinalis String lettuce or sea “hair” Codium fragile Spongeweed, or Dead Man’s Fingers page 4 DIVISION PHAEOPHYTA (“brown algae,” the largest plants in the sea; the kelps) kelp canopy apical fronds stipes fronds sporophylls holdfast Macrocystis pyrifera Giant Kelp ( Grows attached to subtidal rocks to form its own rich ecosystem; during storms, pieces drift ashore on our sand beaches ) AH Macrocystis - stipes with Macrocystis - fastest growing fronds apical fronds Macrocystis - holdfast on rock HO Macrocystis - stipe Macrocystis - reproductive with fronds sporophylls page 5 DIVISION PHAEOPHYTA - continued (“brown algae,” the largest plants in the sea; the kelps) AH Egregia spp. Ribbon Kelp or Feather Boa Kelp HO HO Cystoseira base Cystoseira top Cystoseira osmundacea Bladder Chain Kelp page 6 DIVISION PHAEOPHYTA - continued (“brown algae,” the largest plants in the sea; the kelps) Sargassum sp. page 7 DIVISION RHODOPHYTA (“red algae,” in the sea; medium sized) Bossiella californica Two crunchy calcified rhodophytes Two Calliarthron sp. Gigartina Callophyllis spp. spinosa Microcladia spp. Pterocladia spp. page 8 KINGDOM ANIMALIA: PHYLUM CNIDARIA CLASS HYDROZOA (Hydroids are colonial cnidarians that attach to rocks, shells and seaweed; mark species but do not attempt to count numbers.) “Ostrich Plume” Hydroid Aglaophenia latirostris (on red algae, Callophyllis) Sertularia spp. (on algae) Obelia spp. (on algae) PHYLUM CNIDARIA CLASS SCYPHOZOA Purple Jelly Pelagia colorata (Scyphozoans, or “jellies” are one group of the many gelatinous planktonic animals that wash up on the beach.) page 9 PHYLUM ARTHROPODA CLASS CRUSTACEA ( crabs, shrimps, lobsters, barnacles, not to mention lots of zooplankton) Grey or “mole” sand crab Emerita analoga (Like all crustaceans, it sheds its exoskeleton to grow. These “moults” are bleached white Emerita analoga by the sun.) Seasonally the most abundant species of the sandy intertidal macrofauna. THREE SPECIES OF SAND CRABS. Emerita is the most common. Emerita analoga Spiny Sand Crab White Sand Crab Blepharipoda occidentalis Lepidopa myops Lives in sandy subtidal zone one (A rare intertidal where it eats Emerita. species.) Pelagic “stalked” Barnacles Lepas spp. misc. Barnacles (Attached to drift Macrocystis) Balanus spp. page 10 PHYLUM MOLLUSCA CLASS GASTROPODA ( marine snails ) Purple Olive - Olivella biplicata Lives in Subtidal Zone One of sand beaches. California cone - Conus californicus (another carnivore) Slipper shell - Crepidula sp. Worm shells (or tube snails) - Serpulorbis squamigerus Owl Limpet - Lottia gigantea Carpenter’s Turret - Megasercula carpenterianus Lives in Subtidal Zone Three of sand beaches. Brown Turban or “Kelp snail” Norrisia norrisii Volcano Limpet - Fissurella volcano page 11 PHYLUM MOLLUSCA CLASS GASTROPODA ( marine snails, continued ) Moon Snail - Pollinices sp. A carnivore that lives in Subtidal Zones Two & Three of sand beaches. (See the circular hole in Donax gouldii below? It was drilled by Pollinices !) PHYLUM MOLLUSCA CLASS BIVALVIA ( clams, mussels, oysters, scallops, etc. ) Bean Clam - Donax gouldii Lives in low intertidal zone of sand beaches. THESE ARE THE TWO MOST COMMON SANDY BEACH BIVALVES Pismo clam - Tivela stultorem Shells are very thick and heavy. Juveniles live in low intertidal, adults in Subtidal Zone One of sand beaches. page 12 PHYLUM MOLLUSCA CLASS BIVALVIA ( clams, mussels, oysters, scallops, continued) Pacific Calico Scallop Argopecten ventricosus (fresh shells are orange-tan) Purple-hinged or giant rock scallop - Crassidoma gigantea (formerly Hinnites multirugosus) Bay Mussel Mytilus edulis California Mussel Mytilus californianus “Secret Jewelbox” (rock oyster) Littleneck clam White sand clam - Macoma secta Chama arcana Protothaca staminea (shell is very thin & fragile) (a juvenile is shown here) page 13 PHYLUM BRYOZOA (also known as ECTOPROCTA) (Bryozoans are colonial benthic animals; individuals live in box-like zoecia; mark species but do not attempt to count numbers.) Bugula neritina (often mistaken for a seaweed) “Jack Frost” Bryozoan Membranipora membranacea (series of enlargements, on Macrocystis) 1 mm Thalmoporella californica page 14 PHYLUM ECHINODERMATA (Sea stars, urchins, sand dollars, sea cucumbers, etc.) ANUS MOUTH aboral view oral view Western Sand Dollar Dendraster excentricus Dominant species of sandy subtidal Zone Two. ( photo of tests; live animal has tiny purple spines.) MOUTH ANUS oral view aboral view Purple Sea Urchin Stongylocentrotus purpuratus ( photo of tests; live animal has long purple spines.) PHYLUM CHORDATA - SUBPHYLUM UROCHORDATA - ORDER SALPIDA (Salps) Cyclosalpa affinis Salps are one group of the many gelatinous planktonic animals that wash up on the beach. This was a fragment of Cyclosalpa------> page 15.