The Shore Thing Project

1. The Shore Thing Project www.marlin.ac.uk/shore_thing

2. Shore Thing Aims “To generate records of marine wildlife by facilitating intertidal biological surveys at sites around the British Isles, and to make the results available to all on the Internet. In addition we aim to raise awareness of marine conservation amongst the participantsand the wider community”.

3. CLIMATE CHANGE

4. Climate Change Causes • CO2 Emissions from cars, aircraft, powerplants • Methane • Nitrous Oxide from fertilizers, cars with catalytic converters and burning of organic matter • Deforestation

5. Climate Change Impacts • Sea level rise • Melting of polar ice caps • Change in weather patterns becoming more unpredictable • Ocean acidification • Rise in sea temperatures • Change in the distribution of species

6. Sea Surface temperatures(Plymouth)

7. Tectura testudinalis Osilinus lineatus MarClim Project(www.mba.ac.uk/marclim) Over 4 years scientists surveyed rocky shores around the country and compared contemporary data with historical records.

8. THE PROJECT

9. Why take part in the Shore Thing? Scientists need information now on the distribution of certain marine species, from as many locations as possible in order to track patterns and changes related to climate change.

10. Participation • National project • Began in April 2006 • Over 250 surveys completed at 128 sites around the UK • 40 schools • Over 3,000 participants

11. Survey Protocol • Designed using standard field techniques and MarClim methodology • Has to be followed so data can be compared • Surveys take place twice a year, summer and autumn • In two parts: • Transect survey • 20 minute timed species search

12. Arrival at the shore • Check tide tables – time of low water • Health & Safety – risks on the shore • Seashore Code • Find suitable site for survey or locate start point of previous survey from compass bearings/GPS reading/photographs

13. Finding the middle station • From local tide tables determine the height of the middle shore. • Take largest tide of the year and divide the height of high water by two. • One person stands at upper station with ranging pole • Second person walks down the shore with the other pole • Upper shore person looks along their pole at a certain height to a height on the second pole and then out to the horizon • When all our level that is the middle station.

14. Levelling

15. Transect Survey • Shore sampled at 3 stations; upper, middle and lower. • Four quadrats should be placed randomly at each station. • Do not sample rockpools as they are a different habitat. • Algae and animals such as barnacles should be recorded as percentage cover.

16. Canopy • At the middle and lower stations you will need to record % cover of the large seaweeds.

17. Undercover • Gently move the canopy to one side to reveal the seaweed and animals below. • Be careful to check for any animals within the weed. They need to be included in the quadrat record.

18. Climate change and non-native species

19. Timed Species Search • Search for 20 minutes in one of three habitats: rockpools, boulders/crevices/overhangs or open rock • Each student searches for one or two species • Use ‘Flash’ cards to help with ID • Record abundance as:

20. Abundance Scale • Abundant (A): Definitely found at certain level on the shore. • Frequent (F): Definitely found after a little searching. • Rare (R): Intensive search for 1 or 2 individuals • Not found (N): Not found after searching. • Based on SACFORN

21. Photographs • Important to relocate survey site • Permanent record of species within quadrat • Can verify species ID

22. Data handling www.marlin.ac.uk/shore_thing

23. MySQL Database

24. Retrieving Data

25. Google Maps

26. National Biodiversity Network

27. ROCKY SHORE ECOLOGY

28. Tides • Tides are caused by the gravitational pull of the moon and sun • There are generally two tidal cycles in 24 hrs • The rise and fall of the tide varies depending on whether it is a neap or spring tide • Tidal range varies around the UK coast.

29. The Rocky Shore Environment • All species specially adapted • Marine and terrestrial • Exposure high • Changing conditions • Different zones on the shore • Location important for identification

30. Environmental Variations Feeding time Exposure Light Temperature variation Salinity variation Upper shore Desiccation Lower shore

31. ‘Splash’ Zone • Extremely exposed • Salt spray • Conditions extremely variable • Dominated by lichens • Rarely submerged

32. Upper shore • Very exposed • Conditions very variable • Diversity low dominated by channelled wrack and small periwinkles • Submerged for short periods • Exposed for long periods

33. Middle shore • Moderately exposed • Conditions moderately variable • Dominated by fucoids, barnacles, molluscs and gastropods • Species depends on exposure • Submerged and exposed every tide

34. Lower Shore • Less exposed • Conditions relatively stable • High diversity of specially adapted marine species • Dominated by kelps, red algae, sea squirts and sponges • Submerged most of the time, only exposed on low spring tides

35. Rocky Shore Identification Major groups/phylum of species are: • Algae (seaweeds) • Lichens • Marine Invertebrates (animals without backbones) • Porifera (sponges) • Cnidaria (anemones/jellyfish/hydroids) • Crustacea (crabs/barnacles) • Mollusca (top shells/limpets) • Echinoderms (sea urchins/starfish) • Marine Chordates (animals with backbones) • Tunicates (sea squirts) • Fish

36. Marine Algae • Brown – Wracks and Kelps • Green • Red – includes encrusting algae • Flowering plants such as seagrass

37. Lichens • Fungus and algae living together in symbiosis • Often an encrusting layer on rocks • Found in the splash zone

38. Marine Invertebrates (animals without backbones) • Porifera - Sponges • Attached to surfaces • Very simple animals, covered with pores • Rounded or branched forms • Often need microscope to identify them

39. Cnidaria - Anemones, corals, hydroids and jellyfish • ‘Mouth’ surrounded by tentacles • Attached and free swimming forms • Sometimes forming large colonies

40. Crustacea - Crabs, lobsters, shrimps etc. • Segmented body covered in hard plates • Divided into three segments • Jointed limbs • Adapted to live in every marine environment

41. Mollusca - Snails, bivalves, chitons, limpets, sea slugs etc. • Largest most diverse group • Gastropods have large muscular foot • Bivalves body surrounded by two shells held together with a hinge

42. Echinoderms - Starfish, sea urchins, sea cucumbers and brittlestars • Tube-feet, internal skeleton of bony plates • Often external skeletons

43. Marine Chordates (animals with backbones) • Tunicates – Star of ascidian and sea squirts • Larval stage has a backbone • Two openings body covered in ‘tunic’ of jelly • Colonies sometimes confused with sponges

44. Fish – Shanny, blenny, rockling, clingfish etc. • Divided into two main groups, elasmobranchs (sharks, rays etc) and teleosts (bony fish) • Elasmobranchs have a skeleton of cartilage • Teleosts skeleton is bony

45. Key Features 1 2 3 4

46. Species No. 1 Cone shaped shell, up to 2.5 cm high Tooth on inside of mouth opening Shell grey-green Shiny ‘mother of pearl’ inside shell opening H Osilinus lineatus

47. Species No. 2 Bushy brown seaweed Covered in what looks like small leaves and tiny round floats Very dense, feels coarse and wiry May form long lengths (like a washing line) D Sargassum muticum

48. Species No. 3 Prominent midrib Pairs of almost spherical gas bladders Dark olive brown Up to 1 m long F Fucus Vesiculosus

49. Species No. 4 Small round hole on underside of the shell Dull greenish in colour with reddish-purple broad diagonal stripes Small top shell 1.6 cm high. 2.2 cm across C Gibbula umbilicalis