Question:
A paragraph should be written introducing the UK’s rocky shore. Also, mention the zones where the listed species of algae can be found. Which ones are more dominant?
Do not elaborate on why certain species are more dominant. Just give a description of each species along with the area/zone where they are found.
Include references.
List of algae species:
Fucus serratus
Fucus vesiculosus
Fucus spiralis
– Pelvetia Canaliculata
– Corallina Officinallis
Answer to Question: MARI2300 Marine Biology
You can find rocky shores all over the U.K. They are composed of rocky terrain, vertical rock, and boulders that are surrounded with areas of sediments.
The intertidal area, made up of solid rock, is biologically rich and provides habitat for many types.
Only the hardy animals and plants can survive at these shores.
Ascophyllum Nodosum – Ascophyllum NODOsum is a large, brown seawood that dominates the rocky shores.
These algae have long, frond-like straps that look like fronds containing egg-shaped bladders.
These fronds measure 0.5 to 2cm in length and have tuffs that are small in colour, with a reddish brown hue.
This species can live for many decades and grows slowly.
This algae can be found along the coasts of Scotland and Ireland, where it is protected from the elements.
Fucus serratus- Fuccus Serratus is a robust alga whose colour is olive. It is also known by the names toothed wrack and serrated wrack.
It has a disc-shaped base, and can grow up to 6ft (180cm) from that base.
This alga’s frond is usually flat, about 2 cm in width and can grow up to 1 m long. It is bifurcated and grows up to 1 m in length.
It can be found along the Atlantic coast of Europe, from Portugal to Svalbard and on the shores in North America and the Canary Islands.
Fucus Vesiculosus is a species that can be found along the coasts of the Western Baltic Sea and North Sea. It is also known as bladder wrack.
It can be found primarily on the British Isles’ sea shores.
It has been also found in the Atlantic shores and Canary Islands, Greenland, Northern Russia as well as Morocco, Madeira, Madeira, and Northern Russia.
Fucus spiralis is a species that has been found mainly on the Atlantic coasts of North America and Europe.
It can grow to 30 cm in height and is irregularly dichomous. A discoid base helps it attach to the rock.
Pelvetia Canaliculata is a common alga that can be found along the rocky shores in Europe.
It can be found from Spain to Iceland on the Atlantic shores, where it is most common. This includes France, Norway, Portugal, Spain, and the Netherlands.
It is able to withstand extreme conditions, and can be exposed to air for up to 6 hours.
Corallina officinallis is a red seaweed that mainly lives on the shores of the mid-littoral and lower zones of the rock shores.
It is usually found around the edges of tide pools.
These algae can be found along the North Atlantic coast, from Morocco to Norway to Greenland to Argentine.
Filamentous algae is a type of algae that can be found in rocks or other debris.
Filamentous green algae is composed of fine, green-coloured filaments that form dense mats.
It can grow in any kind of water, such as stream, lake, or pond.
“Colonization processes and the role coralline algae play in rocky shore community dynamics.
Journal of Sea Research 95 (2015): 132-138.
“Vertical zonetion is the major distribution pattern for littoral assemblages along rocky shores at an regional scale.”
Estuarine and Coastal Science 147 (2014):113-122.
“Network structure beyond food Webs: Mapping non-trophic and trophic interactions along Chilean rocky shores.”
Thibaut, Thierry, et.al.
“An ecosystem-based approach for assessing the status of Mediterranean alga-dominated shallow rock reefs.”
Marine Pollution Bulletin 117.1 (2017), 311-329.