Introduction
In this field trip, we will visit a nearby rocky intertidal shore at low tide. This is your opportunity
to get to know some common seaweeds that grow on our local shores. Leo Carrillo is an
especially interesting Southern California rocky shore because it is highly affected by sand scour
and inundation when the sand shifts in winter storms. The suite of species that can be found growing at this site changes from year to year.
Our trip has the goal of finding, photographing and collecting identifying information about
species of macroalgae at this site. We will bring back pictures and a few samples to study later
and confirm identifications with some of the resources we used last week.
BE ATTENTIVE to the waves at all times, on the shore. Do not go out to areas where you may
become stranded when the tide comes in.
Keep any belongings with you or leave them locked in the van. You will need to bring materials
to take notes and photographs on the shore.
The lowest point in the tidal cycle today will be just before 2 PM. After that, the water will be
rising slowly. We will be leaving the shore, walking to the vans by 3:40. You must be back in
your place in the van by 3:50 for the ride back to campus.
Part 1 Guided Tour
We will start by walking together and noting what, among all of the beautiful and amazing things
on the shore, is and is not a macroalga. We will get a sense of the algal diversity at this site and
work on naming the most common species.
Part 2 Collecting your species images and information
Work in groups of 2 (if there is an odd number of students, one group will have 3). You will
work together on the shore but each student must submit their own Report that includes their
own selection of images, notes and answers to the following questions. Walking through the
boulder field from high on the shore (near the sand dunes) to low on the shore (nearer the open
water) look for living seaweeds on the rocks and in the pools. After you find species there, move
over to the rocky point area, where you have to be more careful of the waves but will
find some additional species.
Find 2-3 individuals of a species based on the similarity of their appearance. For each individual:
1) Take a picture showing its general habit and whole thallus. Include a familiar, standard sized
object in the picture for scale (a coin works well).
2) Take a picture close up, showing details of its structure, such as its branching pattern etc.
3) Record some notes on where it is growing:
Is it growing on a boulder, on bedrock, in a pool etc.?
Is it low on the shore or high on the shore? In or out of the water at low tide?
Anything else interesting you notice? For example, is it growing on another living thing?
Is it associated with other species?
4) Record some notes on the seaweed itself:
What is the size? Color? Texture? Branching pattern?
If you can, give the species name.
5) Repeat for up to 3 of that species.
Repeat Steps 1-5 above for 15 different types of macroalgae on
the shore.
Part 3: Turn In your findings
Turn in a single document (Word or PDF) that includes 3-6 images, answers to the questions and
an educated guess at the name for each of 15 species (2-3 different individuals per species).
Last Completed Projects
| topic title | academic level | Writer | delivered |
|---|