Bushrangers Bay – Science Criteria

Your task is to document every organism that lies within your quadrant
at the rock pools. Every group will be given a length of rope which will
be used to create your quadrant (square shape). If you are unable to
classify the organism, draw the organism in the table.

Instructions
• Carefully note the dangerous animals that you may find in this area. Do not touch
or pick them up.
• Read the guide to Intertidal Zones and the Guide to Rocky Shores before
selecting your area for the quadrat.
• Using the string provided you are to make a square at the rock pools.
• Using the table provided, document every organism (living thing) that is within
your area that you created with the string.
• Once you have recorded the objects, list how many of each is within the area.
• Complete a diagram of the Quadrat, showing where each organism was located.
• If you have a camera, photograph the quadrat and the organisms you have found.

Dangerous Animals:
The blue ringed octopus is a common inhabitant of
rock pools and shallow water. It can be found under
rocks, in old shells or even in rusty cans. When
disturbed, electric blue rings on the body and
tentacles “light up” signalling a warning of its
extremely venomous bite. Although the bite itself
may be painless, the venomous saliva that enters the
body is lethal. octopus is a mollusc, related to the
squids.

The anemone cone shell

 Bushrangers Bay – Intertidal Zones Guide
If you look carefully at the life on the rocky shore at Bushrangers bay, two
things will soon become clear. Firstly, most of the plants and animals have
stuck themselves to the rocks very firmly. Secondly, you may notice that
there appears to be bands or zones of different organisms. It is quite easy
to see why organisms on the rocky shore need to be stuck down – to prevent
from being washed away by the waves. It’s a little harder to see why the
different plants and animals are found in zones and not all mixed together.
In this case, the answer is related to the movement of tides as they cover
and expose the organisms.

Periwinkle Zone
High Tide Mark

Barnacle Zone

Mussel Zone

Low Tide Mark

Periwinkle zone: is where salt-water spray provides the only moisture above the
waterline. Too identify this zone is to look for a tiny black snail - the
periwinkle. The periwinkle will eat the algae growing on the moist
surface of rocks. It can attach to rocks as a way of sealing-in moisture
during low tides when spray is not available. The algae gives the rocks in
this zone a dark, blackish colour.

Barnacle Zone: is where organisms have to be adapted for life both in and out of
the water. This narrow zone lies between the normal high-tide mark and
the spring high-tide mark, is submerged and exposed based on the tides,
and is where wave action is present. The easiest way to identify this zone
is to look for barnacles (a crustacean) affixed to rocks or other solid
surface with one of the strongest adhesives known.

Mussel zone: lies between the normal high-tide mark and the normal low-tide
mark. The easiest way to identify this zone is to look for mussels (a
bivalve mollusc) affixed to rocks or other solid surface with a fibrous
"root". The mussels and barnacles compete for territory with the
barnacles occupying the higher elevation as they are better adapted to
exposure to air and sun. Tube worm species can also be
found here. These are worms which live in very hard, sharp
tubes which can curl and intertwine. When under water the
black worm inside comes to the entrance to feed.

Low Tide Line: This area is almost always submerged, so there is

an abundance of life. The easiest way to identify this zone is to look for
many different types of species, including crabs and algae. One common
species is cunjevoi (sea squirt) is Pyura praeputialis. Cunjevoi is a favourite
with fishermen who use it for bait. Individual organisms live in colonies
along the low tide line and are often seen squirting out a jet of water when
they are exposed above the water. Sea urchins, Heliocidaris erthrogramma
are also found in this zone.

Brown kelp zone (constantly below water): This is a zone of

brown seaweeds which provides a habitat for many small creatures
including fish and invertebrates.
 Bushrangers Bay – Rocky Shores Guide
Invertebrates: animals without a backbone

Molluscs: Molluscs are the animals that live inside sea shells.
 Tunicates
(sea squirts,
cunjevoi):
Sea squirts are small, fixed animals that
look a little bit like sponges. Some of
them live alone, and some live in groups
or colonies.

Cnidarians (stinging animals):

Despite the name and the beautiful, plant like appearance, sea
anemones are animals and not plants.

Annelid (worms):
Annelid is the scientific name for worms. They are usually
tube-like animals, with their bodies divided into rings or
segments.

Echinoderms
These animals are all circular,
or round. They have either five
arms, or divisions, or some
multiple of five. Their mouths
are usually on the undersides
of their bodies, in the centre.
 Crustaceans
The crustaceans are the animals often called
shellfish. The crabs, lobsters, shrimps and
barnacles are some of the crustaceans found in
the sea. They are all covered by an outside
skeleton, or exoskeleton, and they have jointed
legs.

Barnacles are the little cone

shaped animals that live on rocks and other firm surfaces on the shore. They
look rather like limpets with a hole in the top. They are not related to
molluscs at all, however. They are crustaceans, related to the crabs and
lobsters. Barnacles do not spend all their lives fixed to a rock. The barnacle
larva floats in the sea at first (it looks a lot like crab larvae). When it lands
on a suitable surface it settles there and forms its shell. The adult barnacle
lives inside the cone-like shell. It feeds by ‘combing’ the water with its
feathery legs.

Many kinds of fishes visit the shore

Vertebrates region when the tide is in but, unless
(back-boned animals) there are rock pools, very few fishes can
remain on the shore when the tide goes
out. Some blennies can live out of water
for a short time and the Sand Goby can
survive in wet sand near the low tide
mark. Blennies can be recognised by the
long fin along the back and another long
one along the belly.
Plants:
Algae (seaweeds)
Many types of alga can be found growing on rocky shores and in rock
pools – far too many to describe here. Some examples that you may
find at Bushrangers Bay are:

Brown Algae: The Leather Kelp is the most

common large kelp on southern Australian coasts.
Found from just below the lowest tide level and
below on coasts affected by moderate to rough
wave action.

Brown Algae: Neptune's Necklace is a distinctive

algae made up of strings of hollow, water-filled,
round or oval-shaped beads joined together by a
short stalk.

Green Algae: Commonly found in rock pools.Green Sea

Velvet is an erect, much branched, dark green algae. It
has rounded, finely branched fronds which are packed
close together. The fronds grow up to 30 cm long and are
about 6 mm thick. When under water, fine hairs can be
seen all over the branches. The basal disc is broad,
spongy and soft.

Red Algae: The stony, calcified, pink crusts

of many coralline algae species form flat
expanses over rocks, or on other plants and
mollusc shells. While they are extremely
common, most kinds of Encrusting Corallines
cannot be properly identified without knowing
their internal structure.
Bushrangers Bay – Quadrat Analysis

Total
Organisms Number in
Quadrant
 Bushrangers Bay – Quadrat Example

General description:
This rock pool was on the outer edge of the rock
platform. It was only exposed at very low tide.
The day was windy and overcast with lots of
white-caps in the ocean.

Key:

Sponge blue blue mussel crab1 crab2 sea star

periwinkle

Scale: 1cm = 20cm

Figure 1
Quadrat Analysis

General description:

Key:

Scale: 1.5cm =