The Shore Thing Survey Form

Transcription

1 The Shore Thing Survey Form Details School/college/ group Surveyors Teacher/leader The Survey Section 1 Section 2 A transect of three stations, Upper, Middle and Lower Shore. At each station sample four quadrats. A timed species search in two habitats. Date Survey Location At the end of the survey the supervisor should sign the last page to confirm that the data on this form has been verified and correctly entered. Next step - upload the data on to the Shore Thing website shore_thing. WE NEED YOUR DATA! Section 1 The Transect Find a suitable point on the shore to begin the transects. Record your location with a grid reference and or GPS reading and 3 compass bearings to permanent landmarks. Then find the middle station using the ranging poles. Transect Number (circle one number) Grid Reference (6 figure) GPS Reading Upper station to landmark 1 Upper station to landmark 2 Upper station to landmark 3 When you reach the lower station take a bearing from there back to the upper station. Lower station to upper station If you have a digital camera, take a photo from upper to lower shore to show your transect. Digital photo of transect taken? Yes No Some commonly seen species have been filled in for you. Don t be restricted by the list, record all species you find in the quadrat. You could also take a photo of one or more quadrats at each station. Upper Station In each quadrat record % cover of lichens, seaweeds and barnacles (not including volcano barnacles). Record number of individuals for other animals e.g. periwinkles. Black tar lichen (Verrucaria sp.) % % % % Black lichen (Lichina pygmaea) % % % % Channelled wrack (Pelvetia canaliculata) % % % % Small periwinkle (Melarhaphe neritoides) Rough periwinkle (Littorina saxatilis) 1

2 Middle Station First look at all the seaweeds in the quadrat. Record % cover of the larger seaweed on top (canopy) before gently lifting the seaweed to record species underneath. If under 1% cover put P for Present. Canopy - (seaweed >15 cm high) record % cover Undercover - (seaweed <15 cm high) record % cover Species Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Sea lettuce (Ulva lactuca) % % % % % % % % Gut weed (Ulva intestinalis) Knotted wrack (Ascophyllum nodosum) Toothed wrack (Fucus serratus) Bladder wrack (Fucus vesiculosus) Thongweed (Himanthalia elongata) Oarweed (Laminaria digitata) Carragheen (Chondrus crispus) Encrusting red algae (Lithothamnion sp.) False Irish moss (Mastocarpus stellatus) Laver (Porphyra umbilicalis) Pepper dulse (Osmundea pinnatifida) Upper station Now record the animals. % cover of barnacles (not including volcano barnacles) and breadcrumb sponge. Individual numbers for all other species Flat periwinkle (Littorina obtusata) Breadcrumb Sponge (Halichondria panicea) % % % % Beadlet anemone (Actinia equina) Painted top shell (Calliostoma zizyphinum) Grey top shell (Gibbula cineraria) Edible (common) periwinkle (Littorina littorea) Mussel (Mytilus edulis) Dog whelk (Nucella lapilus) Limpets (Patella sp.) Thick Top shell (Osilinus lineatus) Did you take photos of the quadrats/species at this station? Yes No If yes please upload a selection onto the website 2

3 Lower Station First look at all the seaweeds in the quadrat. Record % cover of the larger seaweed on top (canopy) before gently lifting the seaweed to record species underneath. If under 1% cover put P for Present. Canopy - (seaweed >15 cm high) record % cover Undercover - (seaweed <15 cm high) record % cover Species Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Sea lettuce (Ulva lactuca) % % % % % % % % Gut weed (Ulva intestinalis) Knotted wrack (Ascophyllum nodosum) Toothed wrack (Fucus serratus) Bladder wrack (Fucus vesiculosus) Thongweed (Himanthalia elongata) Oarweed (Laminaria digitata) Carragheen (Chondrus crispus) Encrusting red algae (Lithothamnion sp.) False Irish moss (Mastocarpus stellatus) Laver (Porphyra umbilicalis) Pepper dulse (Osmundea pinnatifida) Now record the animals. % cover of barnacles (not including volcano barnacles) and breadcrumb sponge. Individual numbers for all other species Flat periwinkle (Littorina obtusata) Breadcrumb Sponge (Halichondria panicea) % % % % Beadlet anemone (Actinia equina) Painted topshell (Calliostoma zizyphinum) Grey top shell (Gibbula cineraria) Edible (common) periwinkle (Littorina littorea) Mussel (Mytilus edulis) Dog whelk (Nucella lapilus) Limpets (Patella sp.) Thick Top shell (Osilinus lineatus) Did you take photos of the quadrats/species at this station? Yes No Don t forget to take a bearing back to the upper station and record the figure on Page 1 3

4 Section 2 Timed species search Visit one habitat, either rockpools, overhangs/boulders or open rock. Search for 3 or 4 species for 2 minutes in each habitat (as directed) and record abundance as: A (Abundant), F (Frequent), R (Rare) or N (Not found). Remember Not found is just as important as Abundant! Species Black lichen (Lichina pygmaea) Pink plates (Mesophyllum lichenoides) Harpoon weed (Asparagopsis armata) Habitat Rockpools (15 records) Boulders/crevices/ overhangs (1 records) Open rock (8 records) A F R NF A F R NF A F R NF Rainbow wrack (Cystoseira tamariscifolia) Tuning fork weed (Bifurcaria bifurcata) Sea oak (Halidrys siliquosa) Dabberlocks (Alaria esculenta) Snakelocks anemone (Anemonia viridis) Honeycomb worm (Sabellaria alveolata) Montagu s crab (Xantho hydrophilus) Asian shore crab (Hemigrapsus sanguineus) Volcano barnacle (Balanus perforatus) Common tortoiseshell limpet (Testudinalia testudinalis) Celtic sea slug (Onchidella celtica) Slipper limpet (Crepidula fornicata) Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) Painted top shell (Calliostoma zizyphinum) Thick top shell (Phorcus lineatus) Cushion star (Asterina gibbosa) Purple sea urchin (Paracentrotus lividus) This Shore Thing Survey form is verified and validated by: Name: Signature: Date: Contact no. Now your data should entered onto the Shore Thing Web site Once you have entered your data could you please return your form to: Fiona Crouch, Shore Thing Project Officer, MarLIN, The Laboratory, Citadel Hill, Plymouth. PL1 2PB. THE SHORE THING GET INVOLVED! 4

5 Notes Use this space to record any unusual species or features of the shore. The more information we have the better! Think about Weather conditions e.g. sea conditions, sun, rain etc. Is there a large number of jellyfish in the area? Comment Obvious litter/pollution? Found fish in the rockpools such as: eel, shanny, butterfish, clingfish etc? Have you seen any eggs e.g Dog whelk eggs? Are you aware of boulders being overturned and not replaced? Use this table to record more species in your quadrats. Remember to record station. Species Upper/ middle/lower Quadrat 1 Quadrat 2 Quadrat 3 Quadrat 4 5