Blooming Biodiversity

Weather:

  • Visibility 15+ NM
  • Sky clear
  • Wind 15-20 NE diminishing to 5-10 SE
  • Sea state: calm
  • Temperature 22.5°C

Visitors/Marine Traffic: 

  • A trickle of pleasure crafts outside of the reserve, 4 inside of the reserve
  • Yesterday a very small vessel came to the reserve with 3 people aboard. They approached each outcropping very closely, scaring the animals into the water.
  • This evening a boat with 6 passengers sped through the reserve. They passed the resting sea lions very closely, and sped through the passage where many were swimming and fishing.
  • On Friday Greg visited to work on the generator, and Nick came too
  • There have been large commercial barges steadily passing through the straight. Since the weather has been so calm we can hear them inside the house, even though they are nearly 8 km away.

Ecological:

  • The elephant seals have been taking daily soaks in the shallow water surrounding the jetty in this warm weather.
  • In the shallow and warm waters this week we have been spotting schools of small fish. The larger animals in the water seem to ignore them completely.
  • There have been blooms of jellyfish passing by in the currents, mostly water jellies and the small “sea gooseberries” which seem to glitter in the light due to the the tiny hairs (cilia) that pulsate to move them through the water.
  • A few harlequin ducks spent the evening in the reserve on Friday

Census: 

  • 16 Canada Geese
  • 8 Oyster Catchers
  • 4 Crows
  • 8 Elephant Seals
  • 300 Seagulls
  • 2 Cormorants
  • 2 Bald Eagles
  • 48 Sea Lions
  • 9 Harbour Seals

Dr. Anita Brinkmann-Voss…. In Memoriam

Dr. Anita Brinckmann-Voss passed away on December 12 at her home in Sooke BC. Anita had been a long time friend of Lester B. Pearson College. From 1986, to 2005,  Dr. Anita Brinckmann-Voss  BC assisted the students and faculty of Lester Pearson College with her understanding of marine invertebrate ecology and her expertise in the taxonomy of hydroids and other invertebrates. Anita was one of the very few remaining taxonomists in the world who worked at such depth with this group of organisms.  She assisted many students with their work in biology and marine science and worked closely with several divers at the college who collected specimens for her.  Anita also was a regular donor to the Race Rocks program at the college.

Dr. Dale Calder, a colleague of Anita who works with the Royal Ontario Museum wrote the following about Anita:

“I knew of Dr. Anita Brinckmann-Voss and her research on hydrozoans from my days as a graduate student in Virginia during the 1960s. Her work at the famous Stazione Zoologica in Naples, Italy, was already widely known and respected.
Most noteworthy, however, was a landmark publication to come: her monumental monograph on hydrozoans of the Gulf of Naples, published in 1970. It highlighted studies on hydrozoan life cycles and was accompanied by the most beautiful illustrations of these marine animals that have ever been created. See the complete copy with color plates here:  Brinckmann70:

 

It was not until 1974, and the Third International Conference on Coelenterate Biology in Victoria, British Columbia (BC), Canada, that I met her for the first time. We discovered having common scientific interests and saw absolutely eye-to-eye on most issues. It was the beginning of a scientific collaboration and friendship that would last a lifetime. I always greatly valued her scientific insights, but I also appreciated her humility, good nature, and keen sense of humour.

In having moved from Europe to Canada, first to Winnipeg, Manitoba, and later to Toronto, Ontario, Anita’s research shifted from Mediterranean species to those of Canadian waters and especially British Columbia. Her professional base became the Royal Ontario Museum and the University of Toronto, but it was far from the ocean. She soon acquired a residence in Sooke, BC, conveniently located on the beautiful Pacific coast. Life cycle research was now possible on Canadian species, and at times several hundred cultures of hydrozoans were being maintained by her. One final move was made, from Ontario to permanent residence at her cottage in Sooke. From there she kept marine research underway the rest of her life. A focus became Race Rocks and the rich hydrozoan fauna inhabiting the site.

Anita altered the direction of my career in a most positive way. It was largely thanks to her that I moved from employment as a benthic ecologist in South Carolina to a curatorial position at the Royal Ontario Museum in 1981. It was the best career move of my life. Thank you, Anita!

Over the decades we collaborated in research, shared our libraries, and jointly authored several scientific papers. Outside a professional association, we were close friends. My wife and I often visited Anita at her homes, first in Pickering, Ontario, near Toronto, and later in Sooke. In return, she often visited us in Toronto after moving west. It is an understatement to say she will be sorely missed.”
-(Quote from Dr. Dale Calder, ROM, 2018)

Links to her work with the college:
https://www.racerocks.ca/dr-anita-brinckmann-voss/

Other references: https://www.racerocks.ca/tag/anita-brinckmann-voss/

 

 

Aurelia aurita: Moon Jellyfish–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

ESMoon-jelly

Moon Jellyfish Aurelia aurita photos by Eric Schauff

ESMoon-jelly2

From the log February 05, 2002
We counted 7 Moon Jellyfish( Aurelia aurita) floating amid the logs and debris in the tide wash east side of the boat dock.Most of them were 15-16 cm wide. In the sea they looked bluish -white and translucent.Unfortunately they were somewhat battered as they washed towards shore and Garry said that they were on their last legs so to speak.
Mike and Carol Slater.

From the log February 05, 2002
There were 19 Moon Jellyfish along the east side of the dock this morning and we saw quite a few more just off shore when we left in the boat.
Mike and Carol Slater.


Scientific classification:

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Cnidaria
Class: Scyphozoa
Order: Semaeostomeae
Family: Ulmaridae
Genus: Aurelia
Species: A. aurita

Aurelia aurita
Linnaeus, 1758

Other Members of the Phylum Cnidaria at Race Rocks.

taxonomyiconReturn to the Race Rocks Taxonomy
and Image File
pearsonlogo2_f2The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams.

 

Stylaster parageus columbiensis- Lindner & Cairns in Cairns & Lindner, 2011

Record in the Smithsonian Institute, from : http://collections.si.edu/search/record/nmnhinvertebratezoology_910698?q=set_name:%22Invertebrate+Zoology%22

Stylaster parageus columbiensis Lindner & Cairns  (**in Cairns & Lindner, 2011)

Paratype for Stylaster parageus columbiensis Lindner & Cairns in Cairns & Lindner, 2011
Catalog Number: USNM 1096625
Collection: Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Department of Invertebrate Zoology

Microhabitat Description:
shallow water
Collector:
Dr. Alberto Lindner
Ocean/Sea/Gulf:
North Pacific Ocean
Preparation: Dry
  • Sex: male
  • Type Status: Paratype
Place:
Strait of Juan de Fuca, Race Rocks near Sooke Community, British Columbia, Canada, North Pacific Ocean
Collection Date:
Jul 2002
Common name:
Hydrozoans
Taxonomy:
Animalia ,
Cnidaria ,
Hydrozoa,
Anthoathecatae
Stylasteridae
Published Name:
Stylaster parageus columbiensis Lindner & Cairns in Cairns & Lindner, 2011
Stylaster campylecus parageus (Fisher, 1938)
Stylaster sp.
Stylaster parageus (Fisher, 1938)
USNM Number:
1096625
Specimen Count:
1
Site Number:
AL 470
Record Last Modified:
17 Jul 2013
See more items in:
Invertebrate Zoology
Data Source:
NMNH – Invertebrate Zoology Dept.
Visitor Tag(s):
**Paratype: Cairns, S. D. & Lindner, A. 2011. A Revision of the Stylasteridae (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa, Filifera) from Alaska and Adjacent Waters. Zookeys. 158: 1-88.

See the entry of the Race Rocks Taxonomy

Mitrocoma cellularia : jellyfish – Race Rocks Taxonomy

mitrocoma

Mitrocoma cellularia


In this video you can see two different species of jellyfish, Solimissus marshalli and Mitrocoma cellularia. These invertebrates are part of the phylum Cnidaria which include hydroids, scyphozoan jellyfishes, sea anemones, sea pens and corals. They are constructed of 2 layers of cells-the outer covering and the inner covering of the digestive cavity. Between is a jellylike layer (mesoglea). Some cells are specialized for digesting or stinging. The jellyfish is the sexual ‘medusa stage’ of a hydroid. The hydroid medusa has a membrane (velum) that grows inward from the margin of the bell. Most of the 60 or so local jellyfishes are medusaes of hydrozoans; surprisingly very attractive, but usually very small and they often go unnoticed. These specimens were videoed by Jean-Olivier Dalphond and Damien Guihen on a sunny day of June 2001. Identification was by Dr. Anita Brinckmann-Voss. Anita regularly samples the waters of Race Rocks as well as nearby Eemdyck passage, Beecher Bay , Pedder Bay and Sooke harbour where the upwelling water from the Strait of Juan de Fuca often brings numerous hydroid medusae. 

From NCBI taxonomy

See this link for other hydroids:  https://www.racerocks.ca/tag/hydroid/ Link to the Race Rocks Taxonomy index

This file is provided as part of a collaborative effort by the students, faculty, staff and volunteers  of 
Date:
2005
Garry Fletcher

Cyanea ferruginea: The Pacific Lion’s Mane Jellyfish The Race Rocks Taxonomy

Cyanea ferruginea or the sea blubber is a common jelly fish in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. It often comes into calm water or bays when it is nearing the end of it’s lifespan. This one was spotted off the college docks in Pedder Bay. Laura Verhegge manipulates it to enable us to see the internal structure of the animal.  We have just changed this name as the result of a correction on iNaturalist.  ptreviously we had had the species as C.capillata

 

Introduction: This marine animal differs from those in other invertebrate phylums due to the existence of a true mouth and digestive cavity. It contains two layers of cells, the outer covering, and the inner covering for the digestive cavity. The Mesogloea (a non-cellular layer) is found between these two cell walls. The Cyanea capillata, like most jellyfish can exist in both a polyp and medusae form.

Identification: Cyanea can vary greatly in size. The bell ranges from approximatley 2 meters in diameter, to 50 centimeters. The larger the diameter of the bell, the higher latitude it is found at. Also, the larger the Cyanea, the darker the colour. For example, large Cyanea’s are deep red and purple, while the smaller ones are a lighter, yellowish brown colour. There is eight clusters of tentacles that are found in an arrangement of rows. In one cluster, there may be approximately 150 tentacles, some with the ability to project up to 30 meters. Around the opening of the gastric cavity is found a series of short oral arms. The arms are highly folded, and are used in the digestion of prey.

Habitat: This marine animal exists on the west coast of North America, falling between the region of Alaska to Washington. Occasionally it may be found as low as Oregon, but it does not have the capacity to survive in warmer climatic conditions such as those in California. Within its salt water environment, it serves as both prey and predator, continuing the marine life cycle.

Digestion: The Cyanea is equipped with nematocysts on is tentacles to help sting, and immobilize its prey. It is these nematocysts that sting humans when the Cyanea is touched. This sting can last up to four or five hours. Cyanea is one of the most common jelly fishes on the Pacific West Coast known for stinging. The most common prey for theCyanea is zooplankton. Once the prey has been stung by the nematocysts, the oral arms relocate the prey into the gastric cavity for digestion. As this process continues with the use of cilia living, food is transferred through the radial canals. The purpose of these canals is to control the movement of nutrients obtained from the food, and oxygen within the organism. Along with being a predator Cyanea is also found to be prey for such organisms as scyphomedusae, as well as various sea birds, turtles and fishes.

Movement: Cyanea capillata swims throughout its salt water environment by using contractions amongst its circular and radial muscles. These muscles are located in the bell of the jellyfish. A more simplistic way to describe this process is the expulsion of water from the bell, creating a propelling movement forward. This is followed by the relaxation of the muscles, and its return to is resting shape of a bell. At the end of the power stoke in this swimming process, the Cyanea is said to resemble an eight pointed star.

Reproduction: This particular jelly fish uses both asexual and sexual methods of reproduction. They undertake both a polyp and medusae life cycle. The tail of the Cyanea capillata is the production site for the larvae, that later on attach and form into a polyp. These polyp will divide off into medusae. This occurrence of division is asexual.

Natural History: Cyanea capillata has a life expectancy of approximately 1 year. During its life span, it can most commonly be seen during the summer, especially near the fall.

Relation to Race Rocks: The Cyanea is often seen at Race Rocks, in the shallow waters, but not on beaches, although occasionally one gets washed up in the boat launch area. It is frequently in Race Passage and at Race Rocks.

Referennces:

1. Mills, Claudia and Wrobel, David, Pacific Coast Pelagic Invertebrates – A guide to the common gelatinous Animals , Monterrey Bay Aquarium, 1998.
2.  Kozloff, Eugene N., Sea Shore life of Puget Sound, the Strait of Georgia, and the San Juan Archipelago, University Washington Press, 1973.

Return to the Race Rocks Taxonomy Index

This file is provided as part of a collaborative effort by the students,faculty, staff and volunteers of Lester B. Pearson College December 2002 Beth SullyPC yr. 29

 

 

 

Sea pen: Ptilosarcus gurneyi-The Race Rocks Taxonomy

(Ed Note: The scientific name at the start of the video is not correct.) The sea pen, Ptilosarcus gurneyi, is a colonial cnidarian in the same class as the anemone, the anthozoa. One polyp has been modified to form the body,  while the fringes of the “feather” contain numerous small feeding polyps. Typically we find it living in a mud/sand substrate. It is rare around Race Rocks. The only population we have found is this one with a few individuals occurring at 15 metres on the North-West corner of Great Race Island. Note the small burrowing tubeworms in the mud around the organism. This specimen was videoed by Wynne Lawrence and Jean-Olivier Dalphond, both students at the Lester B. Pearson College.

General Description:

The sea pen, Ptilosarcus gurneyi, is a colonial cnidaria in the same class as the anemone, the anthozoa. One polyp has been modified to form the body while the fringes of the “feather” contain numerous small feeding polyps.

Habital:

Sea pens are marine organisms: typically they are found living in a mud/sand substrate at least 3 inches (7.6 cm) deep. It is rare around Race Rocks, with a few individuals occuring on the North-West corner of Great Race Island. Note the small burrowing tubeworms in the mud around the organism.

Feeding:

The polyps feed on detritus, zooplankton (baby artemia), and possibly (according to The Reef Aquarium Vol. Two) phytoplankton.You should offer your Sea Pen Artemia nauplii, Daphnia, pulverized flake food, and detritus stirred up from the bottom of the tank.

Predator:

Predators of the sea pen are two nudibranchs, one the very large 3 inches(7cm) nudibranch, Armina californica and the other Mediaster aequalis, Rose Star Crossaster papposus and the Leather Star Dermasterras imbriacata.

Reproduction:

We don’t know the reproduction of sea pens whether by sexual or asexual means.

References:
http://www.fishroom.com/library/seapen.html
http://www.lanecc.edu/science/zonation/seapen.htm

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Cnidaria
Class: Anthozoa
Subclass: Octocorallia
Order: Pennatulacea Verrill, 1865
Suborder :Subsessiliflorae
Family :Pennatulidae Ehrenberg, 1834
Genus:Ptilosarcus
species:gurneyi
(Ptilosarcus gurneyi)
Common name: orange sea pen

Return to the Race Rocks Taxonomy and Image Gallery

Other Members of the Class Anthozoa at Race Rocks.

 

taxonomyiconReturn to the Race Rocks Taxonomy
and Image File
pearsonlogo2_f2The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams. 

Original: Dec 2002, Joshua Columbus ( Burma) year PC yr 29).  

additions by G.Fletcher 2018

 

Stylaster parageus columbiensis: (Hydrocoral) –The Race Rocks Taxonomy

pinkquadac

A bed of Stylaster parageus columbiensis. in front of the docks at Race Rocks off peg #2 at 10 meters. Note the basket star, clumps of whelks and patches of red encrusting sponge.picture width : 80cm.

This colonial hydroid grows from the 0.2 tidal level to over 20 meters in depth in various places throughout the Race Rocks Ecological Reservee. At low tide, it is visible in several protected crevices and in Anita’s tidepool ( #6 on the West shore) Subtidally it is common in both purple and pink colonies . East of the Middle Islands, it has been observed by divers at 20 meters, growing in erect branching form of considerable profile ( to 20 centimeters.)

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Cnidaria
Class Hydrozoa
Order Anthoathecata)
Family Stylasteriidae
Genus Stylaster
Species parageus columbiensis (Lindner & Cairns)
Common Name: Hydrocoral

In July of 2002, Dr. Anita Brinckmann-Voss of Sooke had Alberto Lindner, a PhD student from Duke University visiting to exchange scientific information and to get help with identification of hydroids from collections in Alaska and the Olympic Penninsula. Alberto is studying the systematics and evolution of hydrocorals using morphological and molecular biology methods for his Ph.D. thesis. His supervisor and advisors are Dr. Stephen Cairns (Smithsonian) , Dr.Chris Cunningham (Duke University) and Dr. Dale Calder (Royal Ontario Museum) This is part of a program of training young zoologists in established and new methods of sytematics. Alberto comes from Brazil, having completed a Master’s degree in the University of Sao Paolo.

 

hydrocoralAnita made arrangements with us to get Alberto to the islands so that he could see Allopora growing in its natural habitat. Although it was not a zero tide level, we were still able to collect several small samples for him to do DNA analysis. He hoped to be able to sort out whether or not there is a distinct species difference in the color varieties we find at Race Rocks. 

rm2010hydrocoral2

The two color morphs of Stylasterias parageus columbiensis at Race Rocks . photo by Ryan Murphy

After returning to his lab and doing further analysis, Alberto reported that “It is pretty safe to say that the purple and pink color morphs of Stylaster corals (Alloporafrom Race Rocks are the same species”. He has also noted the same result with deep-sea species from the Aleutians, as the orange and pink forms there do not separate the species.

See the record of his research on species identification here: Stylaster parageus columbiensis Lindner & Cairns in Cairns & Lindner, 2011

The following images were taken by the Ecoguardian Ryan Murphy in 2010. many different species including basket star in the image above have adapted to use the hydrocoral as a habitat because of it’s protective crevasses.

see this link for other hydroids:  https://www.racerocks.ca/tag/hydroid/

This file is provided as part of a collaborative effort by Lester B. Pearson College students, staff, volunteers and local scientists.

Tubularia regalis: Race Rocks Taxonomy

tubularia_wholeTubularia regalis Boeck, 1860 (family Tubulariidae).
This large Tubularia with a stem up to 20 cm was originally described from Northern Norway. It was later found to be a circumpolar species, with records from Greenland , Bering Sea and Sea of Okhotsk. The present record from Swordfish Island, Juan de Fuca Strait, is the most southern record of this species, and the first from the Canadian Pacific coast.The stems of this species are often host to other hydroid species.

 

This clip profiles the Pearson College Divers and the invertebrates of a cave on an island a kilometer from Race Rocks. The hydroid species, Tubularia sp. shown near the end of the video is a rare species, which according to Dr. Anita Brinckmann-Voss has so far been found in only two locations; here and in Norway. Note it is growing in association with colonial ascidians. We have observed this species here over the last twenty years. It is very limited in distribution, with no more than one or two polyps appearing at any one time. It’s height is 15 cm. Video taken by Pearson College Divers, edited by GF.

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Cnidaria
Class Hydrozoa
 Order Anthoathecatae
Family Tubulariidae
Genus Tubularia
species regalis, Brook 1860

This file is provided as part of a collaborative effort by Lester B. Pearson College and local scientists. Copyrighted 1999–All Images on this page are the property of: Dr. Anita Brinckmann- Voss. . They can not be used or modified without her written permission.