Marine Biology Assignment: Exploring Rocky Shore Ecosystems and Algae

This assignment delves into the fascinating world of marine biology, specifically examining the unique ecosystems of rocky shores. It provides a detailed analysis of several algae species commonly found in these environments, including Ascophyllum nodosum, Fucus serratus, Fucus vesiculosus, Fucus spiralis, Pelvetia Canaliculata, Corallina officinallis, and filamentous green algae. The assignment describes the characteristics, habitats, and adaptations of each species, highlighting their importance in the intertidal zone. Furthermore, it emphasizes the biologically rich nature of rocky shores and the specific challenges faced by organisms living in this harsh environment. The assignment concludes with a bibliography of relevant scientific research, providing a comprehensive overview of the subject matter.

Running head: MARINE BIOLOGY
Marine biology
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1MARINE BIOLOGY
The rocky shores are widely found in the U.K., which consist of the rocky terrain,
vertical rocks, or the boulders that are surrounded by the areas of sediments. It is the intertidal
area which consists of the solid rock, which proves to be a biologically rich area for different
types of habitat. At this shores only the community of the hard animals and plants, those are
particularly adapted accordingly can only survive in that harsh environment1.
Ascophyllum nodosum – Ascophyllum nodosum is a brown and large seawood, which is
dominant the rocky shores. This type of algae is having long straps which look like frond
containing the egg-shaped bladders. These fronds are 0.5 to 2 cm in length and bears tuffs of the
small reddish brown in colour. This species grows very slowly and can live up to several decades
old. This algae is found on the sheltered shores such as on the west coasts of Ireland and
Scotland2.
Fucus serratus – Fuccus serratus is a type of robust algae whose colour is olive brown and is
also known as toothed wrack or serrated wrack. It is having a disc shape base and from the base
it grows upto 6ft (180 cm) long. The frond of this alga is generally flat and about 2 cm wide, is
bifurcated and grows upto 1m long. It is mainly found in the Atlantic coast of Europe from
Portugal to Svalbard, on the shores of north – east America and in the Canary Islands2.
Fucus vesiculosus – Mainly found on the coasts of the Western Baltic Sea, North Sea, and the
Pacific and Atlantic oceans is known as bladder wrack. It is mainly found on the sea shores of
the British Isles. It is also been found on the Atlantic shores of Europe, Greenland, Northern
Russia, Morocco, Madeira and Canary Islands2.
1 Kéfi, Sonia, et al. "Network structure beyond food webs: mapping non‐trophic and trophic interactions on Chilean
rocky shores." Ecology 96.1 (2015): 291-303.
2 Chappuis, Eglantine, et al. "Vertical zonation is the main distribution pattern of littoral assemblages on rocky
shores at a regional scale." Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 147 (2014): 113-122.

2MARINE BIOLOGY
Fucus spiralis – it has been mainly found on the shores of the Atlantic coasts of the north
America and Europe. It grows about 30 cm in length and is irregularly dichotomous and also
attached to the rock by the help of a discoid shape base3.
Pelvetia Canaliculata – it is a very common alga found on the rocky shores of Europe. It is
mainly found on the Atlantic shores of Europe from Spain to Iceland, which includes Ireland,
Norway, the Netherlands, Portugal and France. It can bear the extreme conditions and needs
exposure to the air, if it is submerged for 6 hours or more it will start to decay.
Corallina officinallis – it is a red seaweed which mainly shores on the mid-littoral and the
lower zones of the rocky shores. It can be generally found on and around the rims of the pools
formed from the tide. These algae are found on the north Atlantic coast from Morocco to
Norway and also from Argentine to Greenland4.
Filamentous green algae – it is type of algae which are found on the rocks, or debris. It consist
of fine and green colour filaments which form into dense mats. It can grow in any type of water
such as pond, lake or stream.
Bibliography
3 Thibaut, Thierry, et al. "An ecosystem-based approach to assess the status of Mediterranean algae-dominated
shallow rocky reefs." Marine Pollution Bulletin 117.1 (2017): 311-329.
4 Asnaghi, Valentina, et al. "Colonisation processes and the role of coralline algae in rocky shore community
dynamics." Journal of Sea Research 95 (2015): 132-138.

3MARINE BIOLOGY
Asnaghi, Valentina, et al. "Colonisation processes and the role of coralline algae in rocky shore
community dynamics." Journal of Sea Research 95 (2015): 132-138.
Chappuis, Eglantine, et al. "Vertical zonation is the main distribution pattern of littoral
assemblages on rocky shores at a regional scale." Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 147
(2014): 113-122.
Kéfi, Sonia, et al. "Network structure beyond food webs: mapping non‐trophic and trophic
interactions on Chilean rocky shores." Ecology 96.1 (2015): 291-303.
Thibaut, Thierry, et al. "An ecosystem-based approach to assess the status of Mediterranean
algae-dominated shallow rocky reefs." Marine Pollution Bulletin 117.1 (2017): 311-329.