Kenneth S. Norris Rancho Marino Reserve

09 Feb, 11 AM - 09 Feb, 03 PM

Activity #1: Rapid field assessment 1. Review the LiMPETS field guide and read the note about defining characteristics and habitat distribution of the species 2. Once the class is ready we will do a timed scavenger hunt and see how many of the organisms in the field guide you can find 3. Extra credit: Photo document and identify after the field trip new organism Activity #2: Species diversity, abundance and distribution 1. Run a transect tape from the mean high tide to as far as you can get to before you hit regular water/waves 2. Break your transect into 5 sampling points • A point at the highest intertidal zone • A point at the lowest internal tidal zone • A point mid way between the high and low points • A point between the mid point and high point • A point between the mid point and the low point 3. Place your 1-meter2 quadrat down in each of the five intertidal sampling points. 4. For each quadrat inventory the physical characteristics of the quadrat including a. Percent of quadrat covered by water b. Percent of quadrat with rock as substrate c. Percent of quadrat with sand as substrate 5. Create a species richness and abundance list a. For sessile organisms that grow in clusters estimate abundance using % cover b. For mobile and solitary organisms count the number of individuals in the quadrat. If the population is high and evenly distributed you can count a portion of the quadrat and scale the value to the whole quadrat. Activity #3: Ecological forces driving of species distributions 1. Pick one functional group and walk additional transects (tape not needed) and take detailed notes around what abiotic and biotic factors seem to be associated with the abundance of the functional group you selected. For example what factors are associated with high abundance, which ones with low and where is it absent.

Visit #95754 @Kenneth S. Norris Rancho Marino Reserve

Approved

Under Project # 59718 | Class

Tide Pool Exploration

faculty - California Polytechnic State University (CSU), San Luis Obispo

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Natalie Fontana Feb 9, 2025 (1 days)
Group of 24 Undergraduate Student Feb 9, 2025 (1 days)

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Day Use Only 24 Feb 9 (4 hours)