Background information

First, some background.....

Galway bay is subject to diurnal tides resulting in the shoreline being exposed twice in roughly each 24 hour period. Every time the tide goes out mobile organisms such as fish, crabs, amphipods and polychaete worms move to places of shelter. Some fish can swim out with the water however others, along with the likes of the common shore crab and various amphipods, simply entrench themselves under rocks and in crevices. Almost anywhere damp will suffice for these animals as they wait and mull over their saltationary existance until the next incoming tide entices them out to continue their particular day to day activities.  Polychaete worms can burrow into the mud and there are some which build shelters from sand and shell fragments.

What it's all about. Galway bay from the sea to the coast

In contrast to those animals that can move to an under-rock sanctuary or the like there are slow moving animals along with non-mobile or sessile organisms which includes limpets, periwinkles, sea anenomes, barnacles, bryozoans, various bivalves, seaweeds and other algae which have to come up with another strategy to survive the twice-daily exposure. Limpets and perwinkles simply clamp down to a suitable substrate and wait for submergence. Fixed organisms such as bryozoans are often found on the underside of rocks where it remains damp the longest. Seaweeds and other algae have evolved physiological adaptations to dessication or are simply not able to live in the intertidal zone because they need constant water cover.

This is a really simple view of the life of intertidal flora and fauna however I hope that you appreciate that water is the main deciding factor in the existence of all involved. So, bearing this in mind, if there was a way for an organism to exist happily between each low tide rather than having to wait out the hours until the tide comes in again, this would become the preferred mode of lifestyle. This is why rock pools are hot property in the indertidal world.

More rock pools equals a better standard of living in our scenario, the equivalent of a human moving from the desert along Africa's Skeleton coast to a small well-stocked town in a prosperous country. As a consequence of an increased abundance of rock pools, animal and plant species can become more abundant and live in greater densities.
This increase in the variation of the environment, or in other words, the increased heterogeneity, allows for a greater number of niches which can be filled by a greater number of species; hey presto, more biodiversity!

This quick overview will hopefully help when reading about the experiment itself.



Keith                                         Me inside my plush workspace

LINKS TO RELATED ITEMS

1. This is an Irish Times article which talks about the experiment.

2. The DELOS project is conducting research into the design of Low Crested defence Structures.|As it is overtopped by seawater a number of times per year the causeway could be considered one such structure.

3. The Urbane project is conducting research into biodiversity on artificial and natural coastal environments

4. To find out more about biodiversity in Galway city try-  Galwaybiodiversity

5. There is an EU-wide study into the current state of play with coastal defences and proposed responses to sea level rise
    resulting from climate change. read a bit about Ireland's position at climateadaptation.eu

6.The BBC have a fantastic programme called The secret life of rock pools, hosted by  Professor Richard Fortey, which gives wonderful insight into the biodiversity of the pools. If you are lucky enough to be in an area that allows you the use of the BBC iPlayer click here and there is access to various clips and possibly even the entire programme.

Learn how limpets stamp on the toes of marauding starfish like a seasoned exponent of krav maga self defence!

If you don't have access to iPlayer, keep a weather eye open for repeats on the BBC and the documentary channels.

7. The University of Exeter are also conducting research into biodiverity and coastal defences.

8. Some other studies I've done in the past about plant hormones.

Starter note

Hi,

A quick note to get you and me started........

If you've found this blog it's possibly because of the biodiversity tag and your interest in the subject. If so, then I'm hoping that the next 10 or so weeks of my witterings will be worth your while following :-)

Ireland, the United Kingdom and much of the rest of Europe has coastal defences consisting of engineered concrete structures designed to hold back seas or absorb their energy as they crash against the coast. It's understandable, we have homes and industrial property on coastal areas for many reasons and we would like to keep them if at all possible.

In producing structures such as piers, jetties, causeways, harbour walls and breakwaters there is considerable disturbance caused to the marine flora and fauna that inhabit not only the area that is built on but also the immediate surroundings. Following this, what is normally left behind is a smooth, concrete ediface on which much marine life doesn't want to live.

Marine ecological engineering is a burgeoning branch of science that combines the research of marine scientists with the expertise of marine engineers. The aim is to produce new forms of artificial coastal defences that are designed in a manner that encourages recolonisation by the disturbed community of organisms that inhabit the area and in doing so increase the level of biodiversity that currently encompasses these structures.

I'm a part of the marine science research protion of the equation. For the next ten weeks I'll be involved as an intern in the zoology dept. of the National University of Ireland, Galway whilst a new experiment is born on the causeway to Mutton Island in Galway Bay, Ireland to determine part of the best way to incorporate artificial concrete rock pools into new defence structures and so provide space for life to proliferate. In order to compare the results with existing artificial and natural substrates in the local area I will also be conducting biodiversity surveys along the Galway Bay coast.

May I be up to the task and may you enjoy the journey.

Keith