Tide pooling and Phyla Fun

Yesterday we all headed down to the rocky intertidal shore at Vina Del Mar to go tide pooling. The rocks were massive and considerably difficult to traverse. I think everybody fell at least once. No major injuries though! We worked our way to the rocks just in front of the water first, in order to get a chance of seeing that area before the tide started to come in and cover it up. We found a wide array of organisms, including swimming crabs, porcelain crabs, hermit crabs, turban snails, blennies, brittle stars, sunstars, sea urchins, two-spotted octopus, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, anemones, isopods, chiton, etc. My personal favorites were the brittle stars and the marine isopod. Brittle stars are in the Phylum Echinodermata, which also includes sea stars, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, and sand dollars. Some characteristics of Echinoderms are their radial symmetry (except in larval stages), water vascular system, and calcium carbonate endoskeleton. This brittle star in particular was a spiny brittle star, and we found it in between rocks on the rocky intertidal shore. They take refuge in the small, semi-hidden pockets of water between the rocks in order to prevent desiccation during low tides.

The marine isopod, although we were unsure of the exact species, is in the Phylum Arthropoda (And Class Crustacea, since all isopods are crustaceans.) This is the largest and most successful invertebrate Phylum in the world due to their diversity, population numbers, and adaptivity. This includes insects, spiders, crustaceans, and myriapods. (Those who know me well, my millipedes at home are myriapods.) Arthropods are characterized by their chitin exoskeletons (from which they must molt in order to grow), segmented body plans, and jointed appendages, all of which you can identify on this isopod. This marine isopod might be the cutest thing I've ever seen. :) You can see a leg sort of popping out of its carapace on the lefthand side of the body. In terrestrial arthropods, legs can get stuck in awkward positions during molts and will be rendered useless. I believe this is what has happened here, but it seems to be doing okay regardless. Again, very cute. I'm brainstorming new pet ideas for when I get home. Be ready mom. 

-Audrey Wain