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Catalina Island Leadership Program

Phoenix Country Day School

Kelp Forest Information Links

Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuaries

Introduction:

Before we left for Catalina Island, we were curious about different types of algae and the habitats in which they can survive. From this interest we developed our research question. Our question is; what is the difference between the near-shore and far-shore sides of Indian Rock in terms of algae distribution in relation to anther Channel Islands, Santa Cruz? We feel this is important to know because we believe it will help us to better understand how the location and depth affect algae growth and how algae affects the rest of ocean life. We are constantly learning new facts about the ocean and the answer to the question will only give us more information about how the ocean works. By monitoring algae, it allows us to see the change in climate and its effects on algae growth.
In order to be able to better identify algae while we were at Indian Rock, we first needed to investigate basic information about different types of algae including, Giant Kelp, Eel Grass, Surf Grass, Feather Boa, and Sea Palm.

Giant Kelp is found from Ano Nuevo to Baja, California, and South America. Its habitat is rocky the subtitle areas from 3-30 meters deep. Giant Kelp needs sunlight for photosynthesis in order for it to grow. This type of algae is the fastest growing of all the alga, growing 2-3ft. per day. Giant Kelp forms vast forests that create crucial habitat for many fish and invertebrates. It has a root-like structure, called a holdfast, which wraps around substrate to anchor the growing plant. There are special reproductive blades near the holdfast that produce spores. Giant Kelp has a slender stipe and gas filled bulbs (pneumatocyst). The algae’s blades are wrinkled towards the top of the stipe and it forms a thick canopy on the surface.

Eel Grass is found from Alaska to Mexico. It lives in wave-protected areas and bays with sand or mud bottoms. Eel Grass needs sunlight for photosynthesis. Eel Grass has a wide flat blade; it prefers soft sand or mud sediments. You will find it in low energy habitats (bays or wave-protected areas). Eel Grass provides a vital habitat for juvenile fish and invertebrate.

Surf Grass is also found from Alaska to Mexico. It lives in rocky, low intertidal zones. Surf Grass uses sunlight for photosynthesis. In the past, Surf Grass was used as food because of its high caloric value and high protein. It blankets rocks on open wave-swept coasts. It produces two types of flowers that last all year. The male flowers then produce two types of pollen. The first type travels to floating female stigmas, while the second drifts to submerged stigmas. Surf Grass is habitat for marine worms, shrimp, and pipefish.

Feather Boa Kelp is found from Alaska to Baja, California. It prefers moderately exposed mid-tidal and sub-tidal zones up to 6 meters deep. Feather Boa Kelp needs sunlight for photosynthesis. It is a favorite food of many invertebrates. Feather Boa Kelp has a long, strap-like body, called a rachis. It has many lateral blades, which are paddle-shaped to bristle-like. It might have almond shaped gas bulbs as well.
Sea Palm is found in Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Monterey to Baja, California, and Mexico. It lives in intertidal and shallow subtidal rocky reefs. It needs sunlight for photosynthesis, like all other algae. Sea Palm has two branching structures that support the blades. It resembles a mini palm tree and has a stout stipe and a double tuft of flat blades.

Research:

In order to gain knowledge about the ocean’s algae forests, we observed these five types of algae around Indian Rock. The basics of this research project are as follows:

The researches are Leah Motzkin and Jessica Segal. We researched different types of algae around the perimeter of Indian Rock. We did this specific project to observe the algae distribution in different locations. To complete our project we took water samples, and completed a Roving Diver Algae Count. We took our water sample the first day of camp from a kayak. To take the test we slowly unraveled the Van Doran bottle to collect a deep water sample. Once the Van Doran bottle was deep enough, we tugged on the string and the balls closed on the tube, trapping in the water. After we lifted it out of the ocean we poured the water sample into a container. We then measured the temperature of the water sample, which we found to be 17 degrees Celsius. Our 2nd method of observation, a Roving Diver Algae Count, was taken on our second to last day, when we snorkeled around Indian Rock. We spent five minutes in one area counting all the different types of algae we saw in different densities. As we went, we recorded our data on a clipboard.

The tools we used to complete our tasks were, snorkel gear, a wetsuit, a kayak, waterproof paper and pen, a clipboard, and a camera. All of our data was taken while we snorkeled around the perimeter of Indian Rock on Thursday, October 18, 2007 at 3:15pm-4pm.
The data we collected indicated that Giant Kelp is the only type of algae that is able to grow in deep water, or on the far-shore side of Indian Rock. This is possible because the Giant Kelp’s pneumatocysts allow the blades to absorb sunlight far above the holdfasts, which are up to 120 feet deep. Also, Giant Kelp can grow faster than any other type of algae, at the rate of two to three feet a day, so it can start out deep and grow towards the sunlight quickly.

While onsite, we observed that the deeper we swam around Indian Rock, the less types of algae were able to grow. We saw an increasing number of Giant Kelp, but the Eelgrass, Surf Grass, Feather Boa, and Sea Palm disappeared quickly. Also, knowing that Giant Kelp relies on cold water, we can assume that during an El Niño year, the far-shore side of Indian Rock would be desolate.
After looking at the parallel data from Santa Cruz Island, we determined that our hypothesis, which said that the data we found on Indian rock could relate to the other Channel Islands, was correct. At about 50 feet deep, all types of algae can no longer grow, except for Giant Kelp. Knowing that this data is similar for two different places, we can assume that it is similar for all of the Channel Islands.

Conclusion:

Throughout this activity we have learned that more types of algae can survive in shallow water, or the near-shore side’s water, than the far shore side’s deep water. Feather Boa, Sea Grass, Eel Grass, and Sea Palm are only a few of the innumerable types of algae that are able to grow in the shallow water. However, we now know that only Giant Kelp can survive in the deep water because of its rate of growth. After researching the different algae types, we know that each type provides a crucial habitat for many types of fish and invertebrates and that the ocean’s ecosystem could not survive without many types of algae.

In the future, we can look more at water temperature to learn even more about the different types of algae, and each type’s preferences. Once we know this, we can learn even more about the human effects on the ocean habitat. Then we can find out ways to help the ocean and its algae. Also, we would like to be able to personally research other places, such as Santa Cruz, the same way we researched Indian Rock. Our initial question was, what is the difference between the near-shore and far-shore sides of Indian Rock in terms of algae distribution in relation to another Channel Islands, Santa Cruz? To better understand this question, we went to Indian rock and researched both sides. We made notes on what we saw and where we saw it. The five most common types of algae we saw were Giant Kelp, Surf Grass, Eelgrass, Feather Boa, and Sea Palm. The results were that Giant Kelp is the only type of algae found on the far-shore side and that the deeper the sea floor, the less algae can grow. After comparing it to the Santa Cruz data, we can assume that this proves true for the other Channel Islands.