Plastic Pellets on the Beach

Sad to see a lot of plastic pellets amongst the seaweed that had been washed up onto the beach near the car park at the Temple at Lower Largo. Too big for nurdles, I think they were the squishy expanded polystyrene beads. Picked up quite a lot but just another example of plastic pollution.

Aftermath of the Storm

The recent storm nicknamed 'the beast from the east' has caused further damage to the Lower Largo pier. The end of the pier has now disappeared, leaving only a mass of boulders.

 The east side of the pier has also suffered further damage.

Just for comparison, a picture looking down on the pier taken in May 2008. Even then the tip of the pier had been damaged by storms in March of the same year, but had been repaired by that October.

 The easterly gales also drove a mass of seaweed onto the beach.

 Seaweed in the gap behind the Crusoe Hotel cutting off the way down to the beach.

Barnacle Rock Patterns

Barnacles almost completely covering a rock on Lower Largo beach producing amazing patterns of different colours and sizes.

On the sea side of the rock the barnacles are interspersed with bright green seaweed.

The barnacle covered rock with the Crusoe Hotel behind.

An Unusual Substrate for a Holdfast

On the beach at Lower Largo, a piece of seaweed attached by its holdfast to a golf ball.
Golf courses line the Fife Coast from St Andrews to Leven, so it's not unusual to find a golf ball on the beach, presumably as a result of a wayward shot from the tee. However, it's the first time I've seen one with seaweed attached.
A holdfast is a root-like structure that anchors organisms, such as seaweed to a substrate, which is usually a rock or large stone, but in this case a golf ball. Holdfasts are made up of many fingerlike projections called haptera. These secrete an adhesive mucilage thus ensuring a strong attachment to the substrate.

Knotted Wrack

Knotted or egg wrack (Ascophyllum nodosum) on the beach at Lundin Links. This is said to be a widespread seaweed but I hadn't spotted it before. The egg-shaped air bladders were about the size of small grapes.

Growing on the egg wrack was the fluffy dark red seaweed, egg wrack wool (Polysiphonia lanosa). It was said to be an obligatory epiphyte - a plant that benefits from growing on another plant for physical support. It makes use of the hosts buoyancy at high tide lifting it closer to the sunlight.

However, the nature of Polysiphponia's relationship with Ascophyllum is still subject to debate. Recent researchers have suggested that Polysiphonia is parasitic as it gains sugars from its host via hyphae sunk into egg wracks tissue. Others suggest Polysiphonia would not still have red photosynthetic pigment if it was a true parasite and hence suggest the relationship is epiphytic.

More Sea Mats

Now that I know that the grey patches on laminaria fronds are sea mats, I've taken more notice of them. Was quite surprised to see the two most common species growing together. Membranipora membranacea colonies have quite a smooth curbed outline whereas Electra pilosa forms an angular roughly star-shaped colony.   

Close up can see the lacy structure. This photo shows quite well the difference between the rectangular shape of the individual cells of Membranipora membranacea on the left and the oval shaped cells of Electra pilosa on the right. (Click to enlarge)

Sea Mats

I had often seen grey patches on fronds of laminaria washed up on the beach and had thought wrongly that they were probably fungal growth. However, I  bought a new fold-out guide to the seashore and right in the front was a picture of a sea mat colony and realised that was what I had been seeing. Sea mats are small colonial creatures belonging to the phylum of animals Bryozoa. They can encrust seaweeds, stones and shells. They form a lacy pattern of cells and and in each cell  is an individual animal or zooid which have tentacles that can be projected to filter food particles from the sea. The main predators of sea mats are some species of nudibranchs (sea slugs).

The sea mat Membranipora membranacea  on  a laminaria frond. Close up can see the lacy structure. The rectangular shape of the individual cells differentiate it from the other commonly found sea mat Electra pilosa which has oval shaped cells and forms an angular roughly star-shaped colony.

Kelp Forest at Low Tide

At low tides the upper fringe of the kelp forest can be seen on rocky shores such as that between  Lundin Links and Lower Largo. It mostly consists of oarweed (Laminaria digitata).

Looking towards the Bass Rock a tangled mass of kelp can be seen. The kelp forest provides a habitat for a diverse community of plants and animals. Scottish Natural Heritage have published an excellent booklet on Scotland's kelp forests.

Oarweed has a smooth, flexible stem (or stipe) and a shiny leathery blade divided into thin straps which spread out like the fingers of a hand. It is smooth to the touch and lies flat on the shore when the tide is out.

Low Tide

Oarweed - Laminaria digitata

At low tide the 'forests' of oarweed appear on the rocky shore at Lundin Links..

Oarweed attached to a rock by a branched root-like structure - the 'holdfast'.