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PHYCOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA

Animal Cmmunities

Substrates | Animal Communities | Invasions | Ecology Home

Polysiphonia serves as a habitat for many animals in the intertidal and subtidal regions. A small amount of Polysiphonia (right) was procured from the Monterey Harbor Marina, and combed for animals. Below are pictures of the animals found in just a single combing; it is likely that many others, especially smaller species, remained uncounted within the mass of Polysiphonia .  

This is the head of a Tubuleria polyp (Order Hydroida) which had apparently been separated from its stalk. The tentacles around the mouth slowly waved around. The circular structures near the base of the tentacles are the gonophores, which produce gametes.

Looking at a small sample under the microscope revealed this heterotrophic Foraminifera. It is actually not an animal; it is a unicellular Protozoan rather than a Metazoan. It is not segmented, although it secretes an outer covering which makes it appear so.

This polychaete worm (left) was about 1.5 inches long but could stretch another inch. Two copepods were found. This one (below) is carrying a sack full of fertilized eggs.

This is a young Pachygrapsus (left) crab (about .5 inches wide) which only held still when partly submerged in water. This below is a member of Idothea, of the Order Isopoda, a type of crustacean.

Perhaps most remarkable were the 117 caprellid amphipods (skeleton shrimp) counted in the Polysiphonia. Skeleton shrimp are very active, often reddish-brown, and grasp tightly, making them difficult to remove from the algae. Thus it is likely that another hundred remained uncounted in the Polysiphonia sample.

This pregnant female (left) will release live young from her bulging, pink brood pouch. Smaller, and presumably younger, caprellids (right) are much paler in color than the larger adults. As they grow older and eat more, they accumulate red pigments and begin to match their surroundings. This probably serves them well as a means of camouflage when living amongst Polysiphonia.