Eric noticed a beautiful scene in the low intertidal zone a few days ago. There are six (!) different phyla (major animal groups) represented in this image, all in an area that was only ~4 cm x 4 cm (or ~1.5" x 1.5").
Feel free to look around and see what you can find.
In the next image, I've circled or pointed to representatives of each phylum.
Green arrow = sea anemone (Epiactis handi), Phylum Cnidaria
White circle = barnacle (Chthamalus dalli), Phylum Arthropoda
Blue circles = flatworms (unidentified), Phylum Platyhelminthes
Orange arrow = peanut worm (Themiste pyroides), Phylum Sipuncula
Purple oval = tubeworm tentacles (Phragmatopoma californica), Phylum Annelida
Pink arrow = chiton (Tonicella lokii), Phylum Mollusca
Good One! That's real bio-diversity - and 6 phyla without even bringing in a microscope.
ReplyDeleteThat chiton is just gorgeous. Thanks for sharing this.