This article is a part of our second newsletter, The Persaud Catalogue Journal of Marine Biology. In this second newsletter, we will publish information concerning the various marine flora & fauna of certain places. This newsletter will publish sporadically, & not on a timed basis like The Persaud Catalog. This second newsletter is in affiliation with The Persaud Catalog, however it is a separate entity. In today’s article, we will catalog the various species of seagrass found in & around Las Tunas Beach, California, United States.
On September 1st, 2024, we sent 2 field agents to Las Tunas Beach to survey the marine flora of the beach. The results they came back with are documented in this article.
In this article, we shall delve into the density of the certain marine plants found around Las Tunas Beach, the areas in which these species are found, & a detailed description of each species.
Please note, this was done with the correct permits or permissions & with previous research, do not attempt to imitate this survey without being aware of the permits or permissions that may be necessary to do so. With that being said, let us delve into the intriguing marine plants of Las Tunas Beach, California.
The Survey Results
Please note that all of our data was collected from 3:00 PM to 3:37 PM on September 1st, 2024. The tidal positioning at the time of collection may influence the results of this survey.
Specimen & Seagrass Species No. 1: Zostera Marina (Common Eelgrass)
Zostera Marina was the most common species of marine plant found along Las Tunas Beach. It was found in single blades littered around the sandy areas of the beach. This species is extremely easy to identify as it is long, thin, & green. Our specimen was found at the coordinates of Latitude 33°2’22” North, & Longitude 118°35’52” West. Our specimen for this species was approximately 9 inches (22.86 centimeters) long. Unfortunately, it was not attached to any sort of root, so the true length of the main plant it came from is unknown. It seemed to have snapped off from its main stem, though we cannot confirm this. Usually, the stem & root of the seagrass is white. This species is a true seagrass, meaning it grows rooted on the seafloor, like a grass. It usually grows in water of 10 meters (32.8084 feet) or less.
Interestingly, it is the only species in the Zostera Genus along California’s coast. Eelgrass usually grows in meadows, & it often consumed by waterfowl. It is extremely important to the coastal ecosystem as they provide a natural spawning area for many different marine species. This species is distributed from Alaska, to Baja California.
Zostera Marina has existed for at least 8 million years, & has practically always been fundamental to California’s estuarine ecosystems.
Specimen & Seagrass Species No. 2: Corallinales (Red Coralline Algae)
Our next specimen that was found, was Red Coralline Algae. Red Coralline Algae was found the most infrequently as it grows off the coast, & due to the way that the beach is structured, is difficult to wash up. Our specimen was approximately 4 inches (10.16 centimeters) long, & 1 inch (2.54 centimeters) wide. Our specimen seems to have been a part of the thallus of a large Red Coralline Algae colony.
Due to there being at least 2 different taxonomic families of Coraline Algae that grow in the nearby area, it is not clear which species this specimen belongs to. Red Coralline Algae is extremely important to the marine ecosystems of California, as they provide food & shelter to many marine animals. When growing in the wild, they grow upright in large patches, or grow against rocks. They appear purple or pink, have look similar to rough coral. Typically, individuals in this species will reach 8 inches in length at maturity.
Specimen & Seagrass Species No. 3: Unidentified Bright Green Species Of Algae
We found a bright green species of algae along the beach, washed up on the sand. Unfortunately after much research, we were unable to identify the specimen. It is very small, at approximately 1 inch (2.54 centimeters) long, & seems to be a large clump of algae that broke off of a larger colony.
Specimen & Seagrass Species No. 4: Unidentified Species Of Kelp
Our field agents found a large piece of kelp washed up along the beach, however were unable to identify its species. The kelp broke apart, with the smallest part measuring 7 inches (17.78 centimeters). It has a very long, flat, stalk, with many leafs coming off of its sides.
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