This article is a part of our second newsletter titled, The Persaud Catalogue Scientific Journal of Marine Biology. In this journal, 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 journal is in affiliation with The Persaud Catalog, however it is a separate entity. In this article, we will state all of the most prominent species of Marine Flora in Ranchos Palos Verdes that were found. We will state the density of these species, the place where it was found the most, & a detailed description of the species. Please note, this was done with the correct permits, do not attempt to imitate this survey without being aware of the permits necessary to do so. On July 15th, we sent out 2 field agents out to Abalone Cove Beach in order to survey all seagrass species in the cove. We have took the coordinates & a sample of certain of these species, in order to study them. They discovered that there are 2 species of seagrass found in the ocean around the cove, which are Zostera Marina (Common Eelgrass / Seawrack) & Macrocystis Pyfiera (Bladder Kelp / Giant Kelp). Due to this article being public, there is now an official log as to all the seagrass & seaweed species found in Abalone Cove. To be clear, this is a survey that will only be conducted once, & not yearly like the Malibu surveys. This survey is a stand alone study. With that being said, let us delve into the seagrasses of Ranchos Palos Verdes Beach.
The Initial Survey Of Abalone Cove Beach
All specimens were found at approximately 5:34 PM on July 15th. This was closer to low tide, so more specimens were available for examination. At this time, the tide was rising, so that may effect the results of today’s survey. Below are the results of the Seagrass Survey conducted on July 15th, 2023.
Seagrass Species No. 1: Zostera Marina (Common Eelgrass / Seawrack)
This specimen was the second most prominent on the beach, but was found extremely rarely. We could only find small specimens of this wrapped around clumps of Macrocystis. This species is extremely easy to identify as it is long, thin, & green. It was found at the coordinates of Latitude 33°44’32” North, & Longitude 118°22’51” West, wrapped up in a large piece of Macrocystis Pyfiera. This species was only really found in the central areas of the cove. Zostera Marina usually has leaves as thick as 0.47 inches (1.1938). Our specimen of this species was approximately 50 inches (127 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. This species usually grows in water of 10 meters (32.8084) or less.
Seagrass Species No. 2: Macrocystis Pyfiera (Giant Kelp / Bladder Kelp)
This specimen was the most prominent on the beach by a large margin. There were large clumps of it in certain areas, but some areas were completely barren. Due to the presence of the large seaweed matts further out at sea, seaweed usually doesn’t wash ashore, it instead becomes tangled in large matts that float on the surface. This specimen was found at the coordinates of Latitude 33°44’32” North, & Longitude 118°22’51” West. This species was found littered all around the cove, in huge quantities. This species in the highest density in the sandy portions, & & intertidal areas of the beach. It was found extremely rarely in the rocky areas of the cove. Our specimen of this species was approximately 10.5 inches (26.67 centimeters) long. Commonly, this species will grow off the coast in large forests. One of our field agents discovered that these forests were present approximately 100 feet off of the shore. This species is characterized by its massive leaves, long blades, & its air filled fruits that grow off the edge of the blades. This species is the worlds largest species of marine algae. Since it is a seaweed, it does not have roots, it instead grows on a holdfast in a large canopy, in intertidal zones.
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