<p>Not too long ago, my classmates and I had the opportunity to participate in a rocky intertidal monitoring project with <a href="http://limpets.org/" target="_blank"> LiMPETS </a> at Carmel Point, CA. LiMPETS (Long-term Monitoring Program and Experiential Training for Students) is an environmental monitoring and education program seeking to increase stewardship of and monitor California’s coastal communities. A core component of LiMPETS is the “Rocky Intertidal Monitoring Program”, a monitoring project aimed at establishing a baseline for tracking rocky intertidal community changes over time.<br/>Our class collected data along vertical transects, which was plenty fun. After collecting data, we decided to poke and explore around the intertidal community.<br/>These type of field excursions make me feel like a kid again. I was the kind of kid that had a blast turning over rocks in the backyard and looking at the little crawly critters hiding underneath. Being in the intertidal and finding little organisms living between and underneath rocks was a real treat.<br/>One of the organisms I was pretty excited to see was the surfgrass, <em> Phyllospadix </em> sp. <em> Phyllospadix </em> sp is part of the seagrass family, a group of marine angiosperms. These organisms bloom and release pollen just like terrestrial plants. However, they’re adapted to living in marine waters! Pretty neat, huh?<br/><img class="ql-image" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_16068/20160412_101548.jpg"/><em> Phyllospadix </em> sp. at Carmel Point, California<br/>I decided to look at a blade of <em> Phyllospadix </em> sp. using my handy dandy Foldscope. Since my Foldscope lacks a sleek and compact light source, I brought with me a little light box I created out of cardboard, a clothes pin, a mini flashlight, and binder clips.<br/><img class="ql-image" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_16068/20160412_1046560-1.jpg"/>Vanity shot of my Foldscope clipped onto my trusty light box.<br/><img class="ql-image" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_16068/20160515_230946.jpg"/>Essentially, the light box is a cardboard rectangle with a hole cut in for the mini flashlight. Here, you can see the mini flashlight peeking through the opening.<br/><img class="ql-image" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_16068/20160515_231008.jpg"/>Here is an internal side view of the set up. The clothes pin was hot glued onto the bottom of the box. I kept it slightly open so I could use it to keep my mini flashlight stable.<br/>I took a blade of surfgrass and put it on a slide. Then, I clipped my Foldscope onto my light box. I was able to hold the light box up to my face and pan the Foldscope around.<br/><img class="ql-image" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_16068/20160412_104407.jpg"/>I could see clearly here, the darkness was gone.<br/>The set up also made it easy to take pictures in the field. Here are some pictures I took of the fresh, green surfgrass blades:<br/><img class="ql-image" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_16068/20160412_104629.jpg"/><br/><img class="ql-image" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_16068/20160412_123933-1.jpg"/><br/>While they are a bit grainy, you can still see some fine detail. You can see the faint outline of cell walls, which is pretty impressive.<br/>Videos taken on the field also gave some equally impressive results:</p><iframe class="ql-video" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" src="https://gfycat.com/ifr/RingedSardonicAlbino"></iframe><p><br/></p><iframe class="ql-video" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" src="https://gfycat.com/ifr/BriefPortlyAnkolewatusi"></iframe><p><br/><br/>Not all surfgrass blades were green and healthy. Some blades looked like they were damaged:<br/><img class="ql-image" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_16068/20160412_105021.jpg"/><br/>Underneath the Foldscope, I observed a marked difference between green blades and these degraded blades.<br/><img class="ql-image" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_16068/20160412_122020.jpg"/><br/><img class="ql-image" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_16068/20160412_121801.jpg"/><br/><img class="ql-image" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_16068/20160412_123036.jpg"/><br/>The thicker tissues near the shoot of the seagrass blades also looked different:<br/><img class="ql-image" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_16068/20160412_104909.jpg"/><br/><img class="ql-image" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_16068/20160412_123252.jpg"/><br/><img class="ql-image" src="https://storage.googleapis.com/microcosmosdelta.appspot.com/images/transfer_16068/20160412_123105.jpg"/><br/> I took a few blades of surfgrass with me and made a few more videos offsite:</p><iframe class="ql-video" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" src="https://gfycat.com/ifr/FreePlaintiveDinosaur"></iframe><p><br/></p><iframe class="ql-video" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" src="https://gfycat.com/ifr/CautiousAgreeableGermanspaniel"></iframe><p><br/></p><iframe class="ql-video" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" src="https://gfycat.com/ifr/OptimalAgitatedKiskadee"></iframe><p><br/></p><iframe class="ql-video" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" src="https://gfycat.com/ifr/ImpressiveElderlyCatfish"></iframe><p><br/><br/>I wonder what caused the surf grass blades to degrade? I know seagrasses degrade in conditions of high heat in a process known as “seagrass burning”. Do surfgrasses also “burn” at high temperatures? Or is this an algae growth on the surf grass that is causing it to degrade?<br/>I had a blast in the intertidal. It was a day full of exploration: peering under rocks, counting marine organisms for LiMPETS, and exploring the micro-level with my Foldscope!<br/>-Cynthia</p>

‘Scoping some surfgrass

CyGonzalez | Mon, May 16, 2016, 12:20 AM

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Type of Sample

Foldscope Lens Magnification

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&#8216;Scoping some surfgrass

CyGonzalez | Mon, May 16, 2016, 12:20 AM

Locations

Categories

Type of Sample

Foldscope Lens Magnification

Comments

‘Scoping some surfgrass