Marine Plankton
Milford Haven
Pembrokeshire UK
Aims of the Site
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To share marine plankton information
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Display photos of plankton biodiversity
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Provide an educational resource
Welcome. This site covers coastal plankton washing on to the stunning shores of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. There is an amazing biodiversity of microscopic life living in every drop of seawater. Collections are made around Milford Haven, part of the Special Area of Conservation, with the most regular ones made in Dale. Before looking at the details of The Species check the specimens chosen each month in the Previous Photo of the Month. The monthly Blog is full of photos of the latest species found. You may want to have a look at the Biodiversity page that gives a plankton overview while Methods looks specifically at how the samples are taken and photographed. More below.
Photo of the Month
A coronate larva of the invasive species Red-ripple Bryozoan Watersipora subatra. Originally from Japan the bryozoan has spread worldwide arriving in Plymouth, UK, in 2008. Autumn is when the larvae are released into the plankton and are unusually large (almost visible to the naked eye) and are bright orange-red. There is a well developed colony on the Dale Fort jetty from where I sample over the winter. The photo, below, is part of the colony taken by John Archer-Thomson. The coronate larva was photographed on 1st October using DIC lighting adjusted to create interference lighting, which has coloured the specimen. The colour contrast created makes the rapidly moving cilia look like flames.
Red-ripple Bryozoan Watersipora subatra (Photo: John Archer-Thomson)