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Projects

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)

Data from Biodiversity Surveys were among the data sources used in the Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) designation process to identify important rocky intertidal habitat types, and determine the amount of area needed to ecologically represent each habitat type. A re-sampling procedure and accumulation functions were used to estimate the area required to include 90% of the biodiversity of each habitat type. These methods estimate that approximately 0.5 linear miles of rocky intertidal habitat must be encompassed by an MPA for ecological representation. Long-term datasets such as those collected by the Pacific Rocky Intertidal Monitoring program prove to be crucial to not only monitoring and assessing effectiveness of MPAs, but also in the planning decisions of MPA design.

In addition, Long-Term Monitoring and Biodiversity Survey sites have been established in the Central Coast, North Central Coast, and South Coast Study Regions as part of the MPA Baseline Program.

Areas of Special Biological Significance (ASBS)

Data from Long-Term Monitoring and Biodiversity Surveys have been used to compare areas within and outside of Areas of Biological Significance (ASBS).  The goals of the studies have ranged from simple assessment of potential impact to baseline characterization of whole regions.  Study areas range from a single ASBS (e.g. Duxbury Reef Area of Special Biological Significance) to ASBS locations on a regional scales,  (e.g. North Coast Regional Board, Los Angeles Regional Board, etc.).

Oil Spills and Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA)

Data collected at our Alcatraz Island site in San Francisco Bay were critical in assessing impact due to the Cosco Busan Oil Spill. Using similarity analyses, data were used to compare species composition and abundance pre- and post-spill at Alcatraz against similar comparisons made at non-oiled reference sites within the same biogeographic region. These comparisons allowed us to conclude that community differences between pre- and post-spill at Alcatraz were substantially different from "expected", based on the level of variation at reference sites. Rockweed, mussels and other long-lived species were more abundant pre-spill compared to post-spill, and opportunistic and ephemeral species increased post-spill.

In addition, data from Long-Term Monitoring and Biodiversity Surveys were used in the Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) process for the Torch/Platform Irene Oil Spill and the Dubai Star/San Francisco Bay Spill.

Data Products

Listed below are the publications and reports produced by the Pacific Rocky Intertidal Program during the 2007-2010 period. Starred items were produced either using BOEM funding or using data collected at BOEM funded sites.

Publications (2007-2010)

Ambrose, R.F. 2008. Habitat restoration. Pp. 260-263. In: M.W. Denny and S.D. Gaines (eds.). Encyclopedia of Tidepools & Rocky Shores. University of California Press, Berkeley, CA.

Becker, B.J., L.A. Levin, F.J. Fodrie, and P.A. McMillan. 2007. Complex larval connectivity patterns among marine invertebrate populations. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 104:3267-3272.

Blanchette, C.A. and S.D. Gaines.  2007. Distribution, abundance, size and recruitment of the mussel, Mytilus californianus, across a major oceanographic and biogeographic boundary at Point Conception, California, USA. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 340:268-279.

Blanchette, C.A., B. Helmuth, and S.D. Gaines. 2007. Spatial patterns of growth in the mussel, Mytilus californianus, across a major oceanographic and biogeographic boundary at Point Conception, California, USA. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 340:126-148.

Blanchette, C.A., C.M. Miner, P.T. Raimondi, D. Lohse, K.E.K. Heady and B. Broitman. 2008. Biogeographic patterns of rocky intertidal communities along the Pacific coast of North America. Journal of Biogeography 35:1593-1607.

Blanchette, C.A., D.R. Schiel, E.A. Wieters, B.R. Broitman, and B.P. Kinlan. 2009. Trophic structure and diversity in rocky intertidal upwelling ecosystems: A comparison of community patterns across California, Chile, South Africa and New Zealand. Progress in Oceanography 83:107-116.

Blanchette, C.A., P.A. Raimondi and B.R. Broitman. 2009. Spatial patterns of intertidal community structure across the California Channel Islands and links to ocean temperature. Pages 161-173 In: Damiani, C.C. and D.K. Garcelon, (eds.), Proceedings of the 7th California Islands Symposium. Institute for Wildlife Studies: Arcata, CA. CD-ROM.

*Broitman, B.R., C.A. Blanchette, B.A. Menge, J. Lubchenco, C. Krenz, M. Foley, P.T. Raimondi, D. Lohse and S.D. Gaines. 2008. Spatial and temporal patterns of invertebrate recruitment along the west coast of the United States. Ecological Monographs 78:403-421.

Broitman, B.R., L. Szathmary, K.A.S. Mislan, C.A. Blanchette, and B. Helmuth. 2009. Predator-prey interactions under climate change: the importance of habitat vs. body temperature Oikos 118:219-224.

*Conway-Cranos, L. 2009. Recovery dynamics in rocky intertidal communities: patterns, mechanisms, and simulations. Ph.D. Dissertation. University of California, Santa Cruz.

*Del Sontro, T.S., I. Leifer, B.P Luyendyk and B.R Broitman. 2007. Beach tar accumulation, transport mechanisms, and sources of variability at Coal Oil Point, CA. Marine Pollution Bulletin 54:1461-1471.

Dethier, M.N. 2008. Monitoring: techniques. 2008. Pp.390-393. In: M.W. Denny and S.D. Gaines (eds.). Encyclopedia of Tidepools & Rocky Shores. University of California Press, Berkeley, CA.

Fenberg, P.B. and K. Roy. 2008. Ecological and evolutionary consequences of size-selective harvesting: how much do we know? Molecular Ecology 17:209-220.

Hays, C.G. 2007. Adaptive phenotypic differentiation across the intertidal gradient in the alga Silvetia compressa. Ecology 88:149-157.

*Helix, M.E., R.F. Ambrose, J.M. Engle, S.N. Murray, and P.T. Raimondi. 2007. Examining the health of rocky shores along the Pacific Coast – can local government and citizen’s help? Proceedings of Coastal Zone 2007 Symposium, Portland, OR.

*Henkel, S. K., G. E. Hofmann, and A. C. Whitmer. 2007.  Morphological and genetic variation in Egregia menziesii over a latitudinal gradient. Botanica Marina 50:159-170.

*Henkel, S.K. and S.N. Murray. 2007. Reproduction and morphological variation in southern California populations of the lower intertidal kelp Egregia menziezii (Laminariales). Journal of Phycology  43:242-255.

Huff, T.M. and J.K. Jarett.  2007.  Sand addition alters the invertebrate community of intertidal coralline turf.  Marine Ecology Progress Series 345:75-82. 

Hurtado L.A., M. Mateos, C.A. Santamaria. 2010. Phylogeography of supralittoral rocky intertidal Ligia isopods in the Pacific Region from Central California to Central Mexico. PLoS ONE 5(7): e11633. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0011633.

Lester, S.E., E.D. Tobin, and M.D. Behrens. 2007. Disease dynamics and the potential role of thermal stress in the sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Science 64: 314-323.

Lester, S.E., S.D. Gaines, and B.P. Kinlan. 2007. Reproduction on the edge: large-scale patterns of individual performance in a marine invertebrate. Ecology 88:2229-2239.

Lohse, D.P. and P.T. Raimondi. 2008. Barnacles. Pp. 61-64. In: M.W. Denny and S.D. Gaines (eds.). Encyclopedia of Tidepools & Rocky Shores. University of California Press, Berkeley, CA.

Menge, B.A., M.M. Foley, J. Pamplin, G. Murphy, and C. Pemmington. 2010. Supply-side ecology, barnacle recruitment, and rocky intertidal community dynamics: Do settlement surface and limpet disturbance matter? Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 392:160-175.

Murray, S.N. 2008. Habitat alteration. Pp.256-260. In: M.W. Denny and S.D. Gaines (eds.). Encyclopedia of Tidepools & Rocky Shores. University of California Press, Berkeley, CA.

Murray, S.N. 2008. Succession. Pp. 555-560. In: M.W. Denny and S.D. Gaines (eds.). Encyclopedia of Tidepools & Rocky Shores. University of California Press, Berkeley, CA.

*Pfeiffer-Herbert, A.S., M.A. McManus, P.T. Raimondi, Y. Chao, and F. Chai. 2007. Dispersal of barnacle larvae along the central California coast: A modeling study. Limnology and Oceanography 52:1559-1569.

Phillips, N.E. 2007. A spatial gradient in the potential reproductive output of the sea mussel Mytilus californianus. Marine Biology 151:1543-1550.

Phillips, N.E. 2007. High variability in egg size and energetic content among intertidal mussels. Biological Bulletin 212:12-19.

Pister, B. 2007. Intertidal ecology of riprap jetties and breakwaters: marine communities inhabiting anthropogenic structures along the west coast of North America. Ph.D. Dissertation, UC San Diego.

Raimondi, P., K. Cox, C. DaCosta, R. Gaddam, D. Lohse, C. Bell, M. George, M. Miner, and S. Worden. 2007. Reserves in reverse. In: PISCO Coastal Connections Vol 6. Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans.

*Raimondi, P., R. Sagarin, R. Ambrose, C. Bell, M. George, S. F. Lee, D. Lohse, C.M. Miner, and S.N. Murray. 2007. Consistent frequency of color morphs in the sea star Pisaster ochraceus (Echinodermata: Asteriidae) across open-coast habitats in the northeastern Pacific. Pacific Science 61:201-210.

*Reed, D.C., S.J. Holbrook, C.A. Blanchette and S. Worcester. 2009. Patterns and sources of variation in flowering, seed supply, and seedling recruitment in surfgrass Phyllospadix torreyi. Marine Ecology Progress Series 384:97-106.

Roy, K. 2008. Ecosystem changes, natural versus anthropogenic. Pp. 201-204. In: M.W. Denny and S.D. Gaines (eds.). Encyclopedia of Tidepools & Rocky Shores. University of California Press, Berkeley, CA.

Sagarin, R. 2008. Climate change, overview. Pp. 137-140. In: M.W. Denny and S.D. Gaines (eds.). Encyclopedia of Tidepools & Rocky Shores. University of California Press, Berkeley, CA.

*Sagarin, R.D., R.F. Ambrose, B.J. Becker, J.M. Engle, J. Kido, S.F. Lee, C. M. Miner, S.N. Murray, P.T. Raimondi, D.V. Richards, and C. Roe. 2007. Ecological impacts on the limpet Lottia gigantea populations: human pressure over a broad scale on island and mainland intertidal zones. Marine Biology 150:399-413.

*Smith, J.R., P. Fong and R.F. Ambrose. 2009. “Spatial patterns in recruitment and growth of the mussel Mytilus californianus (Conrad) in southern and northern California, USA, two regions with differing oceanographic conditions.” Journal of Sea Research 61: 165-173.

*Smith, J.R., P. Fong, and R.F. Ambrose. 2008. The impacts of human visitation on mussel bed communities along the California coast: are regulatory marine reserves effective in protecting these communities? Environmental Management 41:599-612.

Thompson, S.A., H. Knoll, C.A. Blanchette and K.J. Nielsen. 2010. Population consequences of biomass loss due to commercial collection of the wild seaweed Postelsia palmaeformis. Marine Ecology Progress Series 413:17-31.

*Whitaker, S., J.R. Smith, and S.N. Murray. 2010. Re-establishment of the southern California rocky intertidal brown alga, Silvetia compressa: an experimental investigation of techniques and abiotic and biotic factors that affect restoration success. Restoration Ecology 18:18-26.

Reports (2007-2010)

*Ambrose, R.F. and N. Diaz. 2008. Pre-spill assessments of coastal habitat resources. Volume I: Development of protocols. California Department of Fish and Game Office of Spill Prevention and Response. 71p.

*Ambrose, R.F. and N. Diaz. 2008. Pre-spill assessments of coastal habitat resources. Volume II: Quick response protocols. California Department of Fish and Game Office of Spill Prevention and Response.

Ammann, K and P. Raimondi. 2008 Long-term monitoring protocol for rocky intertidal communities of Redwood National and State Parks, California. Natural Resource Report NPS/MWR/KLMN/NRR – 2008/034. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado.

Azimi-Gaylon, S., G. Lauenstein, D. Gregorio, and E. Siegel. 2008. Northern and Central California regional mussel survey draft work plan 2007-09. State Water Resources Control Board. 39p.

*Conway-Cranos, T., P.T. Raimondi and R.F. Ambrose. 2007. Spatial and temporal variation in recruitment to rocky shores: relationship to recovery rates of intertidal communities. MMS OCS Study 2006-053. Coastal Research Center, Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, California. MMS Cooperative Agreement Number 14-35-0001-31063. 38 pages.

Cox, K. 2007. Abundance and distribution patterns of intertidal fishes at three sites within Redwood National and State Parks, 2004-2005. Thesis (M.S.)--Humboldt State University, Natural Resources: Fisheries Biology, 2007

Diehl, D., K. Maruya, J. Engle, D. Gregorio, R. Fay, and G. Lauenstein. 2007. 2007-08 Southern California regional mussel survey workplan. 42p.

Kinyon, J., R. Gaddam, D. Schirokauer, R. Presiado, P. Raimondi. 2009. Coastal biophysical inventory database: Point Reyes National Seashore & Golden Gate National Recreation Area [Computer software]. Pacific Coast Science and Learning Center, National Park Service, Point Reyes Station, CA.

Miller, K.A. 2007. Summary of nomenclatural and taxonomic changes for California seaweeds. University of California, Berkeley Herbarium.

Miller, K.A. 2008. Summary of nomenclatural and taxonomic changes for California seaweeds. University of California, Berkeley Herbarium.

Miller, K.A. 2009. Summary of nomenclatural and taxonomic changes for California seaweeds. University of California, Berkeley Herbarium.

*Miner, M., B. Bealer, and L. Cooper. 2007. Revised MARINe Database User Guide. U.S. Minerals Management Service Report. 84 pages.

Murray, S.N. and K.A. Miller. 2010. Marine macrophytes of the open-coast, rocky intertidal habitats of the Cabrillo National Monument. Final Report. Coastal Marine Ecology Laboratory, California State University, Fullerton. 56p.

*Murray, S.N., P. Raimondi, and S.B. Weisberg. 2010. In pursuit of bio-criteria for evaluating the condition of rocky intertidal communities. Report of a workshop sponsored by the University of Southern California Sea Grant Program. with assistance from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement. 11p.

National Park Service. 2008. North Coast and Cascades Network Intertidal Monitoring Protocol.

Nelson PA, D Behrens, J Castle, G Crawford, RN Gaddam, SC Hackett, J Largier, DP Lohse, KL Mills, PT Raimondi, M Robart, WJ Sydeman, SA Thompson, S Woo. 2008. Developing wave energy in coastal California: potential socio-economic and environmental effects. California Energy Commission, PIER Energy-Related Environmental Research Program & California Ocean Protection Council CEC-500-2008-083.

Raimondi, P. 2008. Written summary of intertidal biological data for the Duxbury Reef Area of Special Biological Significance (ASBS), Bolinas, CA.

Raimondi, P., D. Orr, C. Bell, M. George, S. Worden, M. Redfield, R. Gaddam, L. Anderson, and D. Lohse. 2009. Determination of the extent and type of injury to rocky intertidal algae and animals one year after the initial spill (Cosco Busan).  A report prepared for OSPR (California Department of Fish and Game).

Richards, D. V. and P. J. Rich. 2009. Rocky intertidal community monitoring, 2003 Annual Report. Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/CHIS/NRTR—2009/263. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO.

Richards, D. V. and P. J. Rich. 2010. Rocky intertidal community monitoring at Channel Islands National Park, 2005 Annual Report. Natural Resource Data Series NPS/CHIS/NRDS—2010/XXX. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado.

Richards, D. V. and S. G. Whitaker. 2010. Rocky intertidal community monitoring at Channel Islands National Park, 2009 Annual Report. Natural Resource Data Series NPS/CHIS/NRDS—2010/XXX. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado.

Richards, D. V., and P. J. Rich. 2010. Rocky intertidal community monitoring at Channel Islands National Park: 2004 Annual Report. Natural Resource Data Series NPS/CHIS/NRDS—2010/064. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado.

Richards, D. V., D. Lerma, and P. Rich. 2010. Rocky intertidal community monitoring at Channel Islands National Park: 2002 Annual Report. Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/MEDN/NRTR—2010/362. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado.

USC Sea Grant. 2009. Ship to shore: linking science to policy: loving the coast to depth. Article on Steve Murray’s Sea Grant rocky intertidal research. Urban Mariner 1 (2): October 2009.

*VanBlaricom, G.,  M. Neuman, J. Butler, A. DeVogelaere, R. Gustafson, C. Mobley, D. Richards, S. Rumsey, and B. Taylor. 2009. Status review report for black abalone (Haliotis cracherodii Leach, 1814). Final report January 2009. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS-SWR-##. U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. National Marine Fisheries Service, Long Beach, CA.

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