The rocky shore at Punta Teatinos  consists of boulders large and small. There was no obvious band of barnacles on the highshore, nor a mid shore dominated by mussel beds. There was plenty of Gelidium (G. chilense, G. lingulatum) and Corallina officinalis. A few other algae species were also present in more limited amounts. The most obvious macrofauna was the sunstar (Heliaster helianthus) there were also large numbers of small crabs, Echinolittorina peruviana, Chiton granosus, and the shell-less gastropod (Onchidiella marginata). The low shore was mainly dominated by encrusting algae with some Lessonia nigrescens on the larger boulders. The sessile fauna was mainly tunicates (2 speices) and anemones (3 species). The sandy shore, the most northerly point (29°49′27.0″ S, 071°17′18.9″ W) of the main beach in La Serena was intermidate to reflective in character. There is a lagoon located behind the beach, which at this time of the year reaches the sea via a small estero at the extreme northern end. The sand is grey in colour and there were significant numbers of Mesodesma donacium shells on the sand, and particularly below the surface (water table at 25 cm approx.)

Beach at Punta Teatinos (TEA)

Chungungo (27/08/09) CHU

29°27′02.3″ S, 071°18′36.7″ W

The rocky shore at Chungungo like Teatinos consisted of large boulders though the intertidal zone was narrower. The entire point, to the south of the beach, is a restricted zone, though the navy let me in after I explained what it was I wanted to do. There was no Lessonia on the low shore, the mid shore was dominated by Gelidium. There was no barnacle band on the high shore. The mobile macrofauna was mainly limpets and the sunstar (Heliaster helianthus). There were some Piure and plenty of Chiton cumingsii, along with Petrolisthes violaceus in the crevices. Only a few samples were collected, but they included a loco shell covered in barnacles and a small rock with Barchidontes granulata on the underside. The ’sandy’ beach (29°27”02.6″ S, 071°18′15.9″ W) was reflective and primarily of pebbles and cobbles with a small sandy section at the southern end. The sand was medium coarse with a high portion of shell fragments and small pebbles. The water table was less than 15 cm below the surface.

Rocky shore of boulders at Chungungo (CHU)

Caleta Choros (28/08/09) CHO

29°14′34.0″ S, 071°27′51.4″ W

I saw Guanacos and an Eagle on the drive across  the semi-desert to Caleta Choros. The beach at Caleta Choros  consists of white/sliver grey sand made of shell fragments. The sand on the surface is medium fine and gets progresively coarser with depth. The water table was at about 50 cm. The beach is reflective in nature and the cast algae was mainly Macrocystis. The rocky shore was of black boulders with and infill of cobbles and broken shells. Lessonia nigrescens was present in the low intertidal, but sparsley so as it is harvested by the locals. Algal cover was generaly sparse, particularly on the boulders. There was a sparse covering of barnacles in the mid to high intertidal also. The macrofauna was dominated by Echinolittorina peruviana on the high shore and limpets on the mid shore. On the low shore there were abundant sunstar (Heliaster helianthus), sea cucumbers (Athyondinuim chilensis) and the invasive anenome Anemonia alicemartinae. Below the boulders there were abundant Petrolishes crabs.

The beach at Caleta Choros (CHO)

Carrizal Bajo (29/08/09) CAR

28°04′56.4″ S, 071°08′42.8″ W

The beach at Carrazil Bajo is within a deep and narrow embayment . The sand is medium fine, the beach morphology is intermediate-dissapative. There is a lagoon at the rear of the beach. The rocky shore is narrow with little on the highshore except Echinolittorina peruviana. The mid-shore had a reasonable covering of barnacles. The lowshore was dominated by Coralina officinalis, with plenty of Glossophora kunthii and some Gelidium. The macrofauna was dominated by Chitons, especially Acanthopleura echinata. There were also Tetropygus niger, Heliaster helianthus, Anemonia alicemartinae, and limpits. There were alos abundant small Piure.

The beach and the rocky shore at Carrizal Bajo (CAR)

El Pozo (30/08/09) POZ

28°17′39.4″ S, 071°10′44.3″ W

The beach is within a small protected cove and comprised of a mixture of pebbles and shell sand. The beach was reflective in profile, about 30 m in length and 15 m in width. The water table was about 20 cm below the surface in the retention zone. The rocky shore consisted of wide rock platfroms bisected by gullies and wide shallow rockpools. The subtidal contained Macrosystis and Lessonia along with abundant Glossophora kunthii. The low intertidal had a sparse covering of algae, including Codium dimorphum, Ulva and Colpomenia. There was a sparse covering of barnacles on the mid shore. The high shore supported abundant Echinolittorina peruviana. The other dominant macrofauna on the low shore were Anemonia alicemartinae and Heliaster helianthus.

The shell sand beach at El Pozo (POZ) and the rocky shore beyond

On this field trip I was accompanied by my student ‘en practica’ Marcela Riveros who has been studying ostracods for her undergraduate thesis. The ‘en practica’ component of the undergraduate program here at the UACh is designed to give students some experience of working in a laboratory and the different activities involved in conducting research.

Marcela Riveros

Bahia Mansa (18/06/09) MAN

40°34‘52.5” S, 073°44‘03.2” W

The site is within the Bahia Mansa where there is a small intermediate to reflective beach. Unfortunately on the day we visited the swell was extremely high making working on the rocky-shore too dangerous, we were able however to collect some rocky-shore samples from the rocks adjacent to the beach, though this area was obviously heavily influenced by sand. At some point during the summer I will have to go back and collect rocky-shore samples. The weather was overcast with strong south westerly winds

The beach at Bahia Mansa (MAN).

Mehuin (19/06/09) MEH

39°25′44.8” S, 073°12‘57.6” W

The site was located at the southern end of the Playa Pichicullin to the north of Mehuin. The beach was intermediate in character and at this time of the year is crossed by a small river. The rocky shore was typical of the region, composed of rocky (mica) ridges and very large boulders, with extensive areas of mussels, algae, polychaete reefs and tunicate beds (all sampled). The weather was clear and sunny.

Playa Pichicullin in Mehuin (MEH).

Nercon (27/05/09) NER

42°30‘35.6” S, 073°47‘11.5” W

The site is located on south side of the Nercon peninsula iin front of the cabanas ‘Palafitos de Pescadores’. The shore is a mixture of mud-flat, pebbles and cobbles, with a few large boulders that support the only ‘rocky-shore’ species. Samples of mussels, barnacles and sponge were all collected. Another feature is wide slabs of mud-stone which support numerous burrowing molluscs of the genus Pholus. The muddy areas were extremely muddy and typically covered with Ulva and Pelillo. Quantitative sediment samples were collected from an area of fine sand/mud on the mid-shore. The water table was on the surface with the RPD typically less than 1 cm below the surface. The weather was clear and sunny but extremely cold.

The shore at Nercon (NER) near Castro.

Cucao (28/05/09) CUC

42°35‘31.0” S, 074°07‘53.7” W

The site was accessed from the dunes to the north of the village of Cucao. The beach is extremely wide and dissipative with a series of lagoons and dune slacks to the rear. Standard exposed sandy beach samples were collected along with a sample from the lagoon. There was no rocky-shore visible in either direction, north or south, so no rocky-shore samples were collected at this site. The weather was clear and sunny, but cold with a strong southerly breeze.

The windswept beach and dunes at Cucao (CUC).

Quemchi (29/05/09) QUE

42°08‘36.1” S, 073°28‘15.8” W

The site was located within the town on the beach adjacent to the bus terminal. This site was extremely similar in character to Nercon, a mixture of pebbles and cobbles, with small areas of fine sand and a few large boulders supporting the only ‘rocky-shore’ species present. Large patches of fine polychaete tubes were present. The weather was clear and sunny.

The shore at Quemchi (QUE) on the sheltered Golfo de Ancud.

Ancud (30/05/09) ANC

41°51‘35.7” S, 073°49‘40.8” W

The site was located at Playa Arena Gruesa on the north side of the city of Ancud. The beach was, as the name suggests, composed of coarse sand and reflective in nature. This is the most southerly reflective beach I have been able to sample so far. The rocky-shore, located to the east of the beach was species poor, dominated by ephemeral algal species suggesting that the rocks are frequently covered by sand. The weather was overcast with light rain

The Playa Arena Gruesa in Ancud (ANC).

Caulin (31/05/09) CAI

41°49′27.2” S, 073°38‘15.2” W

On the north coast of Chiloe, this is an extensive series of tidal flats within a protected bay. Caulin is most notable for the overwintering flocks of flamingos (Phoenicopterus chilensis)which create considerable disturbance of the tidal flats while feeding. The site was located on the western side of the bay where the road meets the coast. The top shore consisted of a gravel bank, with coarse sand below, which then gives way to mud-flats, which close to the streams, contain a significant number of pebbles. Flamingos feed by disturbing the sediment with their feet and then sifting the small macrofauna (and meiofauna?) from the suspension. The result is a neat ring of disturbance approximately one meter in diameter, with a raised centre of, usually finer sediment. Samples were taken from the raised centre, the ring itself and the outside of the ring. The weather was overcast.

The mud flats at Caulin (CAI) showing the feeding rings of the Flamingos.

Chilean Flamingos (Phoenicopterus chilensis) feeding at Caulin.

Pelluco (28/04/09) PEL

41°29′57.8” S, 072°53′08.4” W

Wide sand-flat of medium to coarse sand. The top-shore is bounded by an artificial seawall of large granite boulders. There are a series of consolidated mud/mud-stonee terraces with Enteromorpha and some Porphyra (neither collected as they rarely provide anything). There is no rocky-shore to speak of, there are a few large boulders with barnacles, mussels and Gellidium. The barnacles and Gellidium were sampled along with another species of algae. The areas in between the boulders were filled with barnacle encrusted cobbles (sampled). The quantitative samples were taken in the mid-shore in an area of clean sand with sand ripples. Samples were also taken of areas with polychaete tubes, mussel-beds, pelillo and shell concentrations. Samples were also taken on the low-shore at the limit of the tide. Finally samples were taken from an area of standing water, the water table in the same area as the quantitative samples, the river channel and the concentration of shells in the middle of the channel. The weather was overcast with a light drizzle. There were artisinal fishers collecting almejas and navajulas.

The tidal flat at Pelluco (PEL)

Calbuco (29/04/09) CAU

41°46‘06.1” S, 073°07‘32.9” W

The site is in the centre of Calbuco between the tower and the pier. There is a rocky point, on which the tower is built, composed of a mud-stone conglomerate. The habitat has a low diversity, with the main cover being Enteromorpha on the high-shore, Gelidium on the mid-shore and cobbles on the low shore. There was a high abundance of Prisogaster. Creipatela was also common. The rock-pools contained Pyura and tube worms. There was an extremely high abundance of broken glass. Petrolisthes violaecous was seen on both the rocky-shore and in crevices at the base of the pier. Between the tower and the pier the shore consisted of a mixture of pebbles, cobbles and a few larger boulders. There were some mud-stone ridges and the matrix was a coarse sand/shell mix. The algae on the cobbles was mostly Ulva and Gigartina. Cyclograspus cinerus was present under high-shore boulders. The weather was overcast with light drizzle.

The shore between the tower and the pier at Calbuco (CAU)

Caleta Arena (30/04/09) ARE

41°41‘33.6” S, 072°38‘31.2” W

The site is next to the landing ramp of the car ferry. The sandy beach consists of a matrix of coarse sand and pebbles. I was able to collect the standard set of sandy beach samples, including the water table. The rocky-shore site is to the south of the beach and consists of rounded granite. The diversity of the rocky-shore habitat was poor, with barnacles and Enteromorpha at the top of the shore and mussels in the mid and low-shore. Mussels had an overgrowth of algae and there were patches of barnacles in the low-shore. Only three photo-quadrat transects were made as the shore was relatively homogeneous and steep and slippy, I decided it was not worth the risk of doing transects in the more vertical areas. The weather was partially cloudy.

The beach at Caleta Arena (ARE)

Pangal (01/05/09) PAN

41°36‘07.5” S, 073°38‘23.9” W

The site is to the west of Maullin, near the mouth of the estuary. The site consisted of a sandy beach only, there was no rocky-shore anywhere nearby. The sand was medium-coarse and intermediate in character, though there was no wave action. The salinity was 26‰. There was some cast algae, though not kelps. The usual set of sandy beach samples were collected, plus cast algae and the sand below it. In addition I collected an estuarine mud sample on the east side of Maullin. The weather was overcast.

The beach at Pangal (PAN) at the mouth of the river Maullin.

The rocky platform at Punta del Lobos, Pichilemu (PIC)

The second site visited was Bucalemu (BUA, 34°38′24.3″S, 072°02′47.3″W), to the south of Pichilemu. The beach was long and generally reflective in character, there was also a river fed lagoon at the rear of the beach. This is probably one of those rivers, common in central Chile, where the water only feeds directly into the sea during periods of high flow, for the rest of the year the water flows through the beach. The effects of this through beach flow of freshwater on the meiofaunal assemblages would be an interesting theme for further research. The rocky-shore at Bucalemu was narrow and almost vertical, but I was able to sample within a channel and an area of very coarse sand/shell hash.

The sandy beach at Bucalemu (BUA)

The next site, Matanzas (MAT, 33°57′53.5″S, 071°53′02.7″W), was sampled on the 1st of December. This is a site with which I am very familiar, it was the first site I ever sampled for meiofauna in Chile, back in 1996. The rocky platform is to the south of the point and has a diverse covering of algae, and Lessonia nigresens exposed at low tide. This platform is heavily exploited for scientific research. The sandy beach sampled was at the south end of the long beach where it is more protected and the beach has flatter profile.

The rocky platform at Matanzas (MAT)

The next site was Las Cruces (CRU, 33°29′49.7″S, 071°38′08.1″W). The sampling sites were the beach Las Salinas and the rocky-shore on the north side of the Punta del Lacho, I also sampled the small very coarse sand beach on the Punta del Lacho and the Shell hash beach on the south side of the point. I am very familiar with all these sites as they are adjacent to the Universidad Catolica’s marine station, ECIM, on the point. The beach at Las Salinas is reflective in character and there is also a small lagoon at the back of the beach. The rocky-shore was dominated by mussel beds (Perumytilis purpuratus).

The beach Las Salinas in Las Cruces (CRU)

On the 2nd of December we sampled at Laguna Verde (VER, 33°05′44.4″S, 071°39′52.2″W). The sampling site was located at the north end of the beach which was reflective in character. Unfortunately the rocky-shore at the north end of the beach was vertical and impossible to sample. There wasn’t time to drive around looking for an alternate site. At some point I will go and sample on Punta Curamilla, to the south of Laguna Verde, where I’ve sampled before.

The reflective beach at Laguna Verde (VER)

The second site sampled on the 2nd was at Los Molles (MOL, 32°14′16.4″S, 071°30′40.6″W). The sandy beach sampling site was located in the protected part of the bay at the north end of the beach and consisted of pale almost white sand with a flat profile. The rocky-shore site was located on the south side of the point in an area consisting mainly of boulders.

The sandy beach at Los Molles (MOL)

On the morning of the final day of sampling (03/12/2008) we visited Papudo (PAP, 32°30′19.9″S, 071°26′49.7″W). The site lies within a semi-exposed bay with a north-westerly aspect. The sandy beach is intermediate with reflective characteristics. The back of the beach is bounded by  a concrete seawall and promenade. The rocky-shore consists of a series of platforms arising from the beach.

The site at Papudo (PAP)

The final site sampled on this trip was at Ritoque (RIT, 32°49′46.7″S, 071°31′44.9″W). The site was located at the north end of a intermediate-dissapative beach. This is a beach I have sampled previously and found abundant Mystacocarida (see Wikipedia entry for Mystacocarida). The rocky-shore site was the area of large boulders located at the protected north end of the beach

The protected north-end at Ritoque (RIT)

Between the 16th and 18th of October we made a quick trip to the Region del Maule to sample 5 sites. On the afternoon of the 15th we drove up to the most northerly site at Iloca (ILO, 34°55′03.0″S, 072°10′56.0″W) and stayed in a cabaña next to the site. The site was sampled at first light on the 16th. The majority of the coast of Maule is sandy beaches and there are few genuine rocky-shores, most rocky environments are out-croppings heavily influenced by sand. The site at Iloca was no exception and the low shore was effectively part of the adjacent beach.

The rocky-shore site at Iloca (ILO)

The second site was La Tinchera (TIN, 35°06′33.5″S, 072°12′12.2″W), this site was sampled in the afternoon of the 16th. At La Tinchera there is no rocky-shore, just a sandy beach that extends, north and south, as far as the eye can see. The sand was coarse but with a significant amount of cobbles derived from nearby rivers. The area behind the beach is flat with cliffs about 500-1000m inland, suggesting this area of the coast has undergone uplift.

The extensive sandy beach at La Tinchera (TIN)

The third site was located just to the south of the city of Constitución, at a place called Las Cables (CAB, 35°21′08.5″S, 072°26′44.3″W), the area is  dominated by high steep cliffs at the base of which are rocky platforms and coarse sand reflective beaches. Again we stayed in a cabaña next to the site and sampled at first light.

Beach and rocky platform at Las Cables (CAB)

The fourth site sampled on this trip was just to the north of Curanipe (CUR, 35°49′34.0″S, 072°36′43.6″W). The coast consists of rocky outcrops and points of mica rock interspersed with largely reflective coarse sandy beaches. The rocky-shore at this site was one of the most heavily impacted by sand so far sampled in this project. This impact or influence of sand on the rocky-shore leads to a habitat poor site dominated by ephemeral algal species such as Porphyra sp.

The rocky-shore at Curanipe (CUR), the platform is dominated by ephemeral algae.

The final site on this trip was Buchupureo (BUC, 36°25′36.0″S, 072°02′24.9″W). This site is actually in the Region Bio Bio, but I wasn’t able to sample there on the last trip to the area. The site is at the southern end of a long beach and is divided by a small river. The beach is reflective in character at the southern end, but with an extensive back beach. The rocky-shore is to the south of the beach along a point popular with surfers. The site was sampled at first light on the 18th.

The beach at Buchupureo (BUC) and the rocky-shore beyond and to the right of the photo.

The platform at Caleta Chigualoco (CHI).

We stayed in Los Villos overnight and on Thursday went to sample at Caleta Oscuro (OSC, 31°25′22.7″S, 071°35′35.0″W). The entrance to Caleta Oscuro is not obvious but we found it eventually. Caleta Oscuro is a protected bay with a reflective beach consisting mainly of cobbles and pebbles, but with some sand. The rocky shore site, southern end of the beach, consists of large boulders and is dominated by algae. Musselbeds and barnacles were absent.

Beach and rocky shore at Caleta Oscuro (OSC).

We stayed a second night in Los Villos and on Friday headed north to sample at Caleta Sierra (SIE, 31°08′46.2″S, 071°39′46.2″W). This site was even harder to find than Caleta Oscuro and we spent a while driving backwards and forwards along Ruta 5 looking for the turn off. We eventually found it and set of along a dirt road which ended in a series of harpins down the side of a steep quebrada. The site was similar to Caleta Oscuro, but not as protected and with more cobbles and pebbles on the reflective beach. The rocky shore, northern end of the beach, was narrow and almost vertical, and again was dominated by algae with no musselbeds and only a few barnacles.

The beach and rocky shore at Caleta Sierra (SIE).

On Friday night we stayed in a cabaña in La Serena as Bernardo’s brother was in town and there was “no room at the inn”. Saturday confirmed my belief that I am a rain god. I’ve been to Coquimbo twice in the last three years and on both occasions it pissed with rain. In the end it turned out to be a good thing. Our next site was at Totoralillo (TOR, 30°04′23.6″S, 071°21′31.8″W) just to the south of Coquimbo. This is a major tourist beach and we were there on a Saturday of a long weekend, if it hadn’t been raining it would have be full of people. But the rain kept all but the most dedicated surfers away allowing us to work in peace. The sandy beach was intermediate-dissaptive. The rocky shore consisted almost entirely of cobbles and boulders, but was interesting none the less as it was a different kind of habitat to that normally sampled.

The beach at Totoralillo (TOR).

We were accompanied on the final two sites by Bernardo (Broitman, CEAZA). On Sunday we went to the mouth of the Río Limarí (LIM, 30°44′09.2″S, 071°42′03.2″W). The sandy beach is intermediate-dissapative in character with the river channel crossing the beach at the northern end. At the rocky shore we discovered that we were not the only researchers working that day and had to compete for transect space with phycologists from the Universidad Catolica in Santiago. The rocky site was a mixture of bedrock and boulders/cobbles, again dominated by algae with no musselbeds and few barnacles.

The beach at the Boca del Limarí (LIM).

Our final site of this trip was to Caleta Totoral (TOT, 30°21′52.9″S, 071°40′09.5″W). This site is located on the exposed coast between Punta Aldea and Punta Lengua de Vaca. To get there we had to get permission to cross a Navy firing range. Because this area has restricted access you can see how the local biome looks unmolested by development.

The terrain near Caleta Totoral (TOT).

The site itself was an exposed bay, the beach was extremely reflective consisting mainly of pebbles with sand present only in certain areas of the mid and low intertidal. The rocky shore was located at the north end of the beach and consisted mainly of bedrock with narrow channels filled with boulders and coarse sand. The site was again dominated by algae including the presence of Macrocystis integrifolia in the low intertidal.

The rocky shore at Caleta Totoral (TOT) with the beach beyond.