Field Trip to the Regions of Coquimbo and Atacama
Punta Teatinos (26/08/09) TEA
29°49′28.8″ S, 071°17′31.8″ W
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
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