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Species of Rocky Shores
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Algae & Lichens
Species List
or some of the common animal groups:
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Sea Anemones
Marine Worms
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Molluscs
Echinoderms (e.g. starfish)
Fish
Species of Sediment Shores
Animals of Sediment - Thumbnails
Plankton
Common Limpet (Patella vulgata)
Limpets are dome-shaped molluscs with no spiralling of the
shell. Patella is the genus name for the most abundant group.
They can live up to 16 years and may achieve a maximum
diameter of 7 centimetres. The black lichen, Verrucaria
mucosa, can often be seen growing on the shell.
These are very important seashore herbivores, feeding on
microscopic algae which covers the rocks like a fine carpet. Due
to the fact that they graze so efficiently they remove young
seaweeds and may, therefore prevent the establishment of
larger seaweeds, like bladderwrack. They feed by scraping the
radula ("tongue") across the rock surface. The radula has teeth
(toughened with iron) on it and acts like a file. Each sweep of
the radula removes fine algae and leaves a grazing mark on the
rock. Recolonisation by the algae soon takes place. Often the
only algae to be found is that growing on the shell where they
cannot reach.
Limpet radula marks on the rock
The attachment to rock is legendary. This adhesion to the
surface is by the muscular foot and the secretion of a chemical.
They can hold on to rock with a force of 75 lbs/sq.in. Clamping
down at low tide will prevent drying out. As limpets settle down
they rotate the shell and grind it into rock which produces a
good fit but also, on death, leaves a scar on the rock surface. To
breathe they remove oxygen from the water. This is drawn in to
the gills via a hole above the head. When the tide goes out they
have a problem with the lack of water. They clamp down and
reduce their metabolism which in turn reduces the need for
water. The shell has a high degree of waterproofing to conserve
water.
The shell shape varies with wave action, time spent emersed
and possibly food supply (Ballantine, 2005, pers.comm.). A
limpet whose muscles are tensed as shell is secreted produces a
domed result, relaxed limpets produce flatter shells. Well fed
limpets, whose tissue pushes out to the shell margin, produce
flatter shells than hungry limpets. Increased wave action and/
or time spent emersed should produce taller limpets but the
pattern (especially on exposed shores) is complicated by local
topography. The sexes are separate but as in many molluscs
they often begin life as males changing to a female as they get
older. For the first year of P. vulgata's life they are all neuter,
then change into males. After 4-7 years approximately 34%
change into females. Gametes fertilise externally in the
seawater. The release of gametes from the adults is triggered by
a lowering of the temperature in autumn, with 11 degrees C
being the critical value. This, coupled with rough weather,
stimulates the realise. The eggs hatch into planktonic larvae
which live in the plankton for barely 2 weeks before settling out
on to the shore. All this sex stuff means that they are
protandrous hermaphrodites.
Limpets with two scars left on the rocks
Limpets are very susceptible to oil pollution and their death
results in a marked increase in the growth of weed. In the
period following a spill of oil there is a "green flush" caused by
the unlimited growth of green algae such as Enteromorpha
and Ulva.
Punk Limpet: limpet in a rockpool with Enteromorpha growing
on it
A very abundant mollusc across the entire tidal region of a
rocky seashore, not being limited to anyone zone. This is
because it can avoid as well as tolerate most of the problems of
the seashore. It can be found throughout most of the Atlantic
coast although rarer in the south and extreme north.
Here is an exciting and rare photo:
Spawning Limpet
When the temperature dips below 11 degrees in October it
stimulates the male limpets to release sperm into the water.
The photo shows a limpet in a rock pool lifting up its shell (pale
foot bottom right) and squirting sperm out into the pool. We
know it is a male as sperm is white and eggs are pale green in
the limpet. Fertilisation is external, with the temperature also
triggering the female to release the eggs. In this way the precise
temperature change has synchronised the release of gametes.
See also Key-hole Limpet
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