Seaweed of Port Phillip Bay. ...more intersting than you might think!

I recently had the oportunity to take part in a seaweed study trip in Port Phillip Bay, Victoria. We collected a small sample and examined it. We were very lucky to have to highly educated specialists in the field go with us and teach a little of what they know. Gerry has a phd in seaweed study and is very good at identifying visually the plants whereras Huron, the other specailist with us had been working on a project where he was unlocking the DNA codes of algae, this allows us to find out about how closely species are related. There have been surprising results.

Apart from the coastline along Japan, Australias southeren coast has the highest diversity and endism of seaweed any where in the world. And while japans coast is north/south orientation, it has tropical and temperate water so you would expect there to be a diverse range of seaweeds. Our southern coast is temperate so it is of interest to scientists as to why there is so much variation. This is my friend Anne, sorting through the weed we sampled. There are three main types. They are classified by colour: Browns, greens and reds. Sounds straight forward enough. The first thing we learnt was that just because it looks brown...doesnt necessarily mean its a brown seaweed, and same for the others to. The second thing we learnt, jsut because two weeds look different in colour or shape doesnt mean they are'nt the same. Their form might depend on the depth they are growing at or by how much light they get. ...Confused yet? I started to find that even the simplest things I thought I knew about weed were wrong. There are not alot of experts in this field and there are alot of different species to study.

There are many good reasons for finding out more about algae. Seaweeds are used for foods and medicines and with an estimated min 6000 species world wide there is still a lot to be discovered. It is a common ingredient in things like ice cream and toothpaste, not that you can tell.

This is a decorator crab. They "plant" live weed on themselves which gives them great camoflauge. They are a very gentle crab with tiny claws, much to small to hurt a person.

This is bryozoan, a colonial tiny animals. you are looking at thousands of them in this picture. This colony is growing on Kelp.

The curly tendrils on this weed are one of the types of features that specialsit use to identify species.

These two picture are the little decorator crab at the top of this post. amongst the seaweed they are almost impossible to see. Its only when they move that you notice them.

This one has an almost beaded appearance.

The little balls are like little balloons, it helps weed float nearer the surface.

Some of the patterns that the tips form remind me of looking at fractal patterns.

This known as Sea Lettuce, its edible, but I found it left a really strong after taste so Im not sure I will be adding this to my diet in a big way.

Tropical Wetlands- below the surface - Northern Territory

In the Northern Territory there are a few springs, some of them thermal, which you can swim in safely without worrying about Esturine crocodiles. I took my mask and snorkel in to see if there were any fish. Swimming in these pools is like being in an aquarium. The water is so comfortable and clean and it is extremely beautiful. I was surprised by the amount of different types of fishes. These are pictures of what I found.

Chris, Lorella Springs NT

underwater scene, Bitter Springs, Mataranka

Rainbow Fish

This fish is called a scat.

Berry Springs, near Darwin. This school of herring like fish were about 20ft deep. They just seemed to hang in open water.

Long Tom. Bitter Springs, Mataranka, NT

Water Lilly, Berry Springs

and this is what water lillies look like underneath the water.

Waterplant. Lorrella Springs. NT

Freshwater crocodiles are found in these springs but generally they leave people alone (unlike their larger cousins). I didnt see any while I was snorkelling.

Rainbow fish, Lorella Springs.

Rainbow Fish. There a number of different species of Rainbow fish.

This is a freshwater saw shark. They are endangered. They live in the same waterways as the very dangerous Esturine crocodiles. I took this photo at  an aquarium at the Territory wildlife Park, NT.

Eel-finned catfish, Berry Springs.

This pair of damselflies are laying eggs on the vegetation under the water.The male is the blue one. Often in dragonflies and damselflies the males and females differ in colour. I dont often get to see this at eye level.

Berry Springs, NT.

Algae, the simplest of plants has no structure to it and quivers slowly as the water flows over it. take it out of the water and it is nothing but slimy substance without much form. Seeing this was every bit as beautiful as any scene in the sea.

water plants at Lorella Springs. NT

I took this photo from a boat. Throughout ther water ways in Australia's tropics there is a danger of being attacked by Esturine crocodiles. They can be really hard to see as they blend in so well to their environment. Oddly some water birds dont worry about attacks from crocs. Egrets stalk fish quite happily near them and they aren't  attacked.

This is a barramundi, a favourite eating fish in the NT. This is a small one which means its male, they change their sex to female when they are about eight years old. They are sexually mature at 4. So four years as a male and then the rest of their lives they are female.

This is an archer fish, so called because they spit at insects flying above the water and as they fall onto the surface of the water they are eaten.

Some of the springs have really large schools of thes rainbow fish, the biggest of which is about 100mm or so.

Wetlands trip Aug/Sep 2011 Cooper Creek, Innamincka

1000s of pelicans and cormorants on Cooper Creek. SA.
All of them taking advantage of the abundant food supply.

I spent August/September this year exploring some of Australias inland water ways. The first area I spent time in was Innamincka, SA. The Cooper Creek runs through this area and it is part of the Lake Eyre water catchment and it runs into it. (Lake Eyre is more often a huge dry salt lake surrounded by desert). The Cooper Creek was first discovered by Europeans, Burke and Wills on their ill fated expeditioin to the Gulf of Carpentaria in Qld.

Without realising it my trip was pretty much the same route as theirs. (I travelled north through Mildura, Broken Hill, Innamincka then to The Gulf) The first time I visited this area there was a trickle of water and no ground cover anywhere, it was 40'C and I spent 36 hours on the floor of the tent while a dust storm blew continually(closest to hell I've ever been!) . This trip the Cooper Creek looked every bit the river that it is (Burke and Wills called it a creek because when they saw it thats what it looked like ) It was boom time in the bush.

Cormorants

Great Egrets waiting for a feed.

Great Egret

Pelicans

There were alot of egrets all trying to get the best fishing spot. There were so many fish though that generally, if hassled, a bird would just move a few feet along the bank.

Juvenile Nankeen Night Heron. There were alot of these with juvenile markings and not many adults ( which are very different looking).

Water attracts many things other than just water birds. These honeyeaters were catching insects around the Cooper Creek.

 Nankeen Kestral at Sturt NP. (situated in the NW corner of NSW).

Little Egret. Cooper Creek. Innaminka. SA.

Juvenile Straw-necked Ibis

I spent a few days at Innaminka, camped next to the Cooper Creek. The whole time flocks of pelicans were landing and taking off. Even during the night there was an almost continual beating of wings, as they take off and land on the water, it sounded almost like waves.

Pelicans flying. There were so many birds in the air at any one time it was imposible to capture the spectacle in any one shot.

The pelican on the left is a juvenile. Many pelicans breed nearby.

A shot of the Cooper Creek early in the morning. Great egret and Nankeen night heron in the foreground