Marine Plankton
Milford Haven
Pembrokeshire UK
Aims of the Site
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To share marine plankton information
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Display photos of plankton biodiversity
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Provide an educational resource
Welcome. This site covers coastal plankton washing on to the stunning shores of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. There is an amazing biodiversity of microscopic life living in every drop of seawater. Collections are made around Milford Haven, part of the Special Area of Conservation, with the most regular ones made in Dale. Before looking at the details of The Species check the specimens chosen each month in the Previous Photo of the Month. The monthly Blog is full of photos of the latest species found. You may want to have a look at the Biodiversity page that gives a plankton overview while Methods looks specifically at how the samples are taken and photographed. More below.
Photo of the Month
This 2.5 mm long polychaete worm larva appeared in a sample on 11th September collected out in the Bristol Channel off Lundy Island. Along the lower, left side rows of bristles (chaetae) are just visible. This drifting larva is a member of a worm family, the Chaetopteridae, that are unusually large. The two green rings around the body are two bands of cilia that slowly propel it along. They are known to stay in the plankton for many weeks before settling on the bottom, building a rigid U-shape tube in sediment and changing into a quite spectacular-looking adult. My first encounter with the family.