Anthopleura Sea Anemone Distribution in the Rocky Intertidal at Hopkins Marine Station

Congeners of the sea anemone Anthopleura are conspicuous members of intertidal communities along the North American Pacific coast. Previous studies have shown that these congeners differ in their latitudinal habitat range. This study attempted to discern the distribution of anemones in the intertidal at Hopkins Marine Station.
Field experiments were conducted in the rocky intertidal at Hopkins Marine Station (HMS) of Stanford University in Pacific Grove, CA (36°36’N, 121°54’W). The study site lies within the Lovers Point State Marine Reserve, one of the four small marine protected areas in the Monterey/Pacific Grove coastline. Its latitude within the overlapping region of the three study species’ ranges makes it a key location to study potential species distribution and abundance shifts. Transects to assess species abundance were completed during low tide 19 April, 20 April, 21 April, 29 April, 30 April, 3 May, 17 May, and 19 May (2010). A. sola and A. xanthogrammica body temperatures were measured on 19 May, 2010.