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Map Satellite Fairly isolated, this is an excellent example of a kelp bed on a cobble bottom and is typical of the cobble-bottom beds that occur south to Las Pulgas Canyon. The kelp is Macrocystis sp., intergrades between Macrocystis pyrifera and Macrocystis angustifolia. Other algae are present including Egregia laevigata, Pterygophora californica, Prionitis spp., Rhodymenia californica, and Lithothamnium sp. Prominent among the invertebrate populations are the sea urchins, Strongylocentrotus franciscanus and Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, and the gorgonians, Muricea californica and Muricea fructicosa. Cobbles are sometimes rafted when the kelp plants become large and buoyant. During the warm-water period of 1957 to 1959 the bed disappeared but has reappeared after a fourteen-year absence. Excessive grazing by the large populations of sea urchins results in some instability. Integrity: The nearby San Onofre Nuclear generating station is not likely to affect the site. Use: Research, educational, observational. November 1975
Inventory of California Natural Areas
Revision © 2009 Steven Louis Hartman
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