Featured Creatures

Rogues Gallery | Identification Guide

The pattern of colonization for the Inner Harbor area may follow a trend similar to that in an old abandoned farm field. At first there will be a great diversity of weeds, wildflowers, small seedlings, and grasses. In time the seedlings with rapid growth will begin to take over as small shrubs and trees appear. These plants will compete for space more efficiently and "weed out" their neighbors. After a few seasons the larger trees will dominate the landscape and the diversity will decline to a number of well-adapted species. This process is known as succession and occurs in many ecosystem populations. The succession of the biofilms in the Inner harbor will be more rapid as it is mainly invertebrate animals competing for limited space on a plexiglass discs during the optimal time for growth in the summer and fall. This competition in the farm field is no less intense only slower. The biofilm community on the disc will eventually become dominated by larger invertebrates like mussels, barnacles, mud worms, and anemones and limit the space of those species without the "backbone" to compete effectively.

Return to top

Rogues Gallery

Here are some of the not so familiar faces that you may encounter in this activity. Click on word or picture and an new window will open to reveal photo and description from the dichotomous key activity (also check our "biofilm identification guide"):

Return to top

Biofilm Identification Guide

Now that you've met some of our featured organisms, it is important to understand something about their taxonomy. This will help you identify the organisms you see living on the disc. Be sure to check out the pictorial guides.

Kingdom Protista

Guide 1
Protozoans - Single-celled organisms. Lives as an individual or as a colony, usually microscopic in size (Stentor, Colonial Ciliate).

Kingdom Animalia

Guide 2
Phylum Cnidaria - Multicellular organisms known for their "hollow cavity" for digestion and excretion (Hydra, White Anemone, Colonial Hydroid).

Guide 3
Phylum Bryozoa - Known as "moss animals" because of their carpet-like growth on rocks and other substrate (Tube Bryozoan, Lacy Crust Bryozoan).

Guide 4
Phylum Annelida - The term Annelida refers to the segmented body characteristic of these worms (Whip Mud Worm, Clam Worm).

Phylum Mollusca - The term Mollusca translates to "soft-bodied" which is characteristic of all members of the phylum (Dark False Mussel, Dusky Sea Slug).

Guide 5
Phylum Arthropoda (Class Crustacea) - Known for their hard exoskeleton and mainly aquatic lifestyle (Mud Crab, Amphipod, Barnacle, Copepod).

Return to top