The Gulf of Maine Pilings and Floats Ecology Lab Collection is the ecology of man-made structures such as wharves, pilings and floats and provides an excellent and varied habitat for many invertebrates. This collection contains an assortment of plants and animals taken from such areas. Species which are usually included are:

Chlorophyta: green sea lettuce (Ulva)

Phaeophyta: sugar kelp (Laminaria)

Rhodophyta: dulse (Rhodymenia)

Cnidaria: frilled anemone (Metridium), northern red anemone (Urticina), pink hearted hydroid (Tubularia), wine glass hydroid (Obelia)

Bryozoa: bushy sea fern (Bugula)

Mollusca: tortoiseshell limpet (Acmaea), Atlantic red chiton (Ischnochiton), blue mussel (Mytilus), common periwinkle (Littorina), rock borer (Hiatella), waved whelk (Buccinium)

Annelida: slime fan worm (Myxicola), spaghetti worms (Amphitrite), sandworms (Nereis), twelve scaled worm (Lepidonotus)

Arthropoda: green crab (Carcinus), rock barnacle (Balanus), toad crab (Hyas),

Echinodermata: orange-footed cucumber (Cucumaria), Northern sea star (Asterias), green sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus), blood star (Henricia)

Urochordata: sea vase (Ciona), sea grape (Molgula), sea peach (Halocynthia), and cactus sea squirt (Boltenia)