MBFE - Day 13-14 - Research kick-off!

After a non-academic day on Sunday (MBFE Day 13) we are at the midway point of the 2017 BYU-Idaho marine biology field experience (Day 14).  So far we have been on several field expeditions to various intertidal habitats, students have gotten to know each other and they have formed research teams.  They also spent (lots of) time in class and thinking about possible research projects.

I spent time this afternoon with each research team going over their proposals and research plans.

Here are the research teams and their proposed research topics (in the order that I met with them):

• Courtney, Katie and Emily - Sea anemones often have photosynthetic symbionts living in their tissues, just like corals do.  There is evidence to suggest that anemones can lose their symbionts (i.e., undergo bleaching) due to excessive light or darkness.  Their question asks whether anemones exhibit bleaching more rapidly due to light or dark stress.
• Bri, Caitlin and Ashley - This team will carry out two projects since all of them already completed the marine biology course while on campus at BYU-Idaho.  In project #1 this team addresses effects of ocean acidification, a consequence of ongoing accumulation of excess CO2 in the atmosphere, the same factor that drives the current trend of global warming.  They propose to expose CaCO3 spines from sea urchins to different levels of pH.  These levels include current ocean pH and projected ocean pH levels in the year 2100 based on low and high carbon emission rates.  In project #2 they ask whether changes in salinity will cause bleaching of sea anemones.  They will expose sets of anemones to full strength seawater salinity and to salinity levels commonly found in estuaries.
• Harrison and Rob - This team is studying aggression in anemones within the same species.  This species is known to form aggregations by cloning (binary fission).  When different clones (different genotypes) come in contact with each other they fight.  This team asks whether there are observable differences between phenotypes within this species in terms of their ability to win battles (literally fighting each other).
• Wyatt, Janae and Darby - This team is carrying out a field study in which they are quantifying the ability of a common species of snail to survive predatory attacks by crabs. This is done by examining their shells and looking for evidence of repaired breaks.  They will compare different locations to see if snails are at greater risk at one location than the others.
• Stephen and Katie - This team is attempting a larval recruitment study.  They will suspend ceramic tiles at predetermined locations in the Charleston inner and outer boat basins (harbor) and then generate species diversity index values for each location.  Their goal is to try to identify which location is most favorable to larval settling.
• Stephen, Jay and Darren - This team is carrying out a research project using experimental embryology.  They will collect gametes from sea urchins and expose the developing embryos to varying levels of pH.  They plan to compare ambient seawater pH to pH levels projected for the year 2100 for different scenarios of global carbon emissions.  They wonder how or if lowered pH levels will slow development and even affect how these animals develop.

Each team is now ready to get started on their projects.  They plan to collect new specimens, set up field sites or start field data collection starting tomorrow.

Last night we had a sunset home evening on the beach complete with a thought shared by Katie (great job) a fire (thanks jay) and marshmallows and starbursts.

The sunset over the mouth of Coos Bay, Oregon

Katie sharing a thought, after which we all shared bucket list items and enjoyed snacks and chatting.

(L-R) Bri (just barely), Katie, Courtney, Ashley, Darby, Emily, Darren, Rob, Harrison, Wyatt, Janae, and Jay (not visible, Caitlin and Stephen)