MBFE Tuesday 5/7 - A great low tide day at Sunset Bay, Oregon

In the BYU-Idaho Marine Biology Field Experience (MBFE) we try to schedule things so that we first discuss a marine community or ecological principle in class and then go to the shore to see examples of what we have been talking about.  

Today we continued discussing the rocky intertidal zone, and today's field outing was a trip to the rocky shore at Sunset Bay, Oregon, where the students were assigned to collect data they needed to learn how to calculate species diversity index values.

Here's the crew arriving at the rocky shore...

LR: Michelle, Liv, Sam, Matt, Anne, Caleb, Ben, Collin, Hunter, Chey, Mady (back), Jen, Eric, Victoria and Emma

The group were assigned to work in three-student teams, and each team was assigned a different micro-habitat to study.  Here are Ben, Liv and Chey collecting data using their team's quadrat.

Elsewhere, Michelle, Maddy and Hunter are working their location.

As are Collin, Jen and Eric.

And Sam, Matt and Emma.

After data collection is complete, students are free to investigate the new location to see what they could see.  At this place, sea urchins are dominant species of the lower intertidal zone.  

This is the final research team of the day: Anne, Caleb and Victoria.  Victoria has clearly made a new friend.

Here Anne is following a maxim of a former professor of mine, Todd Newberry, who used to tell his students that if they really wanted to see things in the intertidal zone, that they should "put their face where their feet are."  Anne is! 

In this pic, (L-R): Sam, Hunter, Jan, Maddy, and Victoria (background) and Anne (bottom corner) take a look around.

Caleb explores a surge channel while Matt looks on.

And Sam and Eric are surprised by the number of marine critters they already know, even though the MBFE started less than a week ago.

When the work was done and we were ready to head back to the lab, Dr. H surprised the crew when he sliced the ends off of a bull kelp (Nereocystis) and used it to play a tune.  Then several group members wanted a try...(sorry but the video wouldn't load)

And then it was time to head back to the lab in time for lunch in the Dining Hall.

But, the day wasn't done...that afternoon we had a couple of hours of lecture about adaptations of intertidal marine organisms to waves, currents and other water flow forces.