Today we started to think more like field biologists by using tools such as our quadrates and transect tapes to measure densities and volumes of objects such as coral heads! We came up with a scientific question and hypothesis to test about the green algae, penicillus. We wanted to test how the penicillus density would change as we got into deeper waters. Our class could perform this data collection if we all went vertical by shoring using our transect to measure our 100 ft from shore, and then using our quadrat to search for and identify penicillus among the sea grass. Our hypothesis was that penicillus would be more abundant in shallower waters, due to higher sunlight and more nutrients, but we were wrong. Our data supported the idea that penicillus was more abundent in deeper waters and was typically seen not solitary but in groups. We presented our evidence and conclusions to our professors and they seemed impressed for our first field biology project. Maybe some day in the future we’ll try to experimentally determine the reason for this (possibly competition with sea grass or other factors).
Here’s us working and discussing our presentation of our data
While we were working on our presentations Nyala and Caio brought us coconut meat which was a delicious snack!
Later we visited our Professor Correa’s favorite place on earth- the Coral Graveyard. The coral graveyard has all different specimens of corals that seem to be very well preserved. There was stag horn coral, different species of brain corals with cool patterns and ridges, and there was also a type of coral that is so rare that there has hardly been any sightings in the last 40 years (before the coral disease epidemic). It was very important that we know learn to match these corals up with live species that we may encounter in the reef! We also discovered a fossilized palm tree species which Dr. Solomon is pictured holding!
I spotted a coral specimen that had a possible annelid boring mark. This was probably a type of worm hole! It was perfectly preserved and I wonder what type of annelid could have made that mark.
There was also some specimens of Bladed Fire Coral (millepora complanata) which is a common hydrozoan reef-building coral in Glover’s reef! Bladed fire coral has very small hair-like polyp holes compared to most other species I have encountered.
I can’t wait to see more of Glover’s tomorrow and hopefully go on a boat snorkel trip!
Hi all, it’s Faith with Day 3 updates from the 2022 Belize trip!!!
Today we started off with a new activity where we learned how to use the quadrats and transect tapes. On the reefs, quadrats are used for making standardized measurements while fighting the wave currents. You can count them using the individual squares or their cross-sections!!! We took on two tasks, one as a duo and one as a whole group, that challenged us to use quadrats and transect tapes to answer a scientific question.
As a pair, Maegan and I tried to measure the heights and widths of young palms (we called them coconut palms because they still grow out of coconuts) on the Glover’s island, but Dr. Correa told us to change it, so we ended up measuring the volumes of two random coconut palms. We used the transect tape as a tool to decrease the bias in our samples, and we used the qaudrats squares as a unit of measurement.
After this test-run, our entire group created a scientific question, hypothesis, and procedure for collecting data. Here are the details:
Our question was, “How does the density of the green algae Penicillium change with distance from the dock?” Our hypothesis was that the density decreased because “algae are light dependent and nutrient depended,” and we *assumed* that there was more light and nutrients towards the shore. For our actual experiment, our pairs lined up horizontally at the doc, and then layed out 100ft of transect tape in a line straight ahead of us. Then, every 10 feet we counted the number of Penicillium in 1 quadrats range on either side of the transect tape. Our findings actually conflicted with our hypothesis because the distance with the highest Penicillium density was actually 80ft away! We concluded that our hypothesis may be wrong because 1) seagrass was outcompeteing the algae in shallower waters, 2) the waters by the shore might not be more nutrient rich or provide more light, and 3) we may have gotten better at finding the algae the more we practiced (therefore reporting more at deeper depths). However, we kinda ruled out #3 because Maegan and I did the experiment backwards, and even though we reported the algae from 100ft to 0 ft, our data aligned with the trend (we found 6 Penicillium at 80ft. which was our highest density). Another group also did a backwards collection and had similar data. To finish off this trial research, the professors made us present it just like I said it to you now!!! So, look below for pictures of our beautiful poster!
Then data collection dive was challenging in many ways. I found out how difficult data collection is because of the currents and carrying materials. Because of this, I ended up leaving my camera behind, so of course, the worst thing happened– 2 echinoderms showed up! First, Professor Correa brought me a Oreaster reticulatus more commonly known as a cushion sea star. I was not sure where she found him, but I assume it was in the sea grass where we were collecting data. I had a difficult time identifying this star because it had pillow-star depth, but the spines were the same color as the bodice and the legs lacked a prominent “fused” appearance. Most guides show pictures where their spines are lighter than the bodice color and their legs are very fused. Nevertheless, I got to hold him and feel his spiny tube feet prick my fingers. Because I didn’t have my camera, someone else took my photo, so hopefully I’ll be able to get the picture and upload it for the next blog!
Next, I saw a West Indian Sea Egg (Tripneustes ventricosus) just sitting in the sea grass, but Ruth, our marine safety guide, picked him up before I could. So, alas, I did not get to name him “Fluffy,” and I cannot cross this off of my goals list! Anyways, we got to see the interesting sea urchin suction mouths because he suctioned to us while we held him. Shortly after seeing him, messing around with plastic-bag jellyfish, and trying to grab upside-down jellyfish, we went inside for lunch.
For our last activity of the day, Dr. Correa brought us to “the best place on Earth” where we identified washed-up coral skeletons based on their coralite and polyp structures. It was a very informative talk, but I don’t think I can cover it all here. You’ll just have to visit the coral graveyard yourself with a coral guidebook! I did go a littttttllllleeeee conch crazy and collected every conch that had color in it (about 5 or so). I also found a walking stick!!!
Till tomorrow!
Quotes of the Day:
“This place is amazing!!! *points at coral* And this is Agaricia”
“Signing off in another language would be a very suburban mom thing to do, ‘like I learned a few new words today’ would be too ‘mom’ of me”
West Indian Sea Egg (sadly not named Fuzzy) Tripneustes ventricosusOur presentation poster with a quadrat heart <3Labeling Coral from the coral graveyardFossilized Palm Roots from the coral graveyard. This one stumpted us at first; we knew it wasn’t a coral. All we could do was ask Prof. Solomon, “Is this a land thing?” We found out what it was by finding dead palm roots that looked very similar.
Today was a big day. I know you were all waiting in suspense after the cliff-hanger ending to yesterday’s blog post. Well, wait no more.
We started out the day by practicing using out quadrats (which are actually 2×2 feet-oops!). We had to come up with a scientific question that we could answer by using the quadrat. Sophia and I chose to ask what percentage of the sand is occupied by live foliage. We laid out 30 feet of transect tape, then placed the quadrat on either side every five feet, and counted the number of squares that contained a live plant. The answer we came up with was 22.7%.
The next step was to figure out a scientific question that we could answer with the quadrat in the reef, collect data, and present our findings to the professors. You can read all about it below!
Also, I must note that throughout our scientific process we were being supplied fresh coconut by the kids. #sponsored
After that, we went on a walk to the coral graveyard-Professor Correa’s favorite place in the world! It looked like a beach full of gray rocks, but upon further inspection, it turned out to be fossilized corals! We were able to identify the corals based on the shape of the calyxes (the little spot that the coral polyp inhabits). In live coral, the skeleton is covered by the tissue, so in these fossils, we could easily see the identifying markers. Some of the fossils belonged to corals that have been nearly wiped out by disease and are rarely seen in nature, so the coral graveyard was truly a special place.
I also saw some sargassum that had washed up on the shore of the coral graveyard. I think it was sargassum natans VIII, but it was hard to tell because most of it was dead. There were also some floating sargassum patches out at sea, which was cool because there aren’t any that I have seen within the lagoon.
We then came back to watch the presentations for the night. I delivered mine on nutrient pollution, overfishing, and the future of the coral reefs.
And that was it! Tomorrow we are looking to go further out via boat to see new reefs, weather allowing of course. Stay tuned!
-Elena
ps. happy graduation to my brother! (although I doubt he’s reading this)
Feeling like a true field biologist! Today we practiced using our quadrates and trisects, first on land and then in the water. For the water experiment, the whole group came up with the research question: how does the density of the green algae Penicillus changes the further you go from shore? We also brainstormed a hypothesis (that they’d become less abundant) and a method to carry out our question. In the end, our hypothesis was wrong, but it was still really fun to be able to look closer into the seagrass and find all of the other organisms that reside in it (corallomorphs, anemones, and conchs).
Before, as we were working on our experiments and waiting for everyone to be finished, we were all treated with 10/10 service from Dr. Correa and Dr. Solomon’s kids Calliou and Nayala. I learned how to husk a coconut and also how to get the water out from it. I now believe that I could most definitely survive on a deserted island. No doubt.
After lunch, we went to the wet lab and worked on our group poster about the green algae experiment (during which we were graciously treated with even more delicious fresh coconut from Calliou and Nayala) and then presented it to Dr. Correa and Dr. Solomon (we totally aced it too ;)). We then went out to Dr. Correa’s favorite spot in the whole entire world: the Coral Graveyard. Once you get there, you can totally understand why too. Here, it was a section of the old reef that re-mineralized and all of the coral skeletons are super clear and really easy to identify as they are all now stone. This also includes the conch shells which I thought was pretty crazy. Some corals that we identified include Fire Coral, Symmetrical Brain Coral, and Pillar Coral (which sadly isn’t very common anymore). Also! I was able to see some Crustose Coraline Algae (my taxa) mineralized. It was super cool to be able to see the skeleton of the hundreds of pieces corals before they corrode into sand, something that you don’t get to see everyday.
-Sophia
A full group selfie!Re-mineralized Psuedodiploria strigosa (left) and unidentified coral (right)A re-mineralized conch shellRe-mineralized Crustose Coralline Algae
Much like I am assuming most days on this trip will be, today was full of many new skills both in and out of the water. As a class, we seem to have graduated past simple scenic observational snorkeling and were tasked with developing and testing a research question for our afternoon snorkel. Utilizing a quadrat and a transect tape, we aimed to evaluate the prevalence of the macroalgae penicillus as we swam out away from the dock to closer waters. I must say, this was easier said than done. We thought the algae would be relatively easy to find, yet finding the marine equivalent of a green Truffula tree among a dense forest of also green seagrass did not go as smoothly as first thought. Yet, we managed to find a few, and created a poster outlining our results.
However, after lunch is when the truly exciting action took place. We went on a small walk (this time well protected from the ravenous mosquitoes) and ended up on the seaward side of the island where there is a graveyard of coral fragments. If you have seen the graveyard scene from The Lion King, it had similar vibes, yet in this case, the graveyard provided an unprecedented opportunity to look at the skeleton of stony corals. For my cards and presentations, I did a significant amount of research regarding the different stony corals of the Caribbean, yet many of the ways to tell the species apart is by the skeleton (which you would hope to not see on a healthy reef). This graveyard of coral provided the perfect opportunity to see these unique characteristics which are typically obscured by tissue. Porites divaricata, Pseudodiploria stigose, Acropora palmata and cervicornis, are just a few of the many of species that we saw and discussed. I also happened to find a piece of Eusmilia fastigiata, which was a rare and cool find.
After sadly leaving the coral graveyard, we wrapped the day up with several presentations covering Lionfish, herbivorous fish, piscivorous fish, and a fantastic yet kind of depressing presentation illustrating the future of our coral reefs. Another incredible day.
I felt like such a tropical field biologist today (with training wheels of course). We started off the day with a land activity using transects and the quadrats that we made yesterday. Liliana and I got some practice using the gear and with the methodology by gathering data to characterize what percentage of the measured area had evidence of hermit crab movement through the sand. Here is a photo! (The square is the quadrat, the line is the transect, and the orange rectangle is a very fancy dive clipboard)
Then, all of the TFBs put our heads together and came up with a question to test with this procedure out in the seagrass beds. We chose to investigate how the density of penicillus (a green algae) changes with the distance from the shore. We decided on a uniform methodology and got to work! I saw a lot of warty corallimorphs and great Caribbean sea anemones in the seagrass beds! After we collected our data in the water, we came back to the wet lab and compiled our data. We all made a poster that reflected the entire experiment, including results, discussion, and figures (one of which is a taped-on penicillus in a quadrat heart).
While working in the wet lab, I ate some freshly husked coconut as a snack!
Later in the day, we went to what Adrienne called the “coral graveyard,” and which she also described as “the most amazing place on the planet.” It really was amazing! The field of coral skeleton rubble was extremely well-preserved, and we were able to identify a lot of the species! One thing that I was particularly excited about was seeing and correctly identifying Montastraea cavernosa fragments. I took Adrienne’s coral reef ecosystems class, and my semester-long research proposal centered around this coral. It was so gratifying to get to hold a piece of its skeleton framework!
Besides the few sightings I got in during our penicillus data collection, I didn’t have a lot of time or opportunities to focus on my taxonomic group today. However, I am now so much better at recognizing great Caribbean anemones and warty corallimorphs!
Although my collection of mosquito bites has grown to be rather impressive, I can’t wait to get more if that means I can have more days like this!
Here’s us working and discussing our presentation of our data
