Exploring the Miniature World of Marine Invertebrates

Students: Madelyn Page, Kelsey Simpson, Chloe Larramendy, Al Angeles

Faculty Mentor: Brent Hughes

Biology

College of Science, Technology, and Business

In the pelagic zone, identifying benthic organisms in their larval form is important for understanding their roles in aspects such as community structure, population connectivity, and dispersal distances for when they complete their life cycle and move closer to shore. The movement of larvae from offshore to nearshore is necessary for learning more about marine reserves and managing fisheries. The transport of larvae can be influenced by wind, currents, larval behavior, topography, freshwater input, and tidal bores. To measure larval dispersal, ACMs (Artificial Collection Modules) that were placed in the ocean at Ft. Ross during a sampling period are used after being stored at 0 degrees Celsius in labeled bags. To process these samples from the ACM, we have prepared specimens for identification by thawing them inside the bags using Pyrex dishes, filtering the bag contents through a mesh bag after thawing using deionized water. The filtered contents are then poured into a jar with deionized water and ethanol to preserve the specimens. In order to identify the specimens, petri dishes with grids were used to keep things organized. Dissecting scopes were used to identify smaller specimens that were not visible to the naked eye.