The remaining 3 days at FGCU just seemed to fly by! On Wednesday, we studied the microbial aspects of the mangroves. On Thursday we analyzed the sea grass beds of Estero Bay. On Friday we observed oyster reefs and took our end of week test. And now we are in the Keys!
On Wednesday we were greeted bright and early with a lecture on the detritus food web of the mangrove ecosystem as well as the benefits of microbial organism by Dr. Toshi. Once we learned about the importance of these microbial organisms we took an exciting canoe trip into the mangrove systems of Estero Bay to collect soil samples and mangrove leaves that were in various levels of degradation. When we returned to Vester, we set off to the lab where we took on the task of putting the leaves in order based on there degree of degradation. Following that, we analyzed the soil samples under the microscopes and it was amazing to see all the organisms present. There was shrimp larvae, amphipods, isopods, nematods, and much more. When we looked at the soil under an even higher magnification were were able to see the bacteria that perform the vital task of enriching the soil with the broken down detritus.
On Thursday we were set with the task of analyzing sea grass beds after sitting through a lecture given by the dynamic Dr. Douglass. In his lecture we learned about the 7 sea grasses native to Florida, what sea grasses we would expect to find in Estero Bay and the sampling techniques we would be performing out in the field. We were assigned teams and tasks that would be performed at each of the 2 sites. At the first site Laura and I were tasked with taking 6 quadrat samples of the sea grass beds we came into contact with. A quadrat is basically a square meter that is marked off in order to analyze species richness and species diversity. We used a device made with PVC pipes that marked off our area which was also used to measure canopy height and water depth. After traveling to both sites, we made our way back to Vester. Following a hurried lunch, we began the exciting task of evaluating the samples and data collected. I was employed with the task of removing the actual sea grass from each sample and weighing it, after which we strained the remaining deposits through different sized sieves. We did this so as to record the size of the deposits and then to analyze what was found in each size class. We found everything from fighting conch to juvenile blue crabs to microscopic hermit crabs to amphipods and isopods of various sizes.
The last and final day at FGCU Vester Marine Lab was met with a morning lecture on the importance of oyster reefs as ecosystem engineers followed by a field trip to 2 of the larger reefs of Estero Bay. At the first reef we were able to observe spat as well as oysters of various ages ranging from juvenile to mature adults. We also saw many of the other organisms that live within the oyster reef such as mud crabs, fish, gastropods and even a fiddler crab or two. At the other site, the oyster was less abundant, however the diversity of this area was phenomenal. We were able to capture two nudibranchs, which really are beautiful creatures. We also saw sponges, tunicates, some small fish, all sorts of macroalgae, and a hermit crab. After viewing both sites we made our way back to Vester where we took a test on all that we learned this week.
The last and final day at FGCU Vester Marine Lab was met with a morning lecture on the importance of oyster reefs as ecosystem engineers followed by a field trip to 2 of the larger reefs of Estero Bay. At the first reef we were able to observe spat as well as oysters of various ages ranging from juvenile to mature adults. We also saw many of the other organisms that live within the oyster reef such as mud crabs, fish, gastropods and even a fiddler crab or two. At the other site, the oyster was less abundant, however the diversity of this area was phenomenal. We were able to capture two nudibranchs, which really are beautiful creatures. We also saw sponges, tunicates, some small fish, all sorts of macroalgae, and a hermit crab. After viewing both sites we made our way back to Vester where we took a test on all that we learned this week.
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