Hi everyone! Welcome back, to week six! Last weekend Victoria, Chloe, Sherlyn, Sebastian, and I took a day trip to the Bandon Petting Zoo! I spent about an hour petting capybaras through their fence. I also got to pet a Siberian brown bear cub! There were many donkeys, deer, goats, rams, alpacas, and chickens wandering around the zoo. I loved spending time petting all of the lovely creatures! I noticed a deer struggling to get some grass from under the fence, so I gathered a few handfuls for him to enjoy. Soon, fifteen deer and five goats surrounded me, loudly demanding more grass! I hurried as fast as I could, scrambling to reach for more clumps of grass, but it wasn't quick enough - they began gnawing at my clothing! It was adorable. On Tuesday we attended a training session at the CMLC - Charleston Marine Life Center - on how to present scientific research to the public. We discussed how to avoid using scientific jargon and how to effectively communicate with various age groups and visitors from different backgrounds. Our goal is to share our research projects with the public in an accessible and interesting way. We learned techniques we can use to help engage visitors and encourage them to participate. I have been planning how I will set up my booth and preparing for it. Next Saturday we will each be presenting our projects to the public at the CMLC! I think it should be fun. My family will be attending, as well as kids from a local high school and middle school. I currently have have 28 Chthamalus dali settled juveniles, 20 Balanus glandula, and 4 Balanus crenatus, and no Pollicipes polymerus, Balanus nubilus or Amphibalanus improvisus settlers on my sea table plates. I am documenting their development through daily photographing. I will share some images below for your viewing pleasure! This week I made the decision to retire my sea plates. I have had sea plates out in the boat basin since late June, in an attempt to collect more settled barnacles. While I have collected many, I’ve found them to be less valuable in terms of my research project. Everyday I:
The plates must be checked daily to ensure the age of the settler, or it is of no use. Taking trips back and forth to the boat basin daily takes time away from my other work. I do not know for sure the species of the settlers in the boat basin, but I do know the species of my sea table plates. Knowing the species is important for my research, as I am creating an identification guide. I’d like to focus my time on known settlers instead. Part of research is trial and error. Trying new methods, making mistakes, and trying new methods again based on results. Unfortunately, my gooseneck barnacle skin slides have not induced any settlement in Pollicipes polymerus. I collected more Pollicipes polymerus adults (gooseneck barnacles) to create a settlement extract. I dissected their necks using a razor blade, blended them in a food processor, centrifuged, boiled, and froze the solution. C.A. Lewis found that Pollicipes polymerus did not settle on biofilm plates with adult extract, but only settled when an alive adult Pollicipes polymerus had been present (C.A. Lewis, 1975). If my adult extract does not induce settlement, I will use her method in having a live adult present. This week I got a really great photo of Chthamalus dali, with its tergum and scutum visible! The tergum and scutum are two of a barnacle’s five calculus plates, and can be used to identify barnacle species. This weekend I will browse the CMLC museum for the first time, which should be fun! I’m also going to be working on my poster and preparing for my CMLC session next Saturday. Time is starting to fly by! See you next week - only three weeks left! Thanks for reading, Annika
2 Comments
Fern
8/1/2022 08:53:50 pm
Thank you for sharing! I’ve loved trying to keep up.
Reply
Heather
8/3/2022 03:46:40 pm
What a fun, determined, progressive filled week!
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Author
Hi! I'm Annika, a biology student attending Lane Community College. I will be researching cyprid larvae in the Emlet lab this summer. I look forward to sharing my findings on Cyprids. I love roller skating, my eleven penpals across the globe, my two cats, two guinea pigs, and the enchanting PNW woods - my forever home.
Archives
August 2022
Categories |
Proudly powered by Weebly