This week has been hectic and busy! It is the second to last week and everyone has been working on their posters. Last Friday we celebrated Nick’s birthday at 7 Devils brewery. We had a great time, but I found it bitter-sweet since we’re all leaving next week. The invertebrate ball was last Saturday and everyone dressed up as their favorite integrate. There is a catwalk and judges on the most biologically accurate and non-accurate costumes. I chose to be an urchin and rocked some urchins buns on the runway. Last weekend my boyfriend Evan visited and we went out and explored Bandon and the local coastal trails. One thing I have really appreciated about coming here is all the amazing coastal nature that is everywhere. The small coastal bays and rock formations are very beautiful. Last Wednesday Aaron and I went diving in Port Orford. On our first dive, we had to replace the whale camera and while Aaron was replacing the camera I found a small Pycnopodia/sunflower sea star! It is the first one that’s been found in Port Orford since the wasting disease. Aaron has dubbed me the “Pycnopodia whisperer” since I’ve found 2 out of the 4 seen here this summer! On our last dive. Aaron and I went on a spearfishing dive and caught some rockfish. The tacos were fantastic! Next week is the final week and I’ll be finishing and presenting my poster! Stay tuned!
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Hello! The weeks here have been going by so fast. This week I have been focused on urchin gonads, presentations, and video data entry. Last Monday Annika and I volunteered at the CLMC as we always do. When we went to feed flash he was very active so we had a mini photoshoot. We feed him half a crab in a jar with a lid. This is a form of enrichment because he must open the jar to get the crab out, but as you can see he is very good at this and quickly takes the lid off and takes the crab. As I’ve been dissecting urchins I’ve noticed that the gonads come in a range of colors from bright orange, pale yellow, to brown. I’m wondering if it’s an indicator of health, reproductive readiness, or environmental factors? Last Wednesday Aaron and I went to Port Orford to replace whale cameras and gather urchins. It was a calm day in the bay and the visibility was much better! We placed a camera at 2 sites and went to a new spot to collect urchins. While we were doing our transect we came across a giant pacific octopus laying flat against a rock. It was pretty big and had textured camouflage. It was the first time I had seen one in the wild and the highlight of my week. The giant pacific octopus was my favorite animal at the Seattle aquarium as a kid so I was ecstatic to see it. We did a total of 5 dives that day! Afterward, we celebrated by having some fancy coffee in Bandon at a chocolate shop. This Saturday the REU students and I will be presenting our research to high schoolers via zoom. Also, Saturday evening is the OIMB invertebrate ball! Everyone dresses up as their favorite invertebrate and there is a costume contest. Next week I’ll be creating my first draft of my poster and working on more video data analysis, stay tuned!
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AuthorMy name is Maite Gato-Fuentes. I am a senior marine science major at California State University, Monterey Bay from Seattle Washington. I'm working in Dr. Aaron Galloway's Coastal Trophic Ecology Lab. Archives
August 2021
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