Week 3: FGCU

            The third week of our marine adventure was spent at FGCU Vester Marine Field Station. This week was a new adventure for us. We learned about so many different sides of marine biology that we had never considered before. Our first day was spent with Joanne Muller, a geologist, who taught us lots about history, sedimentation, and how storms (like hurricanes) affect our local environments. We went out into the estuary to take core samples. When taking them back to the lab, we discovered that the bottom of our core sample was about 7,000 years old! It was really interesting to be able to learn the story of the land just by looking at the different layers of the sediment. It was very different from what we’ve done the previous weeks. It was really interesting, but I don’t know if I see myself going into a geological field of marine biology. But it is cool how geology is one of those things that really ties everything together. It was a great experience getting to learn all about it. 

            The next day was also a new adventure. We were able to work with an archaeologist who also taught us lots about the history of the land. We were able to learn about the past civilizations who inhabited the islands around Fort Meyers. We were able to learn about their culture by studying the shells that were present. Most of the shells on the island were used by the Calusa Indians as tools. It was so interesting to take a look into the past. I’ve never really learned about archaeology, so it was really interesting to see how it ties into marine biology. Still, not really a field I would like to go into, but interesting to learn about. 

            The third day was spent exploring different parts of the estuaries. We started in the river and worked our way closer to the Gulf. At each site, we took water quality samples and noted all the aquatic life that was present. It was really interesting to see how the water quality changes so much as you get closer to the Gulf. It was cool to see how all the abiotic gradients changed from site to site. I really enjoy learning about estuaries, and I could definitely see myself pursuing a career doing research on them. 

            Then the fourth day was spent out on the boat shark fishing. I greatly enjoyed it. Our group ended up catching three sharks! The point of the study was to measure the mercury levels in the sharks. Mercury can have devastating affects on humans and animals if the levels are too high. It was cool how we would take the tissue samples, without really harming them. I’ve never really seen sharks much and I got to touch one! It was really awesome. Dr. Darren told us how to cheat the system a little. He said that if you want to work in a highly sought-after field in marine biology, you have to work with something that not many people want to work with. Like he works with mercury content levels and is able to incorporate sharks into his research. That was really great advice because, I’ve always wanted to work with large marine mammals and I’ve always been scared about getting a job because the demand is really great. I could definitely see myself incorporating sharks into my future study. I really had a lot of fun. 

            All in all, I think it was my favorite week so far just because we were able to be out on the boat and in the field every single day and I really enjoyed that. Also, I was able to learn about so many different fields in marine biology that I didn’t even know existed. It definitely broadened my horizons. I can’t wait to see what comes next!

Week 2: USFSP

            This week was definitely an eye-opener week for me. One reason I wanted to take this class was so that I could narrow down what I want to focus on in the field of marine biology. This week helped me to figure out some things that I definitely don’t want to do in this field. 

            First thing, I will not be doing offshore work. Ever. On Wednesday, we got the opportunity to participate in studies done on an offshore research vessel. Knowing that I get motion sick, I showed up prepared. I had my motion sick wristbands, I had taken non-drowsy Dramamine, I used motion ease, and I had lots of ginger snacks. I still got sick. I was sick from about 11am to about 7pm. The only thing I could do to help the motion sickness was to sit at the front of the boat and watch the horizon, or sleep. So, aftter a much-needed 2 hour nap, I actually felt pretty good. I was pretty upset that I wasn’t able to participate in the first site data collection because I was sick, but I was really excited to be in on the action at the second site. I really loved the data collection process. We collected specimens using a dredge and an otter trawl. Once we collected the samples, we categorized them into buckets and used field guides to identify their species. Then we would count and measure them and record all data found. It was a really cool experience and it was cool being able to identify species that we had never seen before. It required lots of teamwork and coordination, and I really enjoyed it. I’m glad it was only a 12 hour trip though because I don’t know how much longer I could have stayed on the boat for. Overall, it was a really cool experience being able to participate in a study on a research vessel. 

            I also learned two other things that I will not be doing in my marine biology career. I will not work with sponges and I will not work with plankton. The sponge was literally the most awful thing I’ve ever smelled in my life. It was absolutely terrible, and it never went away. It was just really hard to focus and dissect it when all I could think of was my nose hairs pretty much melting from the awful smell. Sponges are super cool and I love learning about them and I could see myself studying them but only if they’re still in the water and I don’t have to smell them. Also, plankton was a topic of this week that was really cool and interesting, but I don’t see myself pursuing a career with plankton. One of our tasks was to get a petri dish of one of the plankton samples we collected on the boat. The plankton sample we had in my group was so overwhelming. When putting the petri dish under the microscope, we couldn’t even see the bottom of it because it was just covered in plankton. It was just layers on top of layers of plankton. We had never even seen or studied plankton very much, and we were supposed to identify them and count them. It was just extremely overwhelming and we didn’t even know where to start or how to handle it. With one of the plankton species we identified, we determined there to be 97,761 total in the sample after all the calculations. It was just a really difficult task for us and we didn’t really enjoy it very much. The good thing about this class though is that it is helping us to narrow down our choices of where to go next in this field. There were some things that I did enjoy this week, but it more helped me to see what I don’t want to do in marine biology. I look forward to what I will learn in these next few weeks. 

Week 1: UWF Pictures!

Week 1: UWF

Our first week was spent at the University of West Florida. We learned so much about so many different ecosystems. It was great being able to travel around Pensacola and learn about different things in the ecosystem that need our help to be fixed.

            The first day was spent learning about stream ecology. We went to four different streams around Pensacola. They were all so different and had many different characteristics to them. The first stream that we visited, called Ferrypass Bayou Creek, was a 6 on the biological condition gradient. This scale is rated from 1-6, with 1 being pristine and 6 being in bad shape. As we moved to different streams, they all continually increased on the scale, with the Perdido River being the healthiest. We learned about the effects of development and sedimentation on streams. We also learned that everything that happens in streams has an effect on the larger bodies of water that they flow into like rivers and oceans.

            The second day was learning about water quality and seagrasses. Water quality samples were taken using a YSI, a plankton net, a CTD, a light penetration meter, and a seki. Each of these tools is used to measure a different aspect of the water being sampled. All of the data collected was taken into the lab and analyzed for future studies. After taking water samples, we learned about seagrasses. Seagrasses are essential habitats for countless aquatic species. Seagrass abundance was measured using square pvc pipes. They were placed on the sea floor and the abundance of seagrasses present was measured and recorded.

            The third day was spent learning about dunes, fish sampling, and sea turtles. We went to Pensacola beach and took sein samples. Seining is a way to get samples of the aquatic life present in the sampling area. It is a large net with two poles on each side that’s dragged along the bottom of the water body being sampled. Five sein samples were taken at every location we visited. The data collected is a good representation of whether the quality of the water at the site is good or not. After collecting the fish data, we went to Fort Pickens to learn about sea turtles. They study light pollution’s effect on sea turtle nests. Light data is collected at night on each nest to see how much light is surrounding the nests and how much it affects where the turtles go when they hatch. The data collected is analyzed and is taken again once the eggs hatch to see how much the light affected them getting back into the ocean.

            The fourth day was spent in the lab analyzing all the data that was collected during the week. It was also a day to work on presentations. There were seven groups who each had a different topic to make a presentation on.

            The last day was spent finishing up presentations and presenting to the group. The presentations were great and it was great being able to learn more about what we had been working with the whole week. Overall, it was a great week and we learned so much. I am looking forward to what the rest of this class has in store.

Introduction!

Hi! My name is Meg Simon and I am studying to be a Marine Biologist! When I was four years old, I discovered my passion for marine biology when my family took a family vacation to Sea World. Since then, I knew that I wanted to study marine life and work with marine animals. I look forward to learning more about all the different ecosystems in Florida. I am excited to learn about new organisms I've never seen before. Throughout this class, I will be blogging about all the experiences that I will have, all the places I will go, and all the things that I will be learning! I can't wait to start this amazing journey!