Transects 7/1/2015

     Yesterday we were introduced to the methods used to take transects. Our class separated into two groups and each set out to conduct a point quarter and original transect. In the point quarter students were to pick points and sample in four quadrants around each point. Ten points were to be marked two meters apart from one another. In the regular transect students were to choose at least five points along a line. Flags were used to mark points one meter apart. In both transect exercises photos were taken of the points and students were to identify species in the area. The data was to be transferred to an excel sheet. I really enjoyed working in groups to complete this assignment. It gave me a chance to work closely with some students that I hadn’t gotten a chance to really talk to beforehand. It also made setting up equipment in the field much easier and other students were able to contribute ideas to help the data collection run a lot more smoothly. We were a bit disorganized when we tried to complete our first transect, the regular transect and spent a great deal of time trying to find the best way to use the measuring tape under water. With a bit of practice we figured it out and made up for lost time when we went back into the filed after lunch. It was difficult for each student to record species that we saw while in the field due to both the lack of dive slates and uncertainty of the names of various species. We concluded that it would be best if we took many very clear photos of the species we saw to compare them with those listed in the Coral Identification Guide that was available to us on land. Keeping photos organized while on the field also proved difficult, but we decided to separate groups of photos from each transect with a photo of the sky. While we were completing the point quarter transect in the field, extra photos were taken of each quadrant that needed to be removed when the photos were transferred to the computer. It definitely helped having more than one set of eyes looking at each photo that was transferred to the computer for analysis! We had little difficulty transferring the data to excel and did so in two groups. One worked on the regular transect and the other the point quarter transect. When the students working on the regular transect finished they assisted with inputting functions on the spreadsheet containing the point quarter data.

     We also discussed symbiosis and touched on mutualistic and parasitic relationships in the coral reefs. Unfortunately Professor Gilchrists equipment has yet to arrive and we were given the lecture sans the Powerpoint presentation. I am considering doing my project on one of the mutualistic relationships in the reef environment. Perhaps that between the corkscrew anemone and the peaterson shrimp. I am interested to watch how an organism slowly introduces itself to the anemone so that the anemone will recognize it as self and not sting it.

Starlet Coral & Sea Urchin 

Sea Anemone

Starlet Coral

Sea Fan & Brain Coral