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The WFSU Ecology Blog

  • Home
    • About
    • EcoAdventures
      • Kayak and Canoe Adventures
      • Hiking
      • Wildlife Watching
    • Observations From the Field
      • White Pelicans Visit Dr. Charles L. Evans Pond in Tallahassee
      • An April Walk at Ochlockonee River WMA
      • Nesting Raptors at Honeymoon Island State Park
    • WFSU Public Media Home
  • Documentaries
    • In Their Words: Black Legacy Communities in North Florida
    • EcoCitizen Show | Seasons in South Tallahassee
    • Red Wolf Family Celebrates First Year at the Tallahassee Museum
    • Roaming the Red Hills
    • Oyster Doctors
    • Testing the Ecology of Fear
    • EcoShakespeare
    • Stories from the Apalachicola
    • Classic WFSU Ecology Documentaries
  • Habitats
    • Estuaries
      • Oyster Reef
        • The Effects of Predators and Fear on Oyster Reefs
        • Apalachicola Oyster Research
        • Animal Species in a North Florida Intertidal Oyster Reef
        • Oyster Reef Ecology | On the Reef
      • Salt Marsh
        • In the Grass- Salt Marsh Biodiversity Study
        • Plants and Animals of a North Florida Salt Marsh
        • Salt Marsh Ecology | In the Grass
      • Seagrass Bed
        • Predatory Snails, and Prey, of the Bay Mouth Bar Seagrass Beds
      • In the Grass, On the Reef Glossary
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      • Aucilla/ Wacissa Watershed
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        • Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines | Virtual Field Trip
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Oyster Reef Ecology | On the Reef

Rehearsal is Over

by David July 27, 2010
by David July 27, 2010 4 comments
Dr. David Kimbro FSU Coastal & Marine Lab

IGOR chip- biogeographic 150Although we’ve busied ourselves this summer by selecting research sites and practicing various aspects of our sampling program, we have still not collected any ‘real’ data concerning the objectives of our biogeographic oyster project.  Well, this post will be short because as I write this we are hectically preparing to begin said research.  Coincidentally, tropical storm Bonnie has also decided to begin her work in the Gulf at the same time!

Biogeographic oyster study

Despite Bonnie, it’s pretty exciting that over the next week three different research teams will be on oyster reefs encompassing 1,000 miles of shoreline (see map) and will perform the exact same research.  If executed well, this coordinated sampling will allow us to compare how predator assemblages on oyster reefs differ from north to south.

To make sure things run as smoothly as possible, we’ve had multiple conference calls over the past two weeks to verify that everyone is on the same page and to trouble shoot problems that we failed to consider during initial planning of the project.

From the results of much horse trading, we now have the following schedule:

(1) Deploy gill nets during an evening at low tide; this gear targets larger fish and we assume fish use reefs more during the evening.

  • To prevent the nets from getting caught on the reefs, causing them to not float up with the flooding tide and thus failing to ‘fish’, we are hanging the top of each net around three large PVC posts, which should be lots of fun to bring out and insert into the reefs.
  • Nets will ‘fish’ for one tidal cycle- we’ll rush out at dawn to catch and subsequently release surviving fish.

(2) After processing gill net data during the following low tide, we’ll then deploy three kinds of traps (2 replicates each = 6 traps) to each reef to ‘passively’ sample relative abundance of smaller fishes and invertebrates that utilize the reef habitat.  These traps will ‘fish’ for six hours (three hours after low tide until three hours after high tide) and will integrate fish usage of reefs across the portion of tide that fish are present on reefs.

(3) After processing the trap data, we’ll then rinse gear, load it onto a truck, grab a cup of coffee, and quickly (but safely) drive to our next study site to repeat the process.  Having to coordinate our sampling around the tidal schedule of multiple estuaries makes this sampling feel somewhat like a relay race.  But if all goes well, by next Friday, my team as well as the other two involved in this study will have collected these data in 12 different estuaries!

I’m looking forward to telling you how it all unfolded in my next post.

WFSU’s kayak was provided by Wilderness Way.  The music in this piece was performed by Ric Edmiston.
David’s research is funded by the National Science Foundation.
We want to hear from you! Add your question or comment below:
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Alligator Harboralligator pointbiogeographiccoastal ecologyFlorida State Universityforgotten coastFSU Coastal and Marine Labgulf of mexicomarine biologymarine ecologyNational Science FoundationnatureNSFoysteroyster bedoyster reefpredatorpreysciencestone crab
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David

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4 comments

Robert Brooks July 29, 2010 - 10:08 am

I have a home near the end of Alligator Point (bay side) and will be following this blog with interest, I’ve watched the changes to the bay for 50+ years. There is a small oyster bed in front of the house and your welcome to park in my driveway if needed to do your studies.

Days 1 & 2: October Oyster Push- “Just Gun it” | October 22, 2010 - 3:45 pm

[…] Tile team (TI).  For a closer look at how David’s team nets and traps larger fish and crabs, click here.  To learn more about what the Tile team will be doing, click here.  And if you click On the Reef […]

Day 3: October Oyster Push “No Nap Time” | October 25, 2010 - 10:32 am

[…] Tile team (TI). For a closer look at how David’s team nets and traps larger fish and crabs, click here. To learn more about what the Tile team will be doing, click here. And if you click On the Reef […]

Day 4: October Oyster Push “Sweet Boat” | October 26, 2010 - 10:58 am

[…] Tile team (TI). For a closer look at how David’s team nets and traps larger fish and crabs, click here. To learn more about what the Tile team will be doing, click here. And if you click On the Reef […]

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