For the a researcher, there is a wall separating the classroom from the lab and fieldwork they do. This Summer, Dr. Randall Hughes broke the wall and had her students work on her lab’s projects. Dr. Hughes recaps their work on oyster reefs and seagrass beds, and examines the benefits of teaching on research.
marine ecology
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Oyster Reef Ecology | On the ReefWildlife in North Florida- Critters Big and Small
Pea Crab Infestation!
by Tanyaby TanyaWe shift our focus from predators to parasites: FSU Coastal & Marine Lab’s Tanya Rogers discovers pea crabs inside of a large scale experiment’s oysters. In what conditions and in what geography do these kleptoparasites most afflict our beloved bivalves?
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EcoAdventuresKayak and Canoe AdventuresRivers and Streams
Video: Kayaking and Canoeing the Wacissa with the Green Guides
In this video of our latest EcoAdventure down the Wacissa, someone made a comment that, a month after we taped it, has biologists, DEP officials, and Green Guides aiding us on a quest to understand where all the limpkins at Wakulla Springs went.
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What’s not to love about oysters? They clean the water, they’re delicious, and they have surprising economic value. Some members of the Kimbro lab found an oyster that seems to love them back.
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In the winter, both the tourists and most of the animals have made themselves scare in the intertidal region of St. Joseph Bay. It’s an entirely different landscape than summer vacationers are used to, and one that can be a challenge if you’re kayaking. Dr. Randall Hughes (FSUCML) and Dan and Debbie VanVleet (Happy Ours) guide us through winter in the bay.
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Plants- From Wildflowers to Longleaf PineSalt Marsh Ecology | In the Grass
A long time in the making
by Randallby RandallIf you want an activity that will take a lot of your time, go out onto your lawn and try to figure out which blades of grass belong to what individual plant. The grass in a salt marsh, like your lawn, is made up of various individuals, each with different characteristics that contribute to the success of a marsh. Dr. Randall Hughes’ new experiment looks at what makes habitat building cordgrass individuals successful.
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Watch oysters grow! Tanya Rogers of the FSUCML has compiled time lapse imagery which shows baby oysters grow and form a shell over the course of a year.
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Oyster Reef Ecology | On the ReefPlants- From Wildflowers to Longleaf PineSalt Marsh Ecology | In the Grass
Tricks or Treats? And more on the effects of predators in marshes.
by Davidby DavidWhen David Kimbro looks through his trick-or-treat bag, he doesn’t see candy, he sees oyster shells and periwinkle snails. Can predators trick periwinkles into not destroying marsh cordgrass? Or will they serve as tasty treats for blue crabs? David shares his data.
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When Randall and David talk about their experiments on this blog, we don’t run a credits roll at the end to acknowledge everyone and everything that goes into getting that experiment up and running. In this post, Randall takes us step by step through planning an experiment, highlighting the people who help make her research possible.
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Randall and David continue unraveling the mysteries of how predators affect their prey through fear. In this experiment, they look at how many oysters get eaten by mud crabs when the mud crabs think their predators are lurking around and eating their neighbors.