We 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?
NSF
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Oyster Reef Ecology | On the ReefSeagrasses and Sand Flats
In the Grass, On the Reef, A World Away
by Randallby RandallRandall and David have traveled to Australia on visiting research appointments to study habitats like oyster reefs and seagrass beds that are at once familiar, yet quite a bit different and even a little dangerous.
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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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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.
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FSU Coastal & Marine Lab technician Tanya Rogers describes the building of what she calls “ecological art.” She is referring to the Kimbro lab’s summer experiment, for which several artificial oyster reefs with different combinations of animals was built near St. Augustine, FL.
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Plants- From Wildflowers to Longleaf PineSalt Marsh Ecology | In the Grass
Are two friends better than one?
by Randallby RandallFiddler crabs benefit salt marshes. Ribbed mussels benefit salt marshes. But together, is their effect even greater, or do they cancel each other out? Dr. Randall Hughes of the FSU Coastal & Marine Lab looks to find out.
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Oyster Reef Ecology | On the Reef
Growing Pains (bigger is definitely not always better)
by Davidby DavidImagine you have to set up an experiment from which you have to be able to obtain consistent results that form a definable pattern. Now imagine that you have to set this experiment up in the great muddy, salty outdoors. Dr. David Kimbro walks you through a large scale experiment that had him battling stone crabs and Mother Nature.
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Dr. Randall Hughes has just concluded a biodiversity experiment in Saint Joseph Bay. She was looking at periwinkle effects on marsh cordgrass, and whether it was better or worse when the grass was found alongside needlerush. The answer could be important in marsh recovery and restoration efforts.