May Term Class: Marine Biology

Our last two days in the Florida Keys were full! Students took the final exam over ecological theories we’ve been learning – the important differences between marine and terrestrial environments, foundational and keystone species, facilitative interactions, trophic cascades, and marine system management. Students also presented the results of their research projects. After cleaning and storing … Keep reading »

We started our Sunday by taking a practical exam over the taxonomy we have been learning during the first two weeks of our trip. To prepare for this exam we memorized 50 different species or groups of species and learned how to identify them. All of these creatures are part of categories called phyla which … Keep reading »

Due to high winds we were unable to be on the water Friday and Saturday, so we took the time to learn about marine life from new sources. On Friday, we started the morning with a lecture from our new marine program director, Dr. Phil Allman, on his area of specialty – sea turtles! We … Keep reading »

The day started late for us (8:30am), and we piled into our Goshen College bus. After a quick stop at our station for some gear, we drove just around the corner to the Keys Marine Lab (KML). It is a very cool satellite field station. We boarded their boat, a much faster and more powerful … Keep reading »

Today was another day of working on research projects and lectures. We had a short taxonomy quiz in the morning and then went early to the boat, and made the half hour trip to Old Dan Bank. On the boat ride we were able to see a sea turtle, large schools of fish along the … Keep reading »

Our Tuesday started with a lecture on positive interactions between marine organisms, and taxonomy lectures on Phylum Mollusca (chitons, mussels, oysters, snails, octopus, squid, etc.) and Phylum Cnidaria (jellyfish, coral, sea anemones, etc.). The water was a bit choppy so we took a longer break for lunch and began our adventures in the afternoon. Once … Keep reading »

Monday was a busy day for us as we began our research project proposals. The Marine Biology majors worked on their personal research projects stemming from Junior Seminar while the rest of us thought of new projects that related to themes and species we’ve been studying. Here are the current research project titles- Ashley: The … Keep reading »

Finally, we made it! We have waited for a much-needed break from our busy days. We started our day attending Layton Community Baptist Church. Goshen College has been attending this church for about forty years tracing back to when Professor Jonathon Roth brought the marine biology course to Layton. Currently we still have a strong … Keep reading »

On Saturday, we started our day at 8 am with a lesson on mangroves and sponges. We learned that there are 3 types of mangroves in Florida, the red mangroves (Rhizophora mangle), black mangroves (Avicennia germinans), and white mangroves (Laguncularia racemosa). We also learned that sponges attach to the roots of R. mangle. This is … Keep reading »