May Term Class: Marine Biology

We had many adventures on Friday! In the morning we discussed the marine creatures found in the epipelagic, the surface waters of the open ocean. Microscopic phytoplankton and zooplankton are found in the epipelagic, in addition to easily visible creatures like fish. “Microscopic” means a microscope lab is planned for the evening, which makes my … Keep reading »

It was a balmy and beautiful Thursday. Before we left for class, Annalise spotted a large cowrie about 6 inches long. Other organisms we’ve observed at our resort are nurse sharks (Ginglymostoma cirratum), spiny lobsters (Panulirus argus), and hermit crabs (Clibinarius tricolor).  We started our day with a lecture about marine systems. At 11:00am we … Keep reading »

Eleven students arrived on Tuesday after a long day of travel. We left Miami airport at 7pm and arrived in Layton at the Fiesta Key RV resort at 9pm. We will stay at this resort while exciting renovations are completed at the J.N. Roth Marine Station. Not much to see on our dark drive but … Keep reading »

Monday May 17, 2021 Today students presented preliminary analysis of their data collection to test their senior thesis protocols, which they will implement this coming fall during the Marine Biology Semester. We celebrated with a trip to the beach and a final pizza dinner watching the sunset. Here are a few final reflections from the … Keep reading »

Sunday May 16, 2021 This morning there was no lecture, so we were all able to sleep in a little more than usual, if we chose to do so. We also had the option of attending church. As our trip started to come to a close, we began finishing up our research papers and posters. … Keep reading »

Saturday May 15, 2021 Today started off with a lecture at city hall about micro plastics in the ocean. The ocean is currently littered with plastic and trash, but some people don’t know that plastic breaks down into tiny microplastic and never goes away. Turtles and other animals mistake these microplastics as food and ingest … Keep reading »

Friday May 14, 2021 This was one of the most anticipated days and one of the most dreaded days (for reasons explained later) of the whole trip. This was the day that we all got to see the coral reef, but before that we had another morning lecture. Today’s lecture, however, was about the ecology … Keep reading »

Thursday May 13, 2021 Like every other typical day here in the Florida Keys, it began with sunshine peeking through the curtains. One of my favorite things to do in the morning before hopping on the bus for lecture is watching the schools of Rainbow Parrotfish (Scarus guacamaia) swim about near the Marina. They are … Keep reading »

Wednesday May 12, 2021 Today’s schedule began again at Layton City Hall with lecture, this time paired with a message of hope for the potential role of Marine Protected Areas (MPA) and Marine Reserves in restoring marine ecosystems. Despite their limitations and the fact that these areas only collectively cover about 0.61% of the ocean … Keep reading »