Citizen Science for Students
The Sotka Lab has many endeavors. The focus of our collaboration for L.A.M.P.S. (Lowcountry Algal Monitoring Program for Students) is to get students engaged in the scientific process via the study of an invasive seaweed, Gracilaria vermiculophylla.
Shoreline monitoring of the seaweed (algae) is currently taking place at the Ft. Johnson Marine Complex on James Island.
The presence of this alga is being documented with digital photographs. These images are then being posted online.
The purpose of monitoring Gracilaria vermiculophylla in this study is two-fold:
Shoreline monitoring of the seaweed (algae) is currently taking place at the Ft. Johnson Marine Complex on James Island.
The presence of this alga is being documented with digital photographs. These images are then being posted online.
The purpose of monitoring Gracilaria vermiculophylla in this study is two-fold:
- to monitor the abundance of G. vermiculophylla over time
- to get an idea of how much G. vermiculophylla is drifting in the water column and available for use by the tube worm, Diopatra cuprea
Gracilaria vermiculophylla
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Gracilaria is a type of seaweed that was introduced to the mudflats in South Carolina. Let's "breakdown" some facts about seaweed.
- The word seaweed describes algae that are macroscopic and multicellular- algae big enough to see with the naked eye.
- Seaweed species are autotrophic or producers, meaning they use photosynthesis to make their own food
- Seaweeds are divided into categories based on pigments found in their cells. Gracilaria is a red algae or seaweed.
Gracilaria vermiculophylla is an invasive species. This type of seaweed has appeared in our marshes, but it should not be here. How did it get here? Where is it from? How has this invasive seaweed affected our local estuarine ecosystems? One major question is to see if this seaweed has a negative or positive impact on this ecosystem. Questions like these have sparked scientists at the Sotka Lab of the College of Charleston to begin researching.
What is an Invasive species?
Invasive species are foreign plants and animals that have been introduced into one habitat or region from another. They are sometimes brought into an area on purpose and sometimes by accident. Invasive species can have a negative impact on the local plants and animals that have always lived here.
How did Gracilaria get here?
This seaweed is hypothesized to have arrived here by catching rides in shipments of oysters, boat propellers and fishing equipment from East Asia.
How did Gracilaria get here?
This seaweed is hypothesized to have arrived here by catching rides in shipments of oysters, boat propellers and fishing equipment from East Asia.
Characteristics: Red macro-alga, coarsely branched, can grow up to 50cm long
Habitat:
- Estuarine and marine environments
- Native to the Northwest Pacific Ocean, however it has been introduced to the Atlantic Ocean and colonizes rapidly in new environments.
- Can grow in both temperate and tropical regions
- Well adapted to low energy, shallow lagoons, estuaries, harbors and inlets
scientific classification |
life cycle |
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Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Rhodophyta Subphylum: Eurhodophytina Class: Florideophyceae Subclass: Rhodymeniophycidae Order: Gracilariales Family: Gracilariaceae Genus: Gracilaria Species: G. vermiculophylla Sources: http://www.issg.org/database/species/ecology.asp?si=1698&fr=1&sts=&lang=EN |
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Field Location
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METHODS
Long story short: On the lowest tide every month we took pictures of the same spot and posted them online so you can help us count the algae! In detail: The mudflat adjacent to the SC Department of Natural Resources on Ft. Johnson Road was selected as the area of study. Markers were placed demarcating the study site and the locations to be photographed. |
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In the figure above, each labeled rectangle represents the location our quadrat is placed for photographing. The quadrat is 1 meter squared. The labels within each rectangle correspond to the image labels that appear on the photos being used online for data collection, with the "R" indicating that this is a removal plot. We will explain more about "removal" below. The tidal height is simply showing where the water line is at that particular height. For example, if the water level is 0 feet, then the harbor water will come up onto the mudflat up to the 0.0 ft. mark.
Once a month, with conditions permitting, photographs are taken at the 10 locations at the 0.3ft. tidal height and the 10 locations at the 0.0ft. tidal height on a tide low enough to capture the lowest tidal height locations.
Now let's discuss the difference between the 2 quadrats being photographed at each tidal height. Remember, the Sotka Lab, Patriots Point and students are trying to answer 2 main questions. In order to determine how much Gracilaria is available for use by Diopatra, and really how much is drifting onto the mudflat, we are manipulating the "_R" plots by photographing and then removing the Gracilaria each site visit. The algae removed is weighed and that information is recorded.
Also onsite, at each tidal height are 2 data loggers, collecting information about water conditions.
Lastly, our images are posted online for use with the point-intercept method. Check it out!
For questions, contact HGiddens@patriotspoint.org.
Now let's discuss the difference between the 2 quadrats being photographed at each tidal height. Remember, the Sotka Lab, Patriots Point and students are trying to answer 2 main questions. In order to determine how much Gracilaria is available for use by Diopatra, and really how much is drifting onto the mudflat, we are manipulating the "_R" plots by photographing and then removing the Gracilaria each site visit. The algae removed is weighed and that information is recorded.
Also onsite, at each tidal height are 2 data loggers, collecting information about water conditions.
Lastly, our images are posted online for use with the point-intercept method. Check it out!
For questions, contact HGiddens@patriotspoint.org.
Gracilaria and Diopatra... an interesting relationship
photo: http://www.dnr.sc.gov
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Relationships between biotic components of a given ecosystem can take many forms. When we are speaking of more long-term, close interactions between different species, the relationship can be described as symbiotic. So close in fact, many formal definitions of symbiosis include the phrase "living together".
There are several ways to categorize symbiosis. The relationship can be beneficial to both organisms involved (mutualism), good for one and bad for the other (parasitism), or good for one with nothing either beneficial or harmful to the other (commensalism). |
The Sotka lab is interested in how the invasive algae, Gracilaria vermiculophylla, interacts with biotic components of the mud flats it is found on. One of those interactions is with the plumed worm, Diopatra cuprea.
The plumed worm is a common sight on Southeastern shorelines. This omnivorous worm glues sediment and plant material together to build a hooded tube that protrudes from its soft surroundings. Check out a neat video of it building its home here. As Gracilaria has invaded our coast, Diopatra has made use of it by adding it to its tubes, in return anchoring the plant to the mud flat. Can you hypothesize what kind of interaction is between the algae and the worm?
The plumed worm is a common sight on Southeastern shorelines. This omnivorous worm glues sediment and plant material together to build a hooded tube that protrudes from its soft surroundings. Check out a neat video of it building its home here. As Gracilaria has invaded our coast, Diopatra has made use of it by adding it to its tubes, in return anchoring the plant to the mud flat. Can you hypothesize what kind of interaction is between the algae and the worm?
The Story of the Worm and the Algae
After much hard work, this past spring Dr. Sotka and collaborators were able to publish their results on the relationship between the worm... and the algae.
And do you know what they found out? The relationship they discovered can be mutualistic. This means that both organisms involved in the relationship benefit. Turns out that by attaching the Gracilaria to its tube, the algae is held at an ideal location in the water to receive the sunlight it needs to photosynthesize. In turn, the worm benefits from tiny animals like amphipods (shrimp-like crustaceans) that come and hang out on the algae, inadvertently becoming an easy prey item.
And do you know what they found out? The relationship they discovered can be mutualistic. This means that both organisms involved in the relationship benefit. Turns out that by attaching the Gracilaria to its tube, the algae is held at an ideal location in the water to receive the sunlight it needs to photosynthesize. In turn, the worm benefits from tiny animals like amphipods (shrimp-like crustaceans) that come and hang out on the algae, inadvertently becoming an easy prey item.
Part of what Patriots Point and Dr. Sotka's lab is studying, is how much Gracilaria is available for Diopatra to make use of.
The more we know about Gracilaria, the more we can begin to understand the complex interactions it has within the ecosystems it is now a part of.
The more we know about Gracilaria, the more we can begin to understand the complex interactions it has within the ecosystems it is now a part of.