GRACE lab and project

Last week in our lab, we analyzed our settling plates that were suspended from the Basic Observation Buoys (BOBs) that were deployed about a month ago. In the murky looking water with insects swimming around on the surface, the settling plates were covered in what looked like algae and dirt, but was then discovered to be living organisms. The organism commonly known as a feather duster was identified to be a member of the Sabellidae family. The feather dusters look like plain tubes when exposed to the air, but when under water their tube lets out a dome of tiny hair-like cilia. It was questioned as to why the feather dusters at the surface would shrink away if we moved. When movement took place, casting shadows over the feather dusters, they sensed the change of lighting and shrank away as if to escape an attack of a hovering predator.

Analyzing what's on the settling plate

Discovered organisms



 

 I have been waiting for what seems like a lifetime for my lionfish to arrive so I may extract its otoliths, but it seems to be taking longer than expected. When my lionfish hunter traveled to West Palm Beach, FL the first time, he reported that there were only a small number of sightings of the lionfish on their dive. Last weekend, for the second trip to West Palm Beach, still not many were seen. My current questions are, "Where are the lionfish that were so invasive? Were they over hunted during the Lionfish Summit a few weeks ago? Has the 'no bag limit' contributed to this decrease in sightings in the same area?"

Still my scientific questions ask, "What are otoliths used for in lionfish? How do they compare with otoliths of other fish? Can they be related to any otolith like part of humans?"