Indirect predator effects on feeding behavior of kelp forest invertebrates
Project Description
Kelps are brown macroalgae that grow on coastal temperate rocky reefs around the world. In California, giant kelp is dominant, growing in a shallow rocky band along most of our coast and continuing into Baja California. The thick floating canopies formed by kelp forests can often be seen from shore, and anyone walking along beaches in California has probably seen a fly-encrusted kelp plant that has been ripped up by a wave and washed ashore. Kelp forests provide food and shelter for hundreds of species of animals, many of which are commercially important (i.e. rockfish, sea bass, lobsters, sea urchins, sea cucumbers). Additionally, Kelp itself is an economically important resource; kelp derived thickening agents are found in a variety of food products (salad dressings, ice cream, toothpaste, cottage cheese) and kelp is harvested in California for abalone aquaculture ventures.
Students will be able to assess indirect predator effects on kelp grazing rates of Idotea resecata, the kelp isopod. Students will set-up a 24 hour grazing experiment in which adult kelp isopods are kept in small cages with premeasured quantities of kelp. Students will participate in in designing the experiments to learn about concepts of experimental replicates and control groups, conduct statistical analyses of their results, and produce presentation quality figures.
