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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...
On Monday and Tuesday we were able to be back in the field to finish up research data collection. On Monday, we finally saw a manatee in Zane Grey creek as we headed out to Triton flat! While at Triton...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Friday started with a lesson on the creatures that fall under the Phylum Porifera (sponges) and Arthropoda (sea spiders, crabs, shrimp, etc), as well as some discussion regarding plankton and other life in the epipelagic. All of this information was...
For our second full day of class, we started out at 8am with our first marine biology lecture. We discussed differences between the open, broadly dispersing marine ecosystems and the more rigidly delineated terrestrial ecosystems, and talked about how those...
Ten students arrived on Tuesday, ready to begin class on Wednesday morning! We started the day with breakfast together and orientation to the course, then we loaded our equipment on the boat and headed to the Bight. The Bight is...
Monday and Tuesday were our final days of data collection for our research projects. We worried that it would be rainy on Monday but we were lucky to have a clear day. Because of the full moon, the ocean was...
Today we traveled with Keys Marine Laboratory personnel (Captain Bill and Captain Emily) to three nearby reef locations: Coffin Patch reef, the Elbow reef, and Volcano reef. There were many creatures to observe in each reef. We saw many hard...
We did some traveling today and had plenty of exciting activities to keep us occupied, with even more planned for tomorrow! We started the day with a trip to the Sea Turtle Hospital and got the chance to meet over...
Today was a cool, very windy day. We started our day with lecture at 8:00am where we learned about trophic cascades. Trophic cascades can occur in the marine system when top predators are lost, often due to overfishing. The loss...
Today was another full day of learning and experiencing the amazing marine ecosystem. We woke up for an 8 am lecture on positive interactions in the marine system. These are important relationships where at least one organism in the relationship...
There was beautiful 80 degree weather this Monday morning, and we started off the day with guidelines for creating a research project at 8am. Today was more of a work day, keeping busy with creating research questions and writing a...
Today we had a late morning, which was a very nice change from our 8 am’s, but the sun called us to be up at 7am to watch the sunrise anyway. At 10am we attended the Layton Baptist church and...
We had a slow but productive morning after Friday’s excitement; we started off by learning about sponges and mangroves and their unique places in the marine ecosystem. There are three species of mangrove in our area, and the red mangrove...
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...
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...
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...
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