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Field Lab Activity: Marine Invertebrate Study

This document provides instructions for a field lab involving the collection and identification of marine organisms using fish traps and dip nets. It outlines 3 lab stations: 1) Recording abiotic factors like location, weather, salinity and temperature. 2) Identifying organisms collected in fish traps and noting numbers of grass shrimp with cysts. 3) Collecting grass shrimp using dip nets and recording numbers with cysts. Students are asked to fill out identification and data tables to document their findings.

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27 views3 pages

Field Lab Activity: Marine Invertebrate Study

This document provides instructions for a field lab involving the collection and identification of marine organisms using fish traps and dip nets. It outlines 3 lab stations: 1) Recording abiotic factors like location, weather, salinity and temperature. 2) Identifying organisms collected in fish traps and noting numbers of grass shrimp with cysts. 3) Collecting grass shrimp using dip nets and recording numbers with cysts. Students are asked to fill out identification and data tables to document their findings.

Uploaded by

rosendied
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Name_________________ Bio 320

Lab Activity: Field Lab


Materials:

• Baited Fish Traps and rope (x3)


• Two Saltwater Tanks
• Dip Nets
• Trays for live specimens
• Identification Books

Lab Set-up:

• One week prior to lab deploy baited traps

Lab Station 1: Abiotic Factors


It is important to record abiotic factors for field studies every time you take samples. Answer the
following questions:

1. What is the name, latitude, and longitude of your site?


Example: Crab Meadow Beach, (40.893059, -73.372627)
2. What is the collection date?
3. What is the weather on the date of the collection? (Cloudy, Sunny, Rainy, Etc.)
4. Using a refractometer, what is the salinity of the site in psu?
5. What is the air temperature?
6. What is the water temperature?
7. Using an anemometer, what is the wind speed?
Lab Station 2: Fish Traps

Place several inches of East River water in your live specimen tray. Pull up the baited fish trap
and place all the marine invertebrates into the tray. Identify the marine invertebrates using the
identification books or the internet. Fill out the table below. The fish trap # is a tag on the rope
of the trap.
Common Name Scientific Name Total # of individuals Fish Trap #
of this species
collected

After identifying your specimens, hold each grass shrimp to the light. Note below the total
sample size and total number that appear to have spots (cysts) in the abdomen. Next, place all
grass shrimp into a 5-gallon bucket labelled “grass shrimp station 2.” These live shrimp will be
used in an upcoming lab.
Total number of grass shrimp:
Total number of grass shrimp with cysts in abdomen:

Photo Credit: Sara Gonzalez


What is the percentage of grass shrimp with cysts in the abdomen?
If you collect any crabs, place them in the container labelled “crabs.” These will also be used in
an upcoming lab.
Release all remaining animals back into the water, remove the bait (drop overside of dock to
discard), and clean fish trap and rope with hose.
Lab Station 3: Dip Nets
Walk along the dock. Gently scrape the dip net along the dock pilings and the side of the dock.
Place any grass shrimp collected into the 5-gallon bucket labelled “station 3.” Before place the
grass shrimp in the bucket, hold them up to the light and see if they have any cysts. Record the
following information:
Total # of grass shrimp collected with dip net:
Total # of dip net collected grass shrimp with cysts:

Percentage of grass shrimp collected by dip net with cysts:


Release all marine organisms, except the grass shrimp.
The last group to use the dip nets should rinse them with the hose.

***In the last 20 minutes of lab, return all CLEANED equipment to the lab. Place all grass shrimp
specimens in the tanks in lab for our next lab.

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