Student Scientists on Our Sanctuary Shores

Student Scientists on Our Sanctuary Shores
Posted on 10/22/2019
Beach scientistsStudents in Ms. Erin Petersen-Lindberg’s sixth grade science classes and in Ms. Kaitlin Fasse’s Support Classes have a unique field based learning experience this year at Branciforte Middle School. We are working with  LiMPETs (Long term Monitoring Program and Experiential Training for students), a citizen science program that monitors the coastal ecosystems of California and helps youth develop a scientific understanding of the ocean. Branciforte students have been trained to survey the distribution and abundance of the Pacific mole crab ( Emerita analoga) at Seabright beach in Santa Cruz, one of many monitoring sites along the coast of California.  Mole crabs are among the most important herbivores on beaches along the west coast of North and South America and are a vital link in the sandy beach food web. They are prey for shore birds, sea otters, and surf perch. Students have learned that the mole crabs are also hosts to a parasitic worm in the Phylum Acanthocephala. When birds and sea otters eat infected crabs, they too can become infected. These worms are monitored so we can learn more about the life cycle, seasonal cycles, and prevalence of the parasites in the populations of mole crabs along our coast.Our sixth grade scientists have an exciting  opportunity to use the same methods and procedures that real scientists use. Data collected by our students will be used to inform marine resource management and the scientific community in monitoring the health of our sandy beach environments. Pacific Mole Crab Marine Scientist
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