A successful beach seine requires a lot of cooperation.
In our hypothesis we stated that the grassy bottom would have more biodiversity than the sandy bottom. We came up with this hypothesis because we thought that there would be more fish that lived within the grass of the ocean. The smaller fish and juvenile fish used the combination of shallow water and the turtle grass as protection from the larger carnivores. We predicted that the sandy bottom would not have a large biodiversity because most fish would not camouflage in with the sand and therefore their predators would be able to see them and eat them.
Juvenile Scrawled Cowfish from beach seine through turtle grass.
After completing the beach seine we can now confirm our hypothesis that there
was a greater biodiversity in the grassy bottom than in the sandy bottom. With
three trials in the sandy bottom we collected only 7 different species of fish,
snails, and crabs. Two very interesting fish that we found during the beach
seine with sandy bottom were an Eyed Flounder and a Lizardfish. Even though
we had a good collection of fish in the sandy bottom we had an even better collection
of fish in the grassy bottom. During the grassy bottom beach seine we discovered
19 different species of fish, crabs, and snails. We collected these 19 different
species in only two trials compared to the three trials in the beach seine on
sandy bottom.
Juvenile Scrawled Filefish from beach seine through turtle grass.
Our data supports our hypothesis. We had a greater biodiversity of species in
the grassy bottom than in the sandy bottom. We believe that there is a greater
biodiversity in the grassy bottom because has a greater number of hiding places,
food sources, and spawning areas compared to the sandy bottom. In the third
trial of the grassy bottom beach seine, we conducted the experiment closer to
the grass so that is why we collected a greater biodiversity of fish and also
a school of 35 permits.
| Grassy Bottom: -Cowfish -Filefish -Swimming Crab -Checkered Puffer -Peacock Flounder -Razor Fish -Juvenile Wrasse -Milk Conch -Queen Conch -Hermit Crabs -Baby Conch -Nobby Perywinkle Snail -Juvenile Filefish -Fringe Filefish -Silver Side -Mojara -Blue Swimming Crab -Wrasse -Shrimp |
Sandy Bottom: -Lizard Fish -Star Gazer -Swimming Crab -Sargasm/ Ocellated Crab -Flounder -Jacks -Permits |
Juvenile Eyed Flounder found during beach seine over a sandy bottom.
By: Kelsey, Parker and Logan
