Benthic Ecology Meetings

The Conservation of Marine Resources team participated in the 39th Benthic Ecology Meeting in Wilmington, NC. Their poster won an award for "Outstanding Undergraduate Student Research".

This is why fisheries need to be protected from overfishing:

The red grouper was just discovered to be an important "habitat engineer." How many other vital ecosystem processes are performed by heavily fished species that we don't even know about? Once a species is gone from the ecosystem, it could have far greater effects than just losing one entree from our seafood menu.

In search of manatees

This picture is an interesting view of what our group of snorkelers looked like on a trip through an ocean water channel near the research lab. We set out for this trip on foot with gear in hand and on head after a tiring day of data collection. The small adventure was optional for our class but everyone opted to go. What motivated me was the possibility of seeing a manatee, even if the possibility was only slim. Frank and I were first to jump in. I could see him swimming in the water just below me, and as he went further down I followed him and began to realize that I couldn't see the bottom even though I'm sure it wasn't very deep. I just saw frank and behind him a dark brown murky abyss that seemed to go on forever. This image was quite surreal. Once the group was ready we moved in formation fighting the current as we swam upstream, observing through both sight and sound. This territory was much different than our data collection areas. The mangroves provided a habitat for many species. The tangle of mangrove roots continued into darkness along the shores convincing me that there was always much more to be seen. After heading upstream for a while we turned around for the easy downstream swim. In the end we never found a manatee but did experience a new environment where our limited sight left much to the imagination.

CMR in the Keys

Over Fall Break, Clemson's Conservation of Marine Resources team traveled to the Florida Keys and asked the question, "Does Structure Increase Biodiversity?" We had several sample locations including the Keys Marine Lab, Long Key, and Bamboo Key. Data was collected at these sites and we were looking at the types of algae, coral, sponge, and invertebrates found. This was a great hands-on experience to learn what organisms are actually living in our coral reefs. While doing work we would occasionally come across a Jellyfish or a Nurse Shark, making the experience all the more exciting.



The best day I had was when the group decided to go diving / snorkeling at Looe Key. For a lot of people it was their first time being out surrounded by the deep blue color of the ocean. After our dive briefing we literally jumped right in. Immediately when we reached the bottom we saw two Grouper behaving in an unorthodox way. Maybe competing over territory, or a female? We weren't sure. Continuing we saw lots and lots of coral, several kinds of grunts, hogfish, snapper, grouper, barracuda, parrotfish, spiny lobsters, and an eel. The eel was awesome. It was close to five feet long and was just chillin' in its hole as we passed by. I was also very excited when I spotted a Brittle Star crawling along the bottom, one of my favorite echinoderms.

A research vacation

Our Creative Inquiry team traveled by air, land, and sea to reach our research destinations where we worked long, hard days setting up underwater plots, collecting data, avoiding deadly sea creatures, and just barely escaping drowning episodes.

Just kidding! While we did collect data for our research project, it wasn't a chore. I had a great time and learned so much about the marine biodiversity, marine systems, and marine research in the Keys, all the while enjoying the beautiful setting of the Florida Keys.

My favorite expedition was the snorkel through the mangroves. It was very different from the sites where we collected data and the Looe Key reef. The water was a dark brown from the tannins in the mangrove leaves, and the prop roots provided structure for algae, anemones, sponges, and other organisms.



The coolest things I saw were the blue sponges and spiral anemones. The snorklers in the front of the line got to see a couple nurse sharks, but by the time I had caught up, the sharks had swum on their way.

Snorkeling at Looe Key

Over fall break, our creative inquiry team traveled to the Florida Keys and performed research in order to determine if natural and artificial structures increase biodiversity. While there, we decided to take a day off from research and make a snorkeling/SCUBA diving trip to Looe Key Reef. Looe Key is located five nautical miles offshore of Big Pine Key and is not an island but instead a "groove and spur" reef. After about a 45 minute boat ride to Looe Key, we jumped into the water and discovered the reef was home to a vast amount of species. We saw many different fish including yellowtail, angelfish, parrotfish, sergeant majors, and even barracudas. Even though one barracuda followed a few of us around and gave us quite a scare, the trip was very enjoyable and gave us the opportunity to see and explore the biodiversity of the Florida Keys.

Fun Findings in the Florida Keys

During our Creative Inquiry’s most recent research trip to the Florida Keys, we discovered a lot of interesting and exciting things above and below the water. For some of the trip, we were hard at work snorkeling and performing a census of the biodiversity of various marine habitats. An important fact we learned is that at first glance, the ocean floor may not always appear to be a very happening place, but when you take the time to dive down and explore (usually with the help of a tickle stick), a whole new world of marine organisms comes to life. While exploring we discovered numerous kinds of sponges, algae, and corals in areas that are experiencing both species die-off and recovery. Although it takes some practice, by the end of the trip we were busy finding and naming interesting and dynamic sea plants and animals.


Not to be overlooked, the Florida Keys “wildlife” above the water is as interesting and eclectic as our underwater discoveries. Our trip to Key West served as a good introduction to the Keys locals, who work hard to give tourists a good dose of Bohemian yet American culture at the Southern-most point of the continental U.S. We enjoyed good food and people as we toured Key West and explored other places such as the Safari Lounge back on Long Key. Needless to say, the Florida Keys are full of interesting discoveries, both above and below the water, that we will be sure to remember for years to come.

90 degrees...in the water

Such was the situation in the Florida Keys during fall break. We could not have asked for better working conditions (though I would hardly call the research we were doing work). To me, anything that has to do with snorkeling and being in the ocean constitutes fun, no matter if we are measuring the biodiversity of different marine habitats or taking data on the type of ocean bottom we observe. It was fascinating to learn the many types of algae and the names of all the sponges and corals we came across. Yet, even though the shallow waters where we were conducting our research were amazing, my favorite memories of the trip come from our non-research experiences on Looe Key Reef, in the mangroves, and night snorkeling. It was during these excursions that we saw the most exciting and unique sea creatures, such as a sea turtle, multiple barracudas, two nurse sharks, and giant clinging crabs. I loved the fact that I had the opportunity to share the ocean with such animals as these and learn about their habitats, but each evening I enjoyed just being able to relax and watch the sunset before preparing for the next day’s activities. The ocean is a beautiful and mystifying domain, and even though it can be terrifying (especially at night, when one can only see the creatures that surround her by the small beam of a flashlight), it is a place well worth exploring, regardless of the risks. Believe me, I do plan on snorkeling at night again sometime...though I might bring a bigger dive light.

Snorkeling After Dark...

Over fall break, our CI team headed down to the Florida Keys for some research (and fun in the sun). Our last night in the Keys we decided to go on a night snorkel trip. Everyone had mixed feelings of anxiety and excitement about going. The night snorkeling gave us an opportunity to see some of the animals that are most active at night. We saw clinging crabs, a few different lobster species, and Adam even spotted an octopus. One of my favorite parts of the snorkel was when we turned off the flashlights and waved our hands through the water to see the bioluminescent algae. Although most of us got stung by something (probably cassiopea), I think we were all happy to have faced our fears!

Fall Break Field Trip to the Keys

Our creative inquiry team spent the fall break in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Our goal was to conduct field research on impacts to marine biodiversity in different marine habitats.