HR: 1330h
AN: ED42A-1196    [PDF]
TI: Sex, Status, and Sand: California Academy of Sciences' Teen Interns Examine Trends of the Pacific Mole Crab ({\it Emerita analoga}) at Ocean Beach, San Francisco
AU: Chu, J B
EM: jchu@calacademy.org
AF: California Academy of Sciences, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA 94118 United States
AU: Conrad-Saydah, A
EM: aconrad-saydah@calacademy.org
AF: California Academy of Sciences, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA 94118 United States
AU: * Cohen, S
AF: California Academy of Sciences, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA 94118 United States
AU: Tom, R
AF: California Academy of Sciences, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA 94118 United States
AU: Robins-Moloney, M
AF: California Academy of Sciences, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA 94118 United States
AU: Masters, D
AF: California Academy of Sciences, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA 94118 United States
AU: Mason, K
AF: California Academy of Sciences, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA 94118 United States
AU: Alfaro, F
AF: California Academy of Sciences, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA 94118 United States
AB: Student interns from the California Academy of Sciences' Careers in Sciences program monitored the Pacific mole crab ({\it Emerita analoga}), or sand crabs, in collaboration with the Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association. These small crustaceans live in the swash zone of the sandy beach habitat. Sand crabs are important in the food web, and therefore their status can help indicate the health of the larger environment. The interns helped the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary by monitoring the abundance and distribution of sand crabs at Ocean Beach in San Francisco, California. Students set up transects perpendicular to the shoreline, collected 10 samples along the transect, measured the carapace length, determined the sex of each crab, and checked for the presence of eggs. Students monitored June through September, 2003. Trends examined included differences in the gender ratio, size frequency, and distribution along the beach. Students also compared their data to other student data taken from other sites in San Francisco and Marin counties during 2001-2003 from the online database at http://www.sandcrabs.org. Using comparisons, interns were able to better understand the processes and significance of studying marine species. Implementation of the project was invaluable in aiding the interns in their understanding of the natural sciences and the role of monitoring habitats in environmental health.
UR: http://www.sandcrabs.org
DE: 0400 Biogeosciences
DE: 4815 Ecosystems, structure and dynamics
DE: 6605 Education
DE: 9355 Pacific Ocean
SC: Education and Human Resources [ED]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting