Sapelo Research Application Form
Research Application ID: GCE-76-2016 (submitted: 05/19/2016, status: approved)
Provide a brief title for web display
Predation effects on ribbed mussel spatial aggregations on the landscape scale
Investigator Information
On Island Sponsor: GCE SINERR UGAMI GADNR
| Principal Investigator: | Christine Angelini | ||
| Home Institution: | University of Florida | ||
| Award Information: | NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program, 34K/year | ||
| Mailing Address: | Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences | Phone Number: | |
| University of Florida | E-mail Address: | christine.angelini@essie.ufl.edu | |
| Gainesville, Florida 32611 | |||
| Co-investigators: | |||
Briefly describe the project goals and methodology
Building off of recent work looking at mussel mound secondary foundation species effects on the local scale, this project aims to understand the major landscape scale forces dictating where mussel mounds are formed and maintained over time. As a preliminary project, we plan to use 5 sites, each with 2 replicate creeks (one long and one short). At each creek, we plan to tether mussels in each of three treatments (cage, cage controls, and controls) both on already existing mounds and off mounds and at three distances from the creek head. Additionally, to measure larval delivery and flow, we plan to outplant spat bags and chalk blocks, respectively.
Where will the project be located?
Airport Marsh (Small: 31.420511, -81.294440 Large: 31.422351, -81.292284) Barn Creek (Small: 31.437904, -81.285443 Large: 31.438901, -81.284718) Birdhouse Cottages (Small: 31.420007, -81.255135 Large: 31.420978, -81.255731) Little Sapelo (Small: 31.418085, -81.298943 Large: 31.418762, -81.299603) Dock Road (Small: 31.408820, -81.290655 Large: 31.407721, -81.290639)
How will you provide GPS coordinates for study sites?
GPS coordinates are listed in the project location field
What are the expected start and end dates of the project?
Start Date: 05/19/2016 End Date: 10/20/2016
How many people will access the site and at what frequency?
2 people 1/month after initial set up
Keywords that describe your project
What equipment will be deployed in the field?
We have small cages (4*3in) which have a bottom and a top to exclude predators. At each creek, 48 will be deployed. We will additionally deploy 48 cage controls which are the same but only have two sides on the top. We will additionally use marking flags for our controls (again 48/creek) and staples to secure our control mussels (48/creek). This equipment will be deployed at the end of May and will be collected by mid-October at the latest. All equipment will be returned to the lab at this time.
Will plants or animals be collected as part of this study?
Yes, we plan to collect 1500 small mussels. We expect to need to hand collect ~2,000 to have enough in the correct size class.
What are the likely impacts of the project on the site?
The cages are very small and we will only have two people ever out at the site once per month. Since we predict water flow is an important determinant of where these mounds form, we have planned this experiment with minimal disruption as an absolute goal. Therefore, we expect nothing but minimal trampling at our experimental sites. At our collection sites, we aim to move around to different pockets so as to not completely take all the mussels from one area, and we are only taking mussels in the size class we need, meaning that the larger mussels should be able to maintain the existing mound structure after we harvest.
Will the project design include boardwalks? If not, explain why not.
Our initial plan was to use boardwalks, but after visiting the sites, we believe that they will be more disruptive to the mound structure and flow regime than carefully walking around mounds. Since there will only be two of us at the site and we will only be there 1/month, we believe that we can be minimally disruptive to the marsh. Additionally, at where the experiment will be deployed, it would be very difficult to deploy boardwalks without disrupting many mussel mounds.
How long will impacts persist after the research is concluded?
Impacts will be minimal and should perish by the beginning of the next growing season. All research infrastructure will be returned to the lab and will not leave lasting effects on the marsh.
