Marine Field Course – June 2016

1. Marine Field Course – June 2016 Marine biology and functional ecology: Cumbrae, South-west Scotland Led by Dr Twiss Cumbrae 2015

2. Some of Spongebob Squarepants’ Mates Butterfish (Pholis gunnellus) Lion’s Mane Jellyfish (Cyanea capillata) Drs Hyde, Lucas - 2006 Dr Twiss with students - 2013 Students looking for Spongebob? - 2010

3. Overall aim: Investigate the diversity, distribution, adaptations and behaviour of organisms in relation to environmental factors within marine and coastal environments. Emphasis on the morphological, behavioural and physiological solutions that marine and intertidal organisms employ to survive, grow and reproduce – Functional Ecology. Emphasis on marine and intertidal environs, not terrestrial or freshwater habitats. Why do I bother? …. …It’s always plankton for breakfast!!

4. Where is Cumbrae? Great Cumbrae - a small island, 20 km circumference - inner Firth of Clyde, SW Scotland. One town - Millport (with shops, bank, bars) Based at Field Studies Council Millport – originated 1885 as a research station Train (or car) to Largs + short ferry and walk / bus Weather: doesn’t rain all the time!

5. Accommodation and facilities Full board and lodgings provided in double-occupancy rooms in a modern-purpose built hostel. Full access to well-equipped teaching labs, internet, library, a wide range of habitats for fieldwork. Cost: £650 = cost of lodgings, food, teaching facilities, transport during fieldcourse (less Dept. contribution) = £150? + Students make own arrangements for transport to/from Cumbrae. When?last 2 weeks of June (provisionally Fri 17th - Tues 28th June 2016) DO NOT ARRANGE INTERNSHIPS TO START BEFORE 1 JULY.

6. Additional facilities / opportunities Marine sampling techniques including beam trawls, zooplankton tows on the marine station’s crewed vessels (‘Aplysia’ is pictured) Observe small whales,, seals, seabirds, [basking sharks] Students are kindly asked not to give their breakfast to the seabirds!!

7. Course programme During the first 8 days of the course the group will work together to undertake a series of investigations, much of the data from which will be pooled for analysis and discussion. The last 2 days will be spent on small projects undertaken by groups of 2-3 students.

8. Indicative schedule • Day 0: Arrival and introductory lecture. • Days 1 & 2: Reintroduction to diversity, morphology and distribution of organisms on the rocky littoral. Effects of exposure on rocky shore communities and their zonation. • Days 3 and 4: Population estimation of mobile animals and homing behaviour. Intertidal life – functional ecology (activity rhythms, metabolism, thermal tolerance).

9. Indicative schedule • Days 5 and 6: Sampling methods at sea (boats), observation of marine birds, mammals. Effect of marine environment and human impacts (e.g. fishing) on macrobenthos communities. • Day 7: Plankton biology. Behaviour - competition and foraging experiments, e.g. eider duck creching, hermit crab behaviour. • Day 8: Life’s a beach. Community composition on sandy shores, demography of juvenile flatfish. • Days 9 and 10 Group projects + “Test”

10. Example field studies: Alternative foraging strategies and time-activity budgeting of birds Food-provisioning patterns to chicks

11. 0 25 50 cm Example field studies: Estimate the population and track the movements of decapods e.g. crabs/hermit crabs in rockpools Hand-held PIT reader for reading microchip tags

12. Postcards from Millport!