It’s August 1, 2018 and there are a lot of enthusiastic students in the normally quiet Tjärnö. The reason for their excitement is the beginning of the Joint School. For ten days they will work together in groups at the Sven Lovén Centre for Marine Infrastructure to conduct a small research project. Of course, they are also very excited to see each other again after one month of separation.
As the day passes by, it gets more and more active on the island. And soon the little groups start to chat about a possible research topic. There is a welcome presentation and a nice first dinner, and after, the groups start brainstorming. This blog will follow a particular group of students. Our group consists of six students that want to dedicate these ten days to rocky shores, and more importantly what lives on these shores. That’s why we call ourselves ‘The Rockers’. As it gets darker and some are seeking for b e e r, our plan starts to form.
The second day is a whole day dedicated to writing the proposal of the project. There are some discussions and some good advice from our very helpful supervisor, Gauthier. Finally at four o’clock our proposal is ready, with the title: ‘Biotic and abiotic factors affecting community composition of the rocky shores of Saltӧ’. For abiotic factors we will go in the field and do a survey of two types of rocky shores: exposed rocky shores, located on the West side of the island and exposed to wind and waves, and sheltered rocky shores, located on the East side. Wave action, substrate type and depth are the abiotic factors of our main interest. A lab experiment including crabs (Carcinus maenas) and snails (Littorina saxatilis) will be conducted to look at biotic factors such as the influence of predation on habitat choice.
Besides this experiment we as The Rockers will carry out, we will also explore the beautiful surroundings and enjoy ourselves. Therefore, the third day started with a refreshing dip in the salty water in front of the research centre before breakfast.
As the day passes by, it gets more and more active on the island. And soon the little groups start to chat about a possible research topic. There is a welcome presentation and a nice first dinner, and after, the groups start brainstorming. This blog will follow a particular group of students. Our group consists of six students that want to dedicate these ten days to rocky shores, and more importantly what lives on these shores. That’s why we call ourselves ‘The Rockers’. As it gets darker and some are seeking for b e e r, our plan starts to form.
The second day is a whole day dedicated to writing the proposal of the project. There are some discussions and some good advice from our very helpful supervisor, Gauthier. Finally at four o’clock our proposal is ready, with the title: ‘Biotic and abiotic factors affecting community composition of the rocky shores of Saltӧ’. For abiotic factors we will go in the field and do a survey of two types of rocky shores: exposed rocky shores, located on the West side of the island and exposed to wind and waves, and sheltered rocky shores, located on the East side. Wave action, substrate type and depth are the abiotic factors of our main interest. A lab experiment including crabs (Carcinus maenas) and snails (Littorina saxatilis) will be conducted to look at biotic factors such as the influence of predation on habitat choice.
Besides this experiment we as The Rockers will carry out, we will also explore the beautiful surroundings and enjoy ourselves. Therefore, the third day started with a refreshing dip in the salty water in front of the research centre before breakfast.
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