Daily Variation in Ctenophore Abundance during Summer 2012 in the long term Skidaway River Monitoring Program (SRIMP) Site Mariya Campbell

Introduction/ Hypothesis Phylum Ctenophora Lack nematocysts Eight rows of cilia Mnemiopsis leidyi – Zooplankton diet Beroe ovata – Gelatinous diet Self-fertilizing hermaphrodite, regeneration, salinity and oxygen tolerance Native to North and South Atlantic Coast Invasive Black Sea, North Sea Hypothesis: High variability in abundance

Methods Full water column sample using ctenophore net for five minutes 6 collections Measure length for size class Volume of size class Calculations: – M. leidyi per cubic meter of water (# of Mnemiopsis or Beroe)/ ((# of flow meter rotations/ )* ) – Average – Standard Deviation

Acknowledgements Dr. Tara Cox Dr. Christopher Hintz Dr. Matthew Gilligan Dr. Jens Nejstgaard Laura Birsa Vinay Arora Brandon Dunlap Loumarys Lara