Fun with the S.E.M.

Hello, Steve here again. It has been a month or so now at Friday Harbor and I’m still having a blast. Joe’s, Deanna’s, and my projects are going great. We are all starting to get results. While designing my experiment this spring one of my goals was to incorporate the scanning electron microscope (S.E.M.) into my research. I have always wanted to learn how to use one mainly because I think the pictures are really cool.

I did figure out how to include the S.E.M. by looking to see how morphological aspects of juvenile Oregonia gracilis affect their behavior. I am also interested in characterizing the different morphological features of the very young juveniles, as it has not been done before. Finally I am looking to see if there are any differences in setal density between different periods of O. gracilis’ life.

I learned how to use the S.E.M. last week. It is amazingly easy to use. If you can use a camera you can learn how to use the S.E.M. It only took about 5 minutes to master. The theory on how it works, on the other hand, is not so easy. Well, here are some pictures I took with it.

A carapace of an O.gracilis megalopa, the final larval stage of a crab before metamorphosis into a juvenile crab. They can look quite different between species. There are a few here that look similar but the way the spines are laid out distinguishes between them.

Compound eyeballs look tight.

A carapace of a few day old juvenile O. gracilis. All the hair like projections are called hooked setae. These are how decorator crabs attach decoration to themselves. It is a mechanical attachment much like Velcro. Hooked setae are unique to the spider crab family Majoidae.

Here is a juvenile eye ball because it looks cool. It kind of has an eye brow of hooked setae. Pretty sweet.

A close up of some of the setae. These ones are on the base of the rostrum.

Cheers,
Steve

 


Gon’ Crabbin’

Three weeks in Friday Harbor, and the time has flown by. As you may have already known both Steve and I are working on the organism Oregonia gracilis, a decorator crab. Steve is working with the larval and beginning juvenile stages. These early stages are teeny tiny little guys. About two weeks ago he needed to start collecting some of the larvae and we both just wanted to have some fun, so we decided to start the collection process. Now I don’t know about you, but from growing up just outside of Annapolis, MD when I think about catching crabs what comes to mind is tying some chicken necks to a string, throwing them in the water and waiting for a crab to grab on. Contrary to popular belief this isn’t how you catch larvae.

 

There are a couple different methods you can choose from to catch these larvae, but basically all of them involve seeing these tiny specks swimming around in the water and scooping them up into a plankton tow or small mesh net. However, in order to see and scoop these crabs you first have to find them. This part can be pretty tricky when you’re dealing with something that is only about a millimeter or so long in a great big sea. Luckily Biologists have a trick up their sleeve, Nightlighting.

 

Nightlighting is exactly what it sounds like. Once it gets dark (about 10:30 here) you take a nice big waterproof lamp and dip in just below the surface of the water. In a matter of minutes you’ll have larvae swarming the light, give it another minute or so, you’ll have shrimp, jellyfish, small fish, and every-once-in-awhile 1 ½ ft polychaetes swim by. The larvae are attracted to the light, and a lot of the other organisms are just there for some easy dinner.

With enough luck nightlighting is a very effective method for catching larvae. We have been out about 4 times since we’ve been here, and every time we manage to see something cool and new. Also after some very cold time dipping our hands in the water we took a few nice pictures.

 

Gotta go check on the crabs! Until next time from the West Side.

Plaid, Flannel, or Argyle? Decisions, decisions…

Hey guys, I’m Joe Odierno, here at Friday Harbor Labs with Dr. Jacobs, Deanna, and Steve. This is our 3rd week here in the San Juan Islands and each day is filled with new and different surprises. From getting to go out dredging, to starting experiments we have all been anticipating for months, to seeing all the awesome organisms this place has to offer, it’s really a sight to see.

 

Between the whale watching, seal sightings, and adventure hikes, we all work hard and long on our research in the labs and field. I’m here studying Oregonia gracilis, The Graceful Decorator. These crabs are apart of the Spider Crab family and will take anything they can get their claws on and use it to decorate they carapace and legs. They mostly utilize varieties of algae, bryozoans, and sponges. It has been seen that other crabs in their order will prefer to decorate with one material more than another. I’m looking at the question, do these crabs prefer one material to another, or do they just take whatever is within claw length? I want to see if these guys go to their favorite department store and pick out their favorite shirt, or if they just go for the first one they see.

 

So the general process of my experiment is go out to the docks, swoop 30 to 40 of these guys into my net, bring them back to the lab, strip them down (un-decorate them)-which I must say is a pretty arduous process that usually goes long into the night- using my arsenal of watchmaker’s forceps, paintbrushes, forceps, and a handy dandy dissecting microscope, give them sometime to recover, and the next day unleash a fury of red algae, sponges, and bugula on them.  After about three days of decorating I re-strip the crabs, dry the used materials, and weigh them. I actually began my first real round the beginning of this week, so I’m stuck in this excited, edge-of-my-seat, come on guys decorate decorate decorate, type of state. Which I must say isn’t a bad thing.

 

Well we gotta go catch a boat, so that’s all for now from the West Side.  Until next time.

 

Joe Odierno

 

First week at Friday Harbor Labs

It has been a full week already and it flew by. Everything about Friday Harbor Labs is awesome. The ferry ride to the island is one of the most scenic things I have ever experienced. There are big rocky cliffs everywhere dropping off into the cold blue waters of the Puget Sound. In the distance you can see Mount Baker in one direction and the Olympic Mountains to the other. Both are huge snowy peaks poking up through the clouds. Giant pine trees tower above the entire lab campus. The wildlife is also spectacular. There are so many birds everywhere, a true bird watchers dream. My favorites are the quails, which are a common and very charismatic ground bird. There is actually a Rufus hummingbird buzzing around me right now. The deer here are like squirrels they are everywhere and don’t care. You walk right by them and they pay you no real attention. However, by far the most amazing thing about this place is the marine ecosystems. A quick stroll on the shore about you will see giant bull kelp, starfish, polychaetes, crabs, isopods, seals, fish, and the list goes on and on.

The people here with me are also great. It’s only been a week but we are already like a family. There are 19 or so of us I think. Basically we all work very hard from after breakfast to dinner in our labs and then we all kick back together at night. It has been a great time every night so far. I am pretty sure I have made some friends for life and future colleagues. It is so nice to be in the company of other aspiring scientists like myself. All of actual scientists here are great too. They have all been very friendly. Everyone is on a first name basis. We are all working on our own projects and at the end of the summer we will be giving a presentation about our work. Hopefully at least some of us will be able to publish; I know I would be very siked if I could.

My research is investigating the decorating behavior in the last larval stage and very young graceful decorating crabs, Oregonia gracilis. I will also be characterizing their early ontogeny as it has not been done before. One of the most exciting things to me is I have managed to incorporate the electron microscope into my work. I have always wanted to use one. Well that is all for now enjoy the pictures.