Queensland Term Abroad

Lady Elliot Island

Lady Elliot VII — 1 & 2 October

Student projects continue...Two groups studied the beautiful blue sea star, Linkia. One group looked at whether sea stars of different sizes preferred different spots on the reef. They wondered whether individual Linkia might be larger or smaller in a habitat buffeted by waves, or whether these sea stars would suffer more from damage or parasites. A second group investigated wither the Linkia influenced the distribution of other predators on the reef.

The final group studied the distribution of the ubiquitous sea cucumbers within the lagoon. This group asked whether different species would favor different parts of the lagoon, say some close to the shore and others close to the reef edge. Once again, the pattern was not all that simple.

Projects began with ideas, moved to a frenzy of data collection, then students took turns with the few lap tops available analyzing their data and preparing presentations. It was a long day and a half for faculty and tutors, but the students are really wonderful at working together and the presentations were great. Many resort guests and staff attended our little symposium on the afternoon of the last day.