Water Quality Fluctuations and Macro-invertebrate Diversity within Intertidal Rock Pools, Jalisco, Mexico

Document Type

Oral Presentation

Campus where you would like to present

SURC Ballroom C/D

Start Date

15-5-2014

End Date

15-5-2014

Keywords

Tide pools, Biodiversity, Water quality

Abstract

Tide pools that form along rocky coasts provide opportunities for investigating the interplay between the physical and biotic environments in these distinct, easily definable microhabitats. These rock pools are inundated by the ocean most the time; however the time they spend isolated and exposed can impose sharp variations in the abiotic factors for each tide pool microhabitat and can in turn affect the organisms that live in them. The tide pools included in this study were located near Chamela in Jalisco, Mexico on the Careyitos beach (19.437, -105.027). Tropical locations such as this receive considerable solar radiation, which can increase the diurnal temperature and salinity fluctuations within the tide pools. Seventeen tide pools of various sizes and elevations were selected for this study. Using the Shannon-Weiner biodiversity index, we determined species richness and evenness within each pool. Relative elevation was measured for each pool, and salinity and temperature were recorded with a YSI model 85 probe every 45 minutes for a 10 hour period. After the pools became shaded, temperature began to decline while salinity continued to increase. Cross-referencing the biodiversity against the water-quality data provides an indication of how well macro-invertebrates survive with various levels of disturbance (i.e., exposure). Our results suggest that those tide pools that were moderately exposed (i.e., intermediate) showed the greatest species diversity, a trend consistent with the intermediate disturbance hypothesis.

Poster Number

35

Faculty Mentor(s)

Beck, Daniel

Additional Mentoring Department

Biological Sciences

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May 15th, 8:30 AM May 15th, 11:00 AM

Water Quality Fluctuations and Macro-invertebrate Diversity within Intertidal Rock Pools, Jalisco, Mexico

SURC Ballroom C/D

Tide pools that form along rocky coasts provide opportunities for investigating the interplay between the physical and biotic environments in these distinct, easily definable microhabitats. These rock pools are inundated by the ocean most the time; however the time they spend isolated and exposed can impose sharp variations in the abiotic factors for each tide pool microhabitat and can in turn affect the organisms that live in them. The tide pools included in this study were located near Chamela in Jalisco, Mexico on the Careyitos beach (19.437, -105.027). Tropical locations such as this receive considerable solar radiation, which can increase the diurnal temperature and salinity fluctuations within the tide pools. Seventeen tide pools of various sizes and elevations were selected for this study. Using the Shannon-Weiner biodiversity index, we determined species richness and evenness within each pool. Relative elevation was measured for each pool, and salinity and temperature were recorded with a YSI model 85 probe every 45 minutes for a 10 hour period. After the pools became shaded, temperature began to decline while salinity continued to increase. Cross-referencing the biodiversity against the water-quality data provides an indication of how well macro-invertebrates survive with various levels of disturbance (i.e., exposure). Our results suggest that those tide pools that were moderately exposed (i.e., intermediate) showed the greatest species diversity, a trend consistent with the intermediate disturbance hypothesis.