Hi everyone, my name is Tahlia Trevino, and this is my third week at the Miller Lab at UCSB! This week was less eventful than the last two weeks, but that meant I had plenty of time to enjoy Santa Barbara.
Monday, July 3rd
Today was a TRAITS day, which if you have not read my other posts, is where we go out and collect kelp to see what organisms there are on different kinds of kelp in different transects. Then we send the kelp off to another lab to have its DNA tested. It’s an all-day process as the organisms we are looking at are very small, and we have to be very gentle and not rip the kelp apart.
Tuesday, July 4th
Today was Independence Day, so I didn’t go into the lab and had an awesome 4th! I started my day by going to get a smoothie at Blenders, a smoothie and juice bar. Then I spent the whole day at the beach with my new friends from the class I joined through UCSB, we played spike ball and volleyball, which was very fun! Then after hanging out at the beach we went and had pizza. Once it was dark, we went and watched the fireworks from our local beach. They were so cool, and I overall had an awesome 4th!
Wednesday, July 5th
Today would usually be a TRAITS day, but I instead worked on my project of marking different species to determine their percent mass in an image and an overall ecosystem. Later on, I also assisted in a lab about crabs that other grad students are a part of. It was great to work in a group and have everyone sharing out their ideas on the crabs.
Thursday, July 6th
Today I started by going to a lecture that was taught by Bob Miller. We learned about zonation and the adaptation of the ocean. Zonation is the vertical branding of organisms on the shore that are affected by stress, resources, biological interactions, and much more. Several theories defined the pattern of zonation, but all contradicted one another, but finally, A.J. Underwood determined that the zonation was a linear pattern. Then we learned about adaptation and the different kinds of ways different species along the shorelines are built to survive the different zones. The adaptation types include habitat selection by larvae and adults, which means species decide to live within larvae or live on other adult species that move back and forth in the ocean. There are also strong attachment devices like cement, tube feet, and a muscular foot to resist waves. There are several other ways the species have adapted to their different zones that are very important to their survival. Then I went back to the Miller lab where I spent some time on my project before heading to a lab. This lab was about the sand crab. Which is a species that lives in the intertidal zone. They rely on the waves that crash onto the beach to provide shelter and protection. We collected these creatures at Campus Point Beach and collected data on their size and sex to compare them to our lab next Tuesday out at Pismo Beach which is about an hour North. Pismo Beach is unprotected, meaning nothing is protecting the shore, while Campus Point is protected by the Chanel Islands.
Notes from Lecture
Sand Crab
Friday, July 7th
Today I didn’t go into the lab, I went to the Sea Center where I talked to kids and families about different intertidal species that surround Santa Barbara. It was really fun, and I got to talk to a lot of interesting people who didn’t know much about the ocean. After the visit to the Sea Center, I went to the beach for the rest of the day.
Sea Center
Saturday, July 8th and Sunday, July 9th
Saturday I hung out at the beach and went paddle boarding again which was super fun. We got up close to this small pod of dolphins that were hanging out close to the shore! Then I went to the Butterfly Preserve, a preserve for butterflies that travel from California to Costa Rica. It was cool to see so many butterflies. On Sunday I went to the beach again and read a new book I bought from the bookstore nearby, it was a very relaxing day.
Coronado Butterfly Preserve
Tahlia, you are getting to experience so many cool new things! I would love to see a pod of dolphins right about now. Zonation sounds fascinating, maybe a little bit confusing as well. I can’t wait for next week’s update!