Marine
Biology at Mesa State College
BIOL
396
Topics:
Marine Invertebrate Communities
Every
other year, Dr. Palmer teaches a 1-week, intensive course
on marine invertebrate communities on the Oregon Coast.
During the summer of 2004, this 2-credit field course took
place in Charleston, Oregon at the Oregon Institute of Marine
Biology (OIMB).
Course
Syllabus
Scroll
down to see images from the summer 2004 course!
Sunrise
and the low tide revealed the rocky tidepools and the beds
of seagrass at Cape Arago State Park.
Above,
Gina Farrell and Lindsey Anders, Mesa State Biology majors,
worked to uncover the array of colorful animals hiding under
the algae and rocks in one of coves at Cape Arago.
At
the South Slough Estuarine Reserve, students were able to
observe how an arm of the Coos Bay Estuary is a delicate
interaction between the incoming ocean water and the Coos
River.
Manmade
habitats, such as this floating dock, were also surveyed
for life. Large, ivory-colored sea anemones and bright purple
feather-duster worms kept the students busy.
Lighthouse
Beach, one of the most spectacular beaches on the Oregon Coast,
allowed the students to study seaworms, mole crabs, and sand
dollars in their element.
A
crab molt and the remains of a bull kelp decorated the beach
on the day we were there.
A
rocky cove at Lighthouse Beach yielded a common sight--Pisaster
ochraceous (the ochre star) clinging to mussels at low
tide.
 
A
trawling trip on the OIMB research vessel allowed students
to access the life at the bottom of the bay.
If
you would like more information about the course or about
pursuing a career in Marine Biology, please contact
Dr.
Aparna D.~Nageswaran Palmer.
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