Marine research during a summer at FHL
By Lauren Grady, UW Marine Biology ’25
This summer, I have had the opportunity to participate in FHL 468B: Marine Conservation Ecology (MCE) at Friday Harbor Laboratories. MCE is a research and fieldwork-based class that focuses on invertebrate biodiversity, avian biology, and the interplay between marine and terrestrial ecosystems.
The first two weeks of the class were spent waking up bright and early to explore various places around San Juan Island. Trekking through (and sometimes getting stuck in) the mud in search of ghost shrimp and lugworms in False Bay, digging for gaper clams at Argyle Lagoon, traversing the barnacle-ridden rocks of Cattle Point for sea slugs, flipping tires along the FHL floating docks, outside lectures along the Fire Trail on campus, and so much more.
One of the highlights of our time thus far has been going out on the Kittiwake – FHL’s main research vessel – to do a bottom trawl. During the trawl, we found a plethora of spot prawns, sea urchins, rat fish, rose stars, sun stars, sponges, barnacles, and flatfish, among many other curious creatures.
Now that we have finished our first few weeks of field trips, invertebrate and avian diversity lectures, and two practicals, we are gearing up for the final two weeks of research projects. For my project, I intend to compare the predation rate and dietary preferences of the ochre sea star (Pisaster ochraceus) and the leather sea star (Dermasterias imbricata) and use my findings to explain potential changes in intertidal community structure and top-down control. I also hope to explore any negative interactions between ochre and leather stars and what that means in terms of predation success.
Despite only having been at FHL since June 10, the amount of information I have learned in MCE is vast. Being able to practice identification out in the field and explore so many beautiful places has been such a privilege, and I look forward to finishing and presenting my research project in the remaining two weeks of the course!
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- A morning lecture about terrestrial ecology along the Fire Trail, a hiking path near the labs.
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- A spotted ratfish, a type of chimaera, is a cartilaginous fish that gets its characteristic name from a pointed rat-like tail.
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- Week 1 field trip to Cattle Point.
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- Clown nudibranch, a type of sea slug, viewed under a microscope.
