Post #2 in a series from students working in the Wyeth lab this summer. Next up are Ryan Bergman, James Hanlon and Aidan McGowan, who are surveying juvenile lobster behaviour in the near shore environments around the southern Gulf of St. Lawerence. 

Our research focuses on s juvenile lobster abundance and behavior along the Scallop Buffer Zone. These protected zones along Nova Scotia’s northern coastline encompass pristine habitat for juvenile lobsters, which tend to settle in complex rocky habitats. Using underwater videography, we aim to explore the distribution of juvenile lobsters along the Scallop Buffer Zone. Additionally, we aim to use these videos to learn about the behavioral patterns of juvenile lobsters in the presence of bait. 

After selecting a beach to survey for lobsters, we head into the field and setup our cameras. To position them in the water, the cameras are placed on tripods made from metal poles roughly 2 meters tall. We then carry them into the water, attach buoys to the head and leg poles, and swim the tripod out as it floats in the water. In wetsuits and snorkeling gear, we search for ideal filming locations that lobsters may settle – for example, near the edges of seaweed and over rock piles. 

Filming over four hours of footage each day, we analyze our video data by first counting and measuring the size of lobsters. This allows us to identify habitats that juvenile lobsters frequently use and find beach sites that provide such favorable conditions. Using this contextual data, we will then document the behaviors of the juveniles as they are drawn out of their shelters with bait. This will us to classify how juvenile’s behaviour varies across different habitats and population densities. 

Post #1 in a series of posts from students working in the Wyeth lab this summer. First up is Lexy Reinhardt, who is collecting data for her MSc thesis focused on the navigation behaviour of the sea slug Hermissenda crassicornis. Take it away Lexy…

Dr. Wyeth and I are currently at the Bamfield Marine Science Centre collecting underwater videos of sea slugs in their natural habitat for my MSc thesis. My ongoing research project focuses on the behavior and navigation of Hermissenda crassicornis, commonly known as the thick-horned nudibranch. 

For the past three weeks, we have undertaken daily SCUBA dives to deploy and recover underwater video cameras mounted on tripods. These cameras are strategically placed to capture video of the nudibranchs as they move through their natural environment.

The high-quality video, the likes of which have never been captured before, will enable us to conduct detailed analyses of movement patters and also contribute to the broader understanding of Hermissenda crassicornis behaviour. Though we are still in the early stages of data collection, we’ve already begun to observe some intriguing patterns and behaviours! 

In the coming weeks, we will continue our daily dives and video recordings. Our goal is to gather a comprehensive set of videos that will allow us to identify specific navigational trends and behavioural characteristics associated with different flow environments and chemical stimulus sources. 

We are thrilled with our progress so far and look forward to sharing more detailed findings as our project advances. Stay tuned for further updates!

We just finished another good trip to the annual Canadian Society of Zoologists meeting. Moncton this year, which meant we could road trip it! Mike Murtaugh (MSc student) talked about his work exploring the consequences of a low levels of ultraviolet light on biofouling communities. Gavin Hiltz (Honours student) presented his work on developing a baseline behavioural survey of juvenile lobsters in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence. Victoria Tweedie-Pitre (Honours student) presented her study using in situ HCR of neural-specific gene expression in the pond snail, Lymnaea stagnalis. Russell also presented on a closely related topic, collaborating with Roger Croll at Dalhousie on exploring octopaminergic neuroanatomy. Alongside the usual conference stuff (fun, interesting science) we snuck in a side trip to the spectacular Bay of Fundy.

Honours students Gavin Hiltz and Victoria Tweedie-Pitre are graduating today! Both did fantastic work on their theses over the last year. Gavin worked on developing a field survey of juvenile lobster behaviour with underwater video and Victoria worked on adding in situ hybridization chair reaction to our repertoire of techniques for gastropod neuroanatomy.