Sci-Art AquaWeek 2013 Biodiversity Lab: “Mollusk diversity around Panay and Guimaras” (22 July, Monday, 8 am–5 pm) This contest is open to teams (each composed of one teacher and two students) from all interested high schools. The main tasks are: (1) do field work and document mollusk diversity in intertidal habitats around Panay and Guimaras, and (2) process and identify specimens for a reference collection of 75 mollusk species for the school museum. Some examples of marine habitats are listed in the attached information sheet. Teams do the following: Week(s) before 22 July: 1. Choose two or more marine habitats and sampling sites, visit them during day time low tides, and take notes and photos. Find about 75 species of mollusks at the selected sites. Note each species’ microhabitat (exactly where it was found: on sand, mud, rocks, seaweed, seagrass, other animals, etc.). Collect only 1–2 live specimens of each species for processing and identification. Include sandy and rocky beaches and check at the water’s edge and at the high tide debris line. Empty mollusk shells are to be preferably collected (instead of live specimens) if they are still intact (no missing shell structures and diagnostic characters) and still near-perfect in color pattern. Collected specimens must be packed by sampling site and date, each pack carefully labeled by sampling site, locality, date, and time of collection. All the label information must be copied onto subsequent labels for specimens or species taken from the pack—to keep track always of where each specimen was collected. 2. Process mollusk specimens as follows. To remove the animals from shells, boil water in a pot and dunk the specimens for about a minute, enough to blanch the animal in the outer whorls but not retracted into the inner whorls. Remove the flesh with a pin. To make sure that all internal tissues are removed, put the specimens in a bowl of water to allow tissue decay, or in a safe place where ants can get to them. After a few days, the decayed tissues can be shaken out, and the shells can be cleaned and air-dried. To remove mud and attached materials from shells, use a brush, bamboo sticks, blunt knife, or pliers. Very dirty shells may be individually treated with muriatic acid. Prepare full-strength muriatic acid (use Gleam brand—its vapors do not hurt nose and eyes) in a squirt bottle. Keep ready a basin of rinse water. Wear rubber gloves, hold the dirty shell or put it in a bowl by itself, and squirt muriatic acid onto the surfaces that need cleaning, including the inside of the shell. After the dirt comes off, dunk the shell in the rinse water and check for dirt and damage. If the shell is not damaged, repeat squirting acid until all dirt comes off. Do NOT leave shells in acid. Used muriatic acid may be saved in a bowl and reused until it stops bubbling dirt off from shells. Rinse acid-cleaned shells 2–3x and air-dry on newspaper or rags (or sun-dry but for short periods to avoid bleaching of shell colors). 3. If teams collect less than 75 mollusk species from marine habitats, they may purchase the remainder (as many as 25 species only) from shell shops in Iloilo Central Market and at FishWorld SeaStore, but only the specimens that come from Panay and Guimaras. (Note: the FishWorld Curator knows which species can be found in Panay and Guimaras, and which shells are sold in shell shops in Iloilo). 4. Examine and sort collected specimens by similarities and differences (or by class, families, genera, and species). Put sorted shells in separate bags or containers. 5. Buy from Iloilo Plastic Center self-sealing plastic bags of several sizes (100 each of #1, #2, #3, and #4) to hold the clean and dry specimens during processing and for submission and scoring (small bags for small specimens). 6. Identify the collected shells by using authoritative books on mollusks in the Philippines or in the Indo-Pacific, for example: • Carpenter KE, Niem VH (eds). 1998. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes. The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific, Volume 1. Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome. (Check the website fao.org for downloadable pdf.) • Okutani T (ed). 2000. Marine Mollusks in Japan. Tokai University Press, Tokyo, 1173 pp. (Expensive!) • Poppe, GT. 2008-2010. Philippine Marine Mollusks, Volumes 1-4. ConchBooks, Hackenheim, Germany. (Copies may be purchased online from ConchBooks; quite expensive). • Springsteen FJ, Leobrera FM. 1986. Shells of the Philippines. Carfel Seashell Museum, Manila. 377 pp. (This book is out of print.) 7. Visit FishWorld and identify species by means of books, and by comparison with the museum reference collections. Put identified specimens in self-sealing plastic bags with tentative labels with species name, locality, date, and other information. 8. Format, print, and cut 100 specimen labels (on thick white board 220 gsm), each 1”x3” bearing the school and museum name , preferably with logo. Bring these computer-printed labels and fine-tipped pens with permanent ink to FishWorld on contest day. On 22 July, Monday, contest day: 1. Bring to FishWorld the clean and intact (near-perfect) specimens of 75 mollusk species, new self-sealing plastic bags, printed specimen labels, and a transparent plastic canister with cover to contain all specimens to be submitted by the team for scoring. 2. Register at 8 am, and get a copy of the Biodiversity Report with a 2-page Table of Mollusk Species to fill in after the taxonomic work. Occupy a lab table in the Kids’ Activity Room. 3. Continue work on species identification until 75 species have been identified. Use the FishWorld reference collections and taxonomic books. Check and verify your own identification. Put identified specimens in self-sealing plastic bags with tentative labels with species name, locality, date, and other information. 4. Each team may present to the FishWorld Curator as many as 10 species with uncertain identification for verification or advice. The FishWorld Curator will verify and advise between 10 am and 12 noon only. 5. Teams fill out the Biodiversity Report and Table of Mollusk Species as neatly as possible by hand. 6. Teams write out the final specimen labels with complete details for the 75 correctly identified species for the school’s collection. Use fine-tip pens with permanent ink. Specimen catalogue numbers in the labels must correspond to those in the Table of Mollusk Species. 7. Teams submit to the FishWorld Curator the Biodiversity Report and Table of Mollusk Species together with the canister of 75 labeled and bagged species. 8. Teams will be scored as follows (maximum score 200 points): • Biodiversity Report (maximum 15 pts): site and date of sampling, description of aquatic habitats (5 pts); sampling method and processing of specimens (5 pts); identification method, taxonomic references used (5 pts) • Collection of specimens of 75 species (1 pt per near-perfect, clean, and dry specimen of a species) • Table of Mollusk Species (1 pt per species correctly classified to class and family and identified to scientific name) • Specimen presentation and labeling with the school or museum name and logo, and scientific names correctly spelled (35 pts) 9. After the contest, teams take their shell collections back to their schools for permanent exhibit. 10. Other notes for the Biodiversity Lab contest: • Teams must score >140 to qualify for prizes. • Top three teams get cash prizes: First (P1,500), Second (P1,200), and Third (P1,000). • Non-winners with scores >140 will receive P500 to subsidize expenses. • Contestants and coaches will receive Certificates of Participation on contest day. • Certificates of Merit and cash prizes will be awarded to the winners at 4 pm on Friday, 26 July. Additional information on intertidal habitats to prepare for the Biodiversity Lab 1. Mangrove patches are found in: • Dumangas, Iloilo -- several patches along Coastal Road • Iloilo River from General Luna Street to Mohon, Oton • Batiano River from Oton town to Santo Nino Sur, Arevalo and Calumpang, Molo • Anhawan, Oton – beside the bridge • Baguingin, Tigbauan – beside the bridge • Jordan, Guimaras – Morobuan and Lawi • Igang, Nueva Valencia, Guimaras • Nogas Island, Anini-y, Antique 2. Seagrass beds are found in: • Jordan, Guimaras – Hoskyns after the Roro port; Sitio Lawi • Igang, Nueva Valencia, Guimaras • Nogas Island, Anini-y, Antique 3. Mudflat • Ermita, Dumangas, Iloilo – off Bernardo’s Resort 4. Sandflat • Hoskyns, Jordan, Guimaras –after the Roro port 5. Rocky shore and rock overhangs (elevated old coral reefs) • Hoskyns, Jordan, Guimaras –after the Roro port • Igang, Nueva Valencia, Guimaras • Siraan, Anini-y, Antique 6. Sandy and gravelly beaches are found all around Panay; empty shells are deposited at low tide and after storms. 7. Consult tide calendars and find out the days and times of lowest tides. Visit intertidal habitats during daytime low tides, preferably in the early morning or mid afternoon. 8. Wear old clothes and old sneakers, booties, or aqua shoes that will stay on your feet, not get stuck in the mud. Wear a hat (do not carry an umbrella) to keep both hands free for work. 9. Be careful not to slip on the mud, stumble on the roots, or get hit on the head or in the eyes by tree branches. 10. Move quietly and observe. To find live animals, look closely in puddles, at the mud or sand surface, among coral rubble, seagrass blades, or mangrove roots, trunks, branches, and leaves. 11. Examples of the mollusks commonly found in mangrove forests, mudflats, and ponds: Snails: Telescopium telescopium Cerithidea cingulata Cerithidea rhizophorarum Terebralia sulcata Cassidula mustelina Batillaria multiformis Chicoreus capucinus Littoraria scabra Nerita planospira Clams: Polymesoda expansa Scapharca cornea Anadara antiquata Dosinia troscheli Pistris truncata Pharella javanica Oysters: Isognomon ephippium Crassostrea iredalei Saccostrea cucullata Planostrea pestigris Pinna bicolor Alectryonella plicata 12. Examples of mollusks commonly found in seagrass beds and sandflats Snails: Cypraea annulus Natica gualteriana Chicoreus bruneus Morula musiva Conus coronatus Nerita undata Clypeomorus bifasciata Pyrene scripta Strombus luhuanus Clams: Trachycardium rugosum Gafrarium tumidum Katelysia hiantina Oysters: Malleus malleus Atrina vexillum Spondylus squamosus 13. Mollusks commonly found on beaches: Strombus urceus, Donax cuneatus, Scapharca pilula, Turritella terebra
Posted on: Tue, 18 Jun 2013 04:55:09 +0000
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