life-saver

[mdownesberry]

I'm currently in the middle of a term paper on seagrass communities and just found this article (Beyond the Refugium: Seagrass Aquaria)... I was wondering 1) if you would mind if I used and sited this article in my paper and, if you don't mind, 2) do you have a specific citation you like used or if not, is there a specific volume number etc. for this particular article?

Thankyou! I have a feeling this article is going to be a life-saver!:spin1:
Meaghan

 

[Samala]

Meaghan - I certainly dont mind if you'd want to use it, BUT, your professors might mind using an internet source, even if it is a lovely published magazine like Reefkeeping. Check with them. If you're in a lower level than say undergrad in college you're probably just fine to go ahead.

Probably this format is good:

Lardizabal, S. 2006. Beyond the Refugium: Seagrass Aquaria. Reefkeeping. vol 5 issue 3. [Or.. "5(3)"]

I am a weeee bit rusty on the particulars of reference format. Probably they gave examples in the syllabus, mine usually did, of how they want it to appear. The papers/grants I write are usually far more relaxed on this sort of formatting etiquette.

It would also be completely fine to cite the original sources I list at the end of the article, particularly if your professors/teachers are uncomfortable with you using an internet source. 95% of the article is information from scientifically refereed papers and if you wanted to use something specific, you could quote the original paper. (Follow the numbers.)

There is also an excellent comprehensive seagrass biology text out now -- Larkum AWD, Orth RJ and CM Duarte. 2006. Seagrasses: Biology Ecology and Conservation. Springer / USA. That would be another good source to consider using if you have the time to check your library. It was just released in February, I adore my copy.

At any rate, I hope something of what I said above is useful to you! I'm glad you found the article helpful! Just for curiosity, is your paper a comprehensive treatment of 'grass communities, or something in specific?

>Sarah

 

[mdownesberry]

Thankyou! I'll definitely keep an eye out for that text.
The reason I'm writing this paper is actually because on June 11th I'll be leaving for a 10day seminar down in the Bahamas, specifically the island of San Salvador. It's a short-term study abroad program with my college (Simmons College, Boston, MA). We'll be looking at the local reefs, seagrass communities, mangrove ponds, and I think we'll even be doing some spelunking and adventuring down into a bat cave. Long story short, along with daily lessons and activities, us girls going on the trip (12, I think) have to prepare a lab report and presentation based on observations made concerning a specific topic.

The topic I got with my partner is Seagrass Communities. Getting down to the tropics is obviously the easy part, before we get down there we have to write the introduction and the methods and materials sections of our lab report. The kicker is that the introduction needs to be 15 pgs. long and methods and materials 5pgs (not as big a deal). So basically, while I know it's obviously do-able, with only one year of college under my belt I don't have a ton of experience with such an undertaking. I've basically been floundering around for the past month and I think I finally have a solid idea of what I need to say in this paper andhow I'll actually be able to write 15 pages about seagrass (which is rather daunting until you really get into the research and find out theres more to it than one might expect!).

So now that I've written a novel, I'll specifically answer your question: from what I understand, the introduction is a somewhat broad look at seagrass communities, first world-wide and then more specifically in the Bahamian regions. She does, however, want me to focus on (specifically in bahamas region) connections between flora, fauna, and the environment. The current plan is to take a look at seagrass communities and the the conditions under which they exist and to develop a food web prior to the trip and compare and contrast. But if you have anything interesting that you think would be fun to explore, definitely let me know! And now I've gone on forever... but I'd love to hear back, questions, comments, suggestions-I'll take whatever you've got!

Thanks for the super-quick reply!
Meaghan

 

[Samala]

Seagrass is definitely one of those things that you wave off in the beginning and think "ah, who cares, its a bunch of green things in the ocean" but once you start reading about it it can become this giant monsterous topic of information to talk about!

The ecological connections between seagrasses and fish, and invertebrates and even reptiles/mammals, are definitely broad enough to fill a book. I have full confidence you can fill fifteen pages and then some. It was a struggle to keep the ReefKeeping article to the size you see, and it is quite long!

One of the big ecological topics for seagrasses would be their service as a nursery area for reef and game fish, particularly true in the Caribbean. Many of the species in some of the most important fisheries (like queen conch in the Bahamas) rely heavily on seagrass beds either through juvenile and larval stages, or throughout their life cycle. I'm sure you can come up with a number of fisheries from the Caribbean. They also serve as habitat/food for several endangered groups of animals - sea turtles, manatees, seahorses, etc. Any of these three broad topics could be used to develop a mini-project for your ten day stay.

Congratulations on the study abroad by the way! It is wonderful that you are taking this on early in your degree program. Field research is priceless, I have enjoyed all of my adventures out in the ocean and conducting science.

If I can help with references to information/papers let me know and I'd be happy to share my library of links/citations.

World Seagrass Assoc.
From my website.. A few of these might be worth a quick look, but are geared more towards non-scientists on the whole.

>Sarah