Recommended Citation
January 1, 2010.
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to analyze trends in environmental conditions in the San Francisco Bay and to determine whether these environmental factors have a significant impact on organismal growth. This study analyzed temperature, salinity, and ocean current data collected from six different field sites located in the central region of the San Francisco Bay throughout July, 2010. This environmental data was compared to organismal growth on recruitment devices at each site. The recruitment devices consisted of two 6”x12” PVC plates and one mesh wrap containing two Tuffy kitchen scrub pads. Settled organisms included native and invasive crustaceans, bryozoans, polychaetes, nudibranchs, and tunicates. Protected field sites in the East Bay experiencing maximum currents between 20-30 cm/s and average temperatures of 18.2-18.4 °C demonstrated the most overall organismal growth. The relationship between variation in salinity and organismal growth is unclear and further study addressing tidal considerations is necessary.
Mentor
Toby Garfield
Lab site
Romberg Tiburon Center for Environmental Studies (RTC)
URL: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/star/37