Michael's+Journal



Free Journal Entry #1

As you enter my area, you enter onto a sandy area covered with a green, beach bush that people have cut through to make paths to the tide pools and water. Looking ahead you can see Rabbit island, and looking right, you can see Makapu'u beach. You look down, to see jagged, black, lava rocks beneath your feet, leading to the ocean. Looking closer, you can see that the waves have eaten away some areas of the rock and have created tide pools in which organisms inhabit. The ones closer to the land, you see are less deep, and also less rough. As you get closer and closer to the surf, you can see that the tide pools become deeper and deeper, rougher and rougher. The loud crashing sounds of the waves and the distant screams of excitement from the beachgoers fill your ears, and sea spray comes in and hits you with every passing wave. If you bend down to look in the tide pools, you'd notice the sand at the bottom of the deeper tide pools. You would also notice how many hiding places there are for the fishes and other animals to hide in when they see you. You look closer, and notice crab reminance drifting in the shallow water beneath you, and looking under you on the rock which you stand, you a see a dried crab looking straight back at you, red from drying in the sun. You move over, grossed out, and then look deep into the tide pools. Within each one, something different is seen. Some have more sand, others have none. Some have many fish, some have a lot of whitewash. Some are 5 feet deep and jagged, others are 2 feet shallow and smooth. Within each one however, vibrant colors are shown. You can see so many colors. Black lava rock being a background for seaweed, moss, and other sea plants to grow on, showing off their beauty. These plants then become the background for the many fish flashing by, showing off their intricate patterns. You see crabs scamper by, and snails and shells crawling up the sides of the tide pools. It's like a miniature ocean. You then look up to the sound of a squawking bird, and see seagulls flying overhead, and a clear blue day. You walk back towards the parking lot, and turn around to take in the beauty once again, and then see something shimmer in the crevices facing the parking lot. You walk towards it, and get a better view. You realize that spiders have made webs in these small cracks and catch any unsuspecting bugs looking for a temporary cover from the sea spray. In bigger cracks at your feet, you now see the litter left by careless people. You finally walk back to the car and look back once again. You smell the salty sea air, and see that this place definitely is beautiful. I strongly believe that this place will be a great place to do my project because it has so much to offer. It's beauty and uniqueness are overwhelming. There is so much going on that you cannot possibly see them all. I know that because this place has so much, that there will always be something to write about. Also, i love the ocean. I have grown up with it all my life and i know that i will enjoy working with it and it's inhabitants once again.

Assigned Journal Entry #1

1. Within the nooks and cranny's facing the parking lot and land, are great places for spider to make their webs. There webs have been spun to fit their crevice, and many of them have bugs already stuck in them. They are out of the elements, and are in a great place to ambush any bugs looking for a home. 2. In the shallow ponds, and on the jagged rocks, crabs, particularly ama ama crabs roam. They are well-suited for these crevices as they have an uncanny ability to quickly get away, whether in the water or the rocks. Their quick crawling is unmatchable, and if needed, they can jump into the water, swimming quickly for cover, which is not hard to find, especially for crabs. They also are not easily netted as their jagged, rocky home does not provide many smooth places to trap the crab under the net. 3. The shallow tide pools make great homes for hermit crabs, snails, small guppies, and Gobi's, and other small organisms. There is so much going on in here, but each one has their own little niche. The moss and seaweed share the space on the rocks, and collect any food that passes by. Small guppies, and Gobi's splash around, and hide in the rocks. Small Manini and other reef fish swim around and feed on the seaweed and moss, and snails and hermit crabs crawl around and collect any food scraps around. These tiny animals and species are protected by the slow moving current, and the many hiding places within these calm habitats. 4. In the deeper tide pools, more white wash was eminent. Being closer to the shore break, each wave brought in strong currents and white wash covering the top. However, between waves, you could see bigger fish, which looked like a school of juvenile aholehole. They were just cruising in the tide pool that was about 5 feet deep. Other than them, i could see bigger, deeper water type seaweed, that was swaying in the current. This is the deep sea niche. I would expect that there would also be opihi here, but due to Makapu'u being such a popular spot, fisherman would have most likely picked them already. 5. In the deep tide pools that did not get all the strong shore break was many reef fish, and also a lot of very large Gobi's. They were the biggest Gobi's i have seen, at least a few inches long. These fish fed on the reef like environment, with small coral, and big seaweed and algae. It seemed like a reef like tide pool

In conclusion, it seems that each tide pool is like a little part of the sea. In the shallow tide pools, live small fish and crabs, that often times live and swim around in the very shallow parts right next to land. They also do not go too far from a hiding spot, and are very antsy. The deep, but not super strong current tide pools, seem like a mini reef, with coral, reef fish, and rolling current. There is plenty of food, and places to hide. In the deep, and strong current of the deepest and roughest tide pools, it seems like the open ocean. With danger lurking everywhere, and nowhere to hide, the only way to stay safe is in groups, like how the aholehole were doing in the deep, strong current tide pools.

This is my observations at low tide. Abiotic factors change the life that grows in each pool. In the tide pools closest to the land (the ones with no water coming in, isolated), the plant life is a little dull. The color of the water is a yellowish, murky color, which I assume that would be algae and such small plant life floating around in the water. Little transparent bunches of seaweed that are only a few centimeters tall grow on loose rocks in the middle of the pond. Other than that, the middle of the pool is plant less. If you go to the back of the pool, you can see pieces of seaweed floating on the top of the water, probably brought in with the wave surge. Then, as you look closer at the edges of the tide pool, you can see that there are a lot of small bunches of bushy seaweed that are much bigger than the transparent seaweed in the middle. However, these green plants are only seen on the edges of the tide pools, in deep crevasses, mostly in cooler, semi-shaded areas. One cool thing about them is that they hold onto oxygen bubbles very well. These are really the only plants within this tide pool. One thing however, is that the biggest seaweed plants were found in the semi-shaded and deeper areas. There are no plants close to the top of the water and most are not found in the open of middle of the pool. If you move onto the tide pool that has more surge, you’ll notice that because water comes into these pools once in a while, so does the breath of life. If you look in this pool, you can see there is a lot more color. Within the pool, you can see sponges and such, but also you can see a lot more plants at bigger sizes. You can see new seaweeds, some prickly, but also a marble-shaped, brown looking seaweed that looks like a tree when it gets big. The seaweed is found around rocks, edges, and crevasses again, but most of the seaweed is bunched up at the mouth of the tide pool. However, at the back of the tide pool are the biggest seaweeds, all spread out at the back in a deeper part of the tide pool. Once again, I noticed that the biggest and most plants are found in deeper areas, or in semi-shaded places. In shallower areas, the seaweed is not able to grow as big. In the last area, the water is constantly going in and out, and often exposed out of the water. This area is completely covered by short, prickly seaweed. Most of the seaweed is brown covered, but these seaweeds are very tough. It seems that only two or so seaweed are able to live in this area, with the drastic changes between water and sun. However, as I continued on, I noticed that on the backside of a rock, the same small prickly seaweed covering the rocks was growing in tall pine tree looking forms, swaying back and forth in the wave, being protected by the rock. Also, I could find some of the other seaweeds found in the other tide pools, which were also semi-protected by the waves. Up the beach, there are also bushes of beach bush and small ground covering like sea grass and such underneath on the sand. Questions 1. Why was there more seaweed and plant life on the surge area rather than the calm and relaxing tide pools? 2. Why are most of the plants found in deeper areas, and semi-shaded areas when in fact, they need sunlight to make photosynthesis. 3. Why were most of the plants growing on the mouth of the tide pool, but not much on the other side? 4. Where else do these plants survive? Can they survive on a reef?

Assigned Journal Entry

Intra Species Competition

1. Gobies In many of the tide pools, if not all of them, you will find at least a few gobies. However, if you look closely, you will notice that there are some differences in them. As I carefully looked at the sand covered tide pool beneath me, I also noticed tiny sand-colored gobies frolicking in the sand as well. There were so many of them, so I decided to take a closer look at them and I bent down. When I was looking at them, I noticed that they were spotted. So I compared some of them and saw that one of them had very little sandy spots, and much of his skin was dull tan color, whereas the others had much more of a spotted pattern. As I see it, these gobies live in sandy, open areas. Therefore, camouflage is a necessity from predators above. This is why I believe that the goby without the spots is at a disadvantage, and through natural selection, is slowly being bread out of the species. This is also why I saw mostly spotted gobies, and not solid colored tan gobies.

2. Crabs I was sitting down, taking notes by side of a tide pool when I noticed a ama ama crab straying out into the open. I decided to wait till he is in the open where I could catch him. That’s when I sprung into action. I quickly jumped in and scooped him up with my net. I put him in my bucket and observed it. In front of me, the rocks had much more ama ama swarming on the lava rocks that were being hit by the waves. I observed and compared. I noticed that there were differences and body size ratios. The ones on rocks had much larger bodies, and shorter legs. They stood high, although, they could sprawl their legs out and flatten out. The one I had in my bucket had much larger legs, and smaller, flatter bodies. They stood with their legs much more sprawled out, and stayed low to the ground. In my opinion, neither one of them have an advantage, and neither one will be bread out from natural selection. Instead, they may have more of a chance of becoming different creatures because of their different environments. Why? Simply because they both best suited for their own niches. The ones that I had seen on the rocks, stood straight up, and could move more quickly on the rocks. They also needed a bigger body, which in turn most likely means bigger pinchers, which it looked like they had. They are well-suited for their rocky terrain. As for the one I caught, its low center of gravity helped if stay out of sight of passing predators, and also helps it to quickly hide under small rocks and cracks. 3. Snails In my final observation, I decided to take a look at some snails I saw in a shallow, small tide pool. As I looked closely at their shells, I noticed that some had black shells with a spiral pattern, while others had a white top spiral pattern. I believe that the snail with the white top will be bread out of the species through natural selection because it is less suited for its environment. These snails cling onto rocks, in this case, lava rocks. Most of the rocks around were very black, or blacker than these snails. Any predators wanting a quick meal can easily spot these white tops, and can easily lock onto their targets because of their white top, which definitely stand out on a black background.

Assigned Journal Entry #3

Here is the picture of the basic food chain in my tide pool and surrounding area



Free Journal Entry #3

As I looked around in each tide pool, I once again noticed that the closer you got to water, the more contrast in colors you could see within each tide pool. This also means that there are more animals and species are in the colorful tide pools. I also looked at the beach Naupaka farther up the beach, and noticed that there are many cockroaches and small bugs within them. Also, there are some mice and rats inside burrows under the bushes around the beach. There are some cats that also call these bushes home. I also have noticed over these trips that the tourists seem much more respectful toward the area and the people, like me, as I have had previous encounters with tourists who were very disrespectful. As I was sitting down by the tide pool, I noticed a school of gobies by the edge of the pool. It caught my attention, as gobies normally do not have such behavior. I noticed that they were playing around by chasing each other in circles. There were both black and gray gobies, and they all seemed to somewhat getting along. However, I also did notice that for the most part, each type of goby, black and gray stay in their own area that they can blend into, either the lava rock or sand. I then noticed some fish waiting in the waves, probably hoping for an unlucky tide fish that got washed out with the waves. I also noticed that on the horizon and high above were many seagulls, looking for a quick meal in the tide pools. I then turned around and saw that within the small pool of water behind me was a 2-inch goby, dead. It didn’t have any lacerations or things like that, so I assumed that he died of heat and lack of oxygen within the small pool. After waiting once again for an epiphany to hit me, I realized that both snails and Naupaka bushes both seem to live better in certain areas. I noticed that most snails only live in shore break areas and very small pools of water. Also, Naupaka bushes seem to look healthier when they are closer to the seawater, and isolated because they got more sea mist and got more of the elements. I believe that the animals that live in the tide pools higher up are able to adjust faster to temperature change because they often do with the high and low tides of the water, which either bring in new water, or isolate the tide, which slowly heats up due to the sun.

Inferences 1. I think that something in the shore break is necessary for the seaweed to live because it only lives there. 2. I also believe that more oxygen needy animals live closer to the water because they are the shore break gives provides fresh water and fresh oxygen. 3. I believe that each pool offers something different because each pool contains different animals.

Hypotheses 1. If the temperature changes drastically or more often like the pools that are higher up the beach, then they will not be able to support certain species of animals because some animals are not able to with stand that. 2. If you grow a Naupaka bush with seawater, then it will grow better than without seawater. 3. If you go to a tide pool higher up the land, then it will have less species diversity because the salinity of the water is much more potent than the salinity of the water in the ocean or tide pools closer to the ocean.

Makapu’u Visit #4 Free Journal Entry In my final trip to the Makapu’u tide pools, I was in for treat. On this trip, the waves were flat, and the tide was very low. Much of the rocks were exposed, and I was able to uncover so much more sea life because I was able to get hands on. Today, I was able to walk far out on the rocks, and look at the bay areas that had been too deep and rough to really see anything. Today however, I could see the pool floor. The immense amount of things that I saw today both changed and solidified my prior observations and inferences. Today, I saw so much more sea life in the pools either connected or very close to the ocean. I also saw that the deeper the pool, the larger the life. In other words, the deeper the water is, the bigger that the animals are within it. There is also a lot more species diversity in these pools because the surge from the ocean is always bringing in new life, but there is also always cycle of oxygen. Today, the tide pools farthest up the beach were bare as ever, and if you took a quick glance at it, you might even think that it was lifeless. You had to make an effort to see things through the murky and dirty water. Also, I was able to find a deep spot within the tide pool at the rock peninsula, and I spotted a school of deep-water fish like aholehole and aveoveo. I also noticed some other triggerfish and a few wrasses that were the same type seen in shallow areas, but in larger form, showing the difference deeper water makes. Lastly, I noticed that fish, with the exception of gobies, which are both physically and mentally equipped for the tide pools, are only found closer to the ocean. This is because they need more food and nutrients since they cannot stay still like other crustaceans and other pool dwelling creatures. They are just not fit for a confined, isolated space. The reason why there are less sea animals and plants with each step up toward the land is because there are more and more problems, and only the ones specialized to live in that situation. The tide pools near the land have drastic temperature changes, drastic water level changes, less food, less oxygen, and less water movement in general. The tide pools that are closer to the ocean, are more like the ocean, and still have ideal conditions to a much larger diversity of animals. To finish up, I also was able to find a small blowhole and that one tide pool I had been keeping an eye on had dried up for the moment, and none of the animals within that tide pool were to be found. The tide pool must dry up every so often because I have now come to realize that there was no seaweed or plant growth in this tide pool. The pool drying up was probably the reason why. Experiment: If you go to a tide pool higher up the land, then it will have less species diversity because the salinity of the water is much more potent than the salinity of the water in the ocean or tide pools closer to the ocean.

Materials -3 containers -1 measuring cup -Heat source to dry out water (optional) -Gram scale -Writing tool and paper to write down data Procedure 1. Go to the tide pool, recording the amount of different species you can see in the tide pool within a 5 minute time period. 2. Repeat this step for tide pools two and three. 3. Record and compare all this data. 4. Gather materials. 5. Go to the first tide pool and collect ½ cup of seawater using the measuring cup. 6. Pour the water into a container and cap it to store the water for later. 7. Do steps five and six for tide pools two and three using a different container for each. 8. Collect these water samples and label them. 9. Get heat friendly containers for each sample and weigh the containers before they have the samples in it. Record the weights. 10. Pour the samples into the heat friendly containers. 11. Heat the containers, until all water has evaporated and only the salt is left. 12. Weigh the containers filled with the salt from each pool, and subtract the starting weight of the containers to find the weight of the salt. 13. Make a graph and table to lie out the information. 14. Compare the data. 15. Begin conclusion and write up. Conclusion After looking over the data, I feel that even though the changes in salinity from each tide pool goes up as you get closer to the ocean, I do not believe that this information is sufficient simply because the margin is just much too small. It may prove my hypothesis wrong, but such a small change in salinity is just not strong enough to make a commitment to one reason and answer. My theory had been that since the tide pools that were higher up the land often times did not have any water from the ocean entering it, then the water often just sits in the tide pool. The longer the water sits, the more evaporation occurs from the pool, leaving the salt behind and therefore making the salinity of the water stronger. It was not strongly proved wrong by the information, but any way you look at it, my hypothesis is not the answer as to why there is more species farther down near the ocean. Between the two ends of the salinity spectrum, there is a difference of only .38 grams between the tide pools. This is much too small for any conclusions to be made on how salinity affects the amount of species diversity and life within a tide pool. However, I strongly believe that each tide pool offers something different and that there is a very logical and scientific reason as to why there is much more species diversity in the tide pools closer to the ocean rather than farther up the land. And even though salinity can now be cancelled out as to the changes in species count, it just helps us learn more and closer to that reason why. It may also be that there is not just one reason, but rather there is many small reasons that amount to the big reason why this is. Looking over my experiment I can also say that it was a rather smooth experiment with the exception that I could had lost some salt water on the transfer from the carrying containers to the heat able ones where the water would be extracted and the salt would be weighed from. The reason why I lost the water was because it simply was the remnants stuck in the carrying container after my transfer. Also, I believe that i should have taken the water samples from the bottom of the tide pool because the salt may be resting on the bottom since the tide pools higher up the land do not get constant movement and circulation like the ones down at the ocean level. These are my graphs and my table. The table shows how much the salt and pans weighed, while the bottom table shows how many animals were found in each tide pool. I did not know how to label my graphs in excel, so I will just explain. The first graph (left one on top line) is showing the total amount of different species of life were found in each tide pool compared to how many grams of salt were dissolved in each tide pool. The second chart shows how much the pans used to hold the salt water weighed, how much the salt and pan weighed together, and how much the salt from each tide pool weighed by itself. My third and final graph (bottom line) is showing how much life was found in each tide pool, but broken down into categories of fish, others as in crustaceans, parasites, and other animals, and finally seaweed or plant life.

Assigned Journal Entry

Classification of 5 Animals, (Kingdom, Phylum, Class and Order) 1. Spaghetti Worm



Kingdom - Animalia Phylum - Annelida Class - Polychaeta Order – Terebellida Genus - Eupolymnia Species - Eupolymnia crassicornis http://www.marinespecies.eu/species.php?species_group=caribbean_diving_guide&menuentry=soorten&id=112&tab=classificatie

2. ‘Ina Sea Urchin



Kingdom - Animalia Phylum - Echinodermata Class – Echinoidea Order - Echinoida Family - Echinometridae

http://www.waquarium.org/MLP/root/html/MarineLife/Invertebrates/Echinoderms/HawaiianSeaUrchins.html www.waquarium.org/MLP/root/pdf/MarineLife/Invertebrates/Echinoderms/Rock-boringUrchin.pdf

3. Loli Sea Cucumber “Mammy fish”



Kingdom - Animalia Phylum - Echinodermata Class – Holothuroidea Order – Aspidichirotida Family - Holothuriidae http://www.waquarium.org/MLP/root/html/MarineLife/Invertebrates/Echinoderms/SeaCucumbers.html http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/seaslugcuccare/l/blcucfamprofile.htm

4. Unauna Hermit crab



Kingdom - Animalia Phylum - Arthropoda Subphylum - Crustacea Class - Malacostraca Order - Decapoda Family - Paguridae Genus – Calcinus http://www.waquarium.org/MLP/root/html/MarineLife/Invertebrates/Crustaceans/HermitCrab.html

5. Beach Naupaka Bush



Kingdom - Plantae (Plants) Subkingdom - Tracheobionta (Vascular plants) Superdivision - Spermatophyta (Seed plants) Division - Magnoliophyta (Flowering plants) Class - Magnoliopsida (Dicotyledons) Subclass - Asteridae Order - Campanulales Family - Goodeniaceae (Goodenia family) Genus - Scaevola L. (naupaka P) Species - Magnoliophyta (beach naupaka P) http://plants.usda.gov/java/ClassificationServlet?source=profile&symbol=SCSE6&display=31 http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?search=Scaevola+sericea