Summary PROJECT INACTIVE

Just off shore of Monterey, there are many subtidal beds of the Pacific Sand Dollar (Dendraster excentricus). Some of these beds are extensive and containing millions of individuals. The beds are frequently (but not always) associated with rippled scour depressions (RSDs) and often have distinct edges. Using underwater time-lapse video cameras, this student project will focus on observing the physical and biological processes that shape these beds. As an added bonus, the video data may provide insights about what other animals enter or leave the sand dollar beds, possibly using them for habitat, food, or other purposes.

Student Involvement

An undergraduate UROC Scholar is leading this project with assistance from Professor Moore and 3 other students in the Ecosystem Electronics Lab.

Broader Significance

The distribution of many marine organisms is “patchy” in space and/or time. Effective management of living marine resources depends in part on understanding the processes that determine when and where marine organisms thrive. Sand dollars are an easy-to-observe study organism that may provide information about general pattern-formation processes applicable to a wider range of organisms.