CSS: Invertebrates (B)

Week 2: Monday, 7.31.23

Invertebrate Card Sort

Students completed an invertebrates card sort in groups as a way to refresh what they had learned about invertebrates. All three groups did a fantastic job working together!

InvertebratesCardSortPreviewcompressed.pdf

MBL Marine Resources Center (MRC)

"The Marine Resources Center was designed for versatility and efficiency to maximize the health and longevity of the marine organisms that are the lifeblood of research at the MBL. Keeping aquatic organisms alive and available to scientists year-round is crucial to research at the MBL and to MBL’s convening power." -MBL MRC

Lisa Abbo, DVM

Director, Marine Resources Department

MBL Veterinarian

The Visit

We were incredibly fortunate to have the director of the MRC, Dr. Lisa Abbo, give us a tour of the MRC. Students had the opportunity to feed a dead squid to the striped bass as well as to see squid eggs, large sea stars, baby horseshoe crabs, mantis shrimp and an octopus. Dr. Abbo explained how scientists are using these different invertebrates in their research.

Questions for Dr. Abbo

What's your favorite invertebrate? - My favorite invertebrate: Horseshoe crab
What percentage of the animals here are caught by the boat Gemma? - A large percentage, thousands of animals.
What is a crab's digestive system? - Crab GI is similar to ours. They have an esophagus, stomach, and intestines which function to crush, digest, and absorb nutrition. Fun fact about the crab's digestive system is that it is controlled by a ganglion network called the stomatogastric ganglion. Within the ganglion are Central Pattern Generators which is how the crab's digestive system is able to rhythmically contract to move food through it.
How many types of invertebrates do you house? - Based on our specimen list we have about 150 different species of invertebrates housed in the MRC.
How many sponges do you have? - We have around 6 species of sponges.
What are you currently researching with these invertebrates. - One of our researchers works with sea stars and he tries to understand cell division and the effects of environmental changes.
People eat Sea Urchins (uni), do people eat Sea Stars? - Some species of sea stars are edible. They can be boiled, steamed, or deep fried.
Would a cuttlefish eat a grape? - Unlikely as they respond to movement and food that will provide them with the necessary protein such as crabs, shrimp, and even other cuttlefish.
What's the coolest thing that you've stored at the MRC? Torpedo Ray (electric ray)

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