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From the Field:
The Research Project
Caryn Self Sullivan (Texas A&M University) and Katherine S. LaCommare (University of Massachusetts) are conducting research on the manatees in Belize for their PhD theses. While much is known about the West Indian manatees in Florida, little study has been undertaken on the Antillean subspecies. Caryn is looking at their behavioural ecology and Katie is studying their seagrass habitat. Supported by the Earthwatch Institute, the project is based out of a rustic camp on Spanish Lookout Caye in the Drowned Cayes. Earthwatch sends a team of up to 8 volunteers for two-week periods to assist in the data collection. There are also 1-3 internships offered at any one time for marine science students to assist in the research and logistics of field camp life. The manatees in the Drowned Cayes study area are usually found in calm shallow lagoons and bogues (a narrow channel cutting into or between mangrove islands), however they are sometimes spotted in other areas such as the barrier reef. Caryn is addressing questions such as: How many manatees are found in the study area? What are their social interactions? How do they use the different habitats available? The data for her research is collected in a number of ways. One method is a point scan whereby a team surveys one area for 30 minutes and any sightings are recorded. Another method is a survey, during which the team travels slowly through the channels and lagoons looking for manatees. A focal follow is when detailed notes of the manatee's behaviour are taken every 2 minutes for as long as the animal remains in the area. Sometimes Caryn will film the manatees underwater using a waterproof camera. This information helps confirm the animal's behaviour; it can be quite tricky to observe them from a boat as they spend almost all of their time under the surface of the water. Caryn is also trying to create a catalogue of underwater images to identify individual manatees. Each manatee has unique markings such as scars, barnacles or wounds, which help us distinguish between individuals.
Katie is investigating the impact that the manatees have on the ecology of the seagrass beds. She is also trying to determine any differences in the features of the seagrass beds in places where we see manatees feeding and places where we don't. We collect data on the percent cover of seagrass, the number of plants in a given area, the above and below ground biomass, the depth of the seagrass bed, and the species of seagrass present. All of this data is collected by snorkeling in water 3-15 feet deep. To learn more about this and other Earthwatch
projects, click here.
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� Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre 2003
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