Coral Rankin - Coastal & Estuarine Ecology Lab

My Role: intern
Supervisor: Christopher Patrick

Gloucester Point, Virginia
Fall 2023-Summer 2024

I conducted research and contributed to research of seagrass ecosystems in the York River and on the Eastern Shore.

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South Bay

Highlights:

Snorkeling off of research vessels to assess seagrass percent cover and collect samples
Trawling and seining to survey fish and invertebrates, including seahorses and mantis shrimp
Counting significantly increased bay scallop populations on the Eastern Shore; a result of restoration
Identifying amphipods and snails in the lab
Finally isolating the best seagrass seeds from the outdoor tanks of reproductive shoots I maintained every day

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Fieldwork!

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Bags of reproductive seagrass shoots collected in the York River

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Flounder sampled in a South Bay trawl

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Bay scallop eyes

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A rare pink amphipod I isolated from an epifauna sample

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Seagrass seeds sorted into batches

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Setting up for VIMS Marine Science Day

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