Undergraduate students from 果冻传媒鈥檚 School of Biological Sciences have embarked on a project to document the unique biodiversity that exists in Australia鈥檚 coral reefs.
Those enrolled in the have developed a that describes the Great Barrier Reef鈥檚 invertebrates in detail.
Course coordinator and ARC Australian Laureate Fellow, Professor Bernard Degnan said the site details lesser-known invertebrates, many of which are of major ecological importance.
鈥淎lthough colourful fish and corals tend to grab the attention of the public, the huge bulk of animal diversity on the reef comes in the form of snails, worms, starfish and crabs,鈥� Professor Degnan said.
Working from the students study particular marine invertebrates in detail.
These research findings are then published on 鈥淕reat Barrier Reef Invertebrates鈥�, the class鈥� dedicated to describing their biology.
鈥淭hese undergraduate projects and web pages are accessible to students, researchers, and future employers from around the world, and form an important part of a marine students' undergraduate portfolio,鈥� Professor Degnan said.
Alyssa Budd was one of the students who participated in this course.
鈥淚 had decided to focus my attention on ascidians or sea squirts. There are over 200 species of sea squirts on Heron Island Reef alone. Luckily, on our first snorkel out on the beautiful Heron Island Reef a friend managed to upturn a coral boulder with a group of three large, peach coloured ascidians,鈥�
鈥淓xcited that my project may already be underway, I quickly popped them in a sample container in the hope that I would later be able to learn how to study them in the lab,鈥� Ms Budd said.
Ms Budd said the guidance provided to students in the course provided an exceptional learning opportunity.
鈥淲ith the assistance of the course coordinater himself, a few crazy hours in the lab and a lot of research effort I managed to produce a webpage that was up to scratch and run a developmental experiment that provoked my interest in invertebrates."
This project is supported by a .
Media: Tracey Franchi, Communications Manager, School of Biological Sciences (+61 3365 4831 or email: t.franchi@uq.edu.au)
