Phylum Fun

There are countless living creatures in our world. Their diversity is nearly unfathomable, and every type of animal has different characteristics than every other type. It would be nearly impossible to clearly tell them apart if it weren't for biological classification; a system that neatly organizes all living creatures into increasingly specific categories based on their traits. This way, we can identify creatures based on their classification in this system. The lab we conducted for this particular unit in Science class involved the study of nine different types of marine Phyla (the second broadest category in biological classification), which were as follows;

• Porifera: Sponges
• Cnideria: Jellyfish, sea anemones, corals
• Platyhelminthes: Flatworms
• Nematoda: Roundworms
• Annelida: Segmented worms
• Mollusca: Gastropods, bivalves, cephalopods
• Arthropoda: Crustaceans, insects, arachnids
• Echinodermata: Sea stars, brittle stars, sea urchins
• Chordata: Fish

We originally set out to find out which marine Phyla are present at the tide pools of South Maui, and which are most represented in diversity and quantity. Based on previous observations and logic, we hypothesized that the most common Phylum would be Mollusca. Other Phyla we expected to see in some quantity included Arthropoda, Chordata, Echinodermata, and possibly Cnideria. On December 1st, our whole class trudged out to the South Kihei Tidepools and collected data....and with every new snail we counted, our hypothesis was strengthened further. In the end, we counted 1024 more individuals in the Mollusca Phylum than in the next most common Phylum, Arthropoda. Sightings of species from Phyla other than these two were quite rare. Somewhat surprisingly, not even a single Echinoderm was spotted. For the most part however, our hypothesis was correct, and this lab was a success. Of course, there is always the possibility that our data could have been incorrect. We easily could have miscounted the number of individual specimens in our research areas, and the tide could have affected the number of creatures we could see to count. But as with all things, science is not perfect. We did our best, and the data appears consistent.

What I enjoyed the most about this lab was that we had an opportunity to go outside and conduct real field research. While we were collecting data, we were stopped by interested citizens and asked questions, which really gave us a chance to put our best foot forward for the community and set a good impression of our school. Our school actually doesn't necessarily on what we may need to know for every history or math test thrown at us, but what will be of use to us in later life. It's these 21st century skills that will benefit us as we graduate from high school and move on with our lives, and this lab was a great chance to practice them.

~ Adam

(Collecting Data)