The Difference in Limpet Frequency in Different Microhabitats at the Middle Shore

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The frequency of Patella vulgata has shown to be affected by different microhabitats. An experiment was taken to investigate the difference in limpet frequency at three different microhabitats at the middle shore – Rock pools, Under Rocks and on Top of Rocks. At each microhabitat six sites were investigated and the abiotic factors (temperature, humidity, wind speed and light intensity) were measured. It was found that Under Rocks had the highest frequency of limpets and Rock Pools had the lowest, this was because the limpets where sheltered from direct contact with sunlight and wind, so desiccation was less for limpets found under the rocks whereas in rock pools. The low frequency of limpets found in the rock pools was firstly due to the fact there was poor visibility so could not be sure of actual number of limpets and secondly there was less stable substrate for limpet to attach to in rook pools therefore was a main reason for low frequency of limpets. Consequently, there existed this significant difference between the frequencies of limpets at different microhabitats because of abiotic factors (abiotic components are non-living chemical and physical factors in the environment, such as light intensity, temperature and wind speed) being different. Introduction Limpets are a sessile species (Sessile animals are usually permanently attached to a solid substrate of some kind) which are abundant on rocky shores, as they are rich in algae (their primary food source) and spend most of their time clinging to hard substrates or bare rocks. They are capable of withstanding water velocities in excess of 20 ms−1 (Mark W. Denny and Carol A. Blanchette, 2000) which imposes large hydrodynamic forces on the limpet. Limpets can accomplish this b... ... middle of paper ... ...they affect water loss from animals and plants so affect where the limpet will live. The factors were measured with a CEM 4 in 1 Environment Meter (Light, Sound, Temp, Humidity Meter), which I got from a store which looked like this (http://www.digital-meters.com/humidity-c8/handheld-c58/cem-4-in-1-environment-meter-light-sound-temp-humidity-meter-cem-dt-8820-p61) Risk assessment: 1. Deep water and strong currents could lead to drowning. - stay away from the sea. 2. Slipping on seaweed/rocks - Suitable waterproof, well-fitting footwear worn. 3. Exposure to sun leading to sunburn – where sunscreen an appropriate clothing. 4. Disease from contaminated sediment – where gloves and cover any open wounds. The statistical test used was the Chi-Squared test as it measures for a statistically significant association between the frequencies of limpets at each microhabitat.

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