The tide pools at Nahant were rich with life and I observed many crab of varying sizes inhabiting the tide pools. The largest crab, carcinus, observed was found in a large tide pool in the upper tidal zone feeding on a smaller crab. In smaller tide pools, smaller crab thrived. I wanted to determine if certain factors in tide pool constructed lended themselves to sustaining a . Do larger crabs favor larger tide pools? Do crabs traverse between lower, middle, and upper inter tidal zones to seek tide pools with certain characteristics? Was there a relationship between physical properties of tide pools and size, number, and species of crab?

 

Overall Aim of Research:

To determine if specific species of crab were drawn to tide pools with specific physical characteristics. The three characteristics of the tide pools I recorded were depth, water temperature, and zone location. For the crab, I recorded the species, size, and any observed behavior. If data showed a correlation between specific species residing in pools with specific characteristics it could prove useful in conservation efforts or population control efforts, e.g. C. maenas.

The results of this study revealed that C. maenas was more abundantly found within tide pools and that larger crab may have a preference for larger tide pools, though large crab are found less often in any sized tide pool.