whalebone bay bermuda       Meiofauna Of The Atlantic Shores
Ecology of Atlantic Shores
Introduction to Meiofauna

Bermuda Project
Materials &
Methods

Observations &
Results

Discussion

Nahant,Gloucester Project

Materials &
Methods

Observations &
Results

Discussion


Meiofauna Movies


Ecology Of Alantic Shores Class Homepage

References(Works Cited)

 Discussion: (Refer to Charts and Tables on the Observations and Methods Page)

        Chart 2 of Whalebone Bay showed a particularly noticeable abundance of polychetes in comparison to Chart1 of Tobacco. After looking at the meiofauna from each of the Bays through a microscope it was observed that the hypothesis based on fish activity at whalebone bay appeared to be correct. There was a greater amount of meiofauna at Whalebone bay rather than Tobacco bay. The species of meiofauna found that had the greatest difference in their means were Harpacticoid Copepods, Flatworms, aPolychetend Polychetes. 

        Tobacco Bay had a greater amount of Harpacticoid Copepods in comparison to Whaleone Bay (Chart 1 vs. Chart 2). This proves the idea that there is a difference between the two bays. Chart 3 looks at the difference between the means of species at each of the bays and shows a possible difference in abundance in Harpacticoid Copepods, Flatworms, and Polychetes.

       To further test this data a T-test and F-test was done on the data for each of the species to look at the vairance between the bays. This was done to see if the hypothesis, Whalebone bay having more species than Tobacco Bay was correct. T-test for paired two sample means where performed to determine if the means between bcopepodays where different. If the means where different the p-value was looked at to see if it was greater than .05. If the  P value was greater than .05 it can be concluded that there are equal variances between the two. In order to further test the variances an F-Test Two Sample for Variances was done to each of the species in the bays to determine if the variances where equal or unequal. If, the P value was greater than .05 then it could be concluded that the variances where equal, and if the P value was less than .05 it could be concluded that the variances where unequal. TNematodeo confirm equal or unequal variances T-test Two Sample Assuming Equal Variances, or T-Test Two Sample Assuming Unequal Variances where performed.

        Table 1 shows the test and the results of the test. The table points out that there was no variance in numbers between Nematodes, Harpacticoid Copepods, and Ostracoda according to their P values. Nematodes proved to have a P Value of .63839263, Harpacticoid Copepods had a P value of .196709468, and Ostacoda with a P value of .789750388. The two species of meiofauna showing a variance between the beaches where the Polychetes, and Flatworms. Polychetes had the most significant difference in the distribution between the two bays with a P value of 3.46222E-05. The flatworms where borderline to having variance because their P value was .051379414. The variance of the flatworms was too close to the border to consider them as either having a distribution or not having a distribution. Therefore the only species that truly shows distribution are the Polychetes. Polychetes prove to be of greater distribution at Whalebone rather than Tobacco.




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