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For the 2024 spring semester, I studied at the University of Rhode Island through National Student Exchange (NSE). During my time in Rhode Island, I fully integrated into life as a URI student, including living in the dorms on campus, taking URI courses, and exploring the broader East Coast. I also had the unique opportunity to conduct an independent research project under Dr. Coleen Suckling through the Echinonerd Lab at the URI Bay Campus.
I had a fantastic semester experiencing college life in a completely different state from my home campus in Hawaii, exploring Rhode Island and neighboring states, building meaningful connections, gaining valuable lab experience, and continuing to pursue my academic interests in marine and environmental science!
The Blount Aquarium Research Laboratory, home of the Echinonerd Lab!
Holding a green sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis) at the lab!
For my project, I explored how the anatomy and feeding behaviors of the purple sea urchin (Arbacia punctulata), a species native to Rhode Island, may influence its potential for biofouling control in local aquaculture systems.
Prototyping and Tank Set Up
My final prototype designed to contain and record urchin behaviors.
The new flow-through tank set up to run trials.
Testing visibility in the tank.
Sourcing Purple Urchins
Gathering urchins from Fort Wetherill State Park.
Bringing the urchins back to the lab.
New pets!
Running Trials!
Trial using sea lettuce (Ulva sp.) found in Rhode Island waters.
Trial using a formulated sea urchin food pellet.
Analysis and Findings
The original goal of this project was to test how far the purple urchin A. punctulata could reach its peristome to eat food. The findings from this project contributed to a larger project of understanding why co-culturing A. punctulata with oysters resulted in improved biofouling control than the more commonly cultured urchin species, S. droebachiensis.
For my research, we used two types of food - sea lettuce and the food pellet - to see which food they prefer, and measure the maximum reach of the sea urchins' tube feet and peristomes. Urchins use their tube feet to move, and sense and grab bits of food that float by in the water. An urchin's peristome is the soft tissue that connects the Aristotle's lantern (its mouth) to the test, which enables increased mobility when the urchin is eating. From these trials, we learned that the urchin will reach farther for food pellets, which will influence food type used in future experiments. While we expected to see movement primarily in the peristome as the urchin reached for food, we actually saw much more movement in the tube feet reaching for the food. For future experiments, it would be interesting to move the food higher up, to see if closer proximity would entice the urchin to reach its peristome towards the food.
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