Sea Slug Identification and Ecology

Sea Slugs are an underwater photographers dream. Thousands of different, vibrantly coloured species that don't move when you try to take the shot. Despite their beautiful asthetics, sea slugs play a critical role in coral reef ecosystems. They are an indicator species, meaning they offer insights into the changes of an ecosystem. They also help to pain the picture of the shell development seen throughout the mollusca phylum. These species are very cryptic, and range regarding their niche in the ecosystem. Students enrolled in this course will learn how to properly identify and record the species of sea slugs seen in our reefs and gain a better understanding of their ecological dynamics. This course is a partial fulfillment of the Ecological Monitoring Program and the Advanced Ecological Monitoring Plan.

Prerequisites:

• Be certified  as an Advanced Diver under a globally recognized diving agency (PADI, SSI, NAUI etc.)

• Be at an advanced level of diving and demonstrate self-awareness underwater, and comfortable in diving mucky habitatds

Knowledge Development:

• Gain a better understanding of the different species of sea slugs found in Hawai'i and their ecological roles

• Learn how to identify commonly found sea slugs and categorize them using their taxonomical classification

• Become well acquainted with the different survey techniques used in mucky habitats (rover diver, quadrat, belt transect)

• Understand the reasons behind sea hare blooms and the best way to quantify the population prior, during, and post-bloom

Performance Requirements:

• Attend the Sea Slug Ecology and Identification lecture

• Perform at least one dive in a mucky habitat surveying for sea slugs

• correctly identify at least 2 species of sea slugs using photo-identification

• Pass the Final Exam 

Price:

$150/day

Approximate time for course completion: ~8 hours and 1 dive