Age on the half shell: How old is that clam?
March 18, 2017
Clams grow by adding tiny amounts of new material to the entire inner surface of the shell and they also extend the edge a little. So as a clam grows, the shell gets thicker and bigger. This growth process does not happen evenly or even all the time, but the amount shell added depends on the conditions around the clam, especially the tides, the temperature, and the amount of food available. Because the shell is a hard structure and never lost, it preserves the growth history of the clam. Understanding how clams grow, and what influences growth, allows scientists to determine their age, how they respond to the world around them, and occasionally to learn something about the people who eat them. This event will look at how clams grow and how scientists study them.
Picture from http://paleoecology.syr.edu/research-pages/paleoseasonality.html
Interviewing Bob
Where did you go to school?
I grew up in Philadelphia and went to school there all the way through college.
What is your area of research?
Benthic ecology – the study of interactions among bottom organisms and their environment
Who or what inspired you to become involved in marine science?
Growing up in Philadelphia, once or twice a year we would go to the beach in New Jersey. I didn’t know it then, but those vacations were memorable and influenced my decision on a career.
What qualities do you think are important in order to become a scientist?
Curiosity and persistence
Why is your research topic important?
Estimating age and growth is a first, fundamental step in learning about individuals in a population of animals.
What will you be bringing with you to the “meet with an Oceanographer” day?
A microscope, lots of shells, and a craft or two.
What is the best advice you have for people interested in becoming involved in your field of research or in marine sciences?
Learn first hand how scientists do their work by becoming involved in a citizen science program (e.g., the New York Horseshoe Crab Monitoring Network), a high school science fair, or an undergraduate research course.
What is your favorite ocean organism?
I guess it’s a clam!!
Want to learn about Bob, check his website