fairfolio
Saved Projects

Hermit Crabs of Northern California: Bay vs. Coast

CSEF · 2014 Zoology Honorable_mention Award

Alia M. Salomon · Technology High School, Rohnert Park, Sonoma County

Overview

Objectives/Goals The objective of my project was to determine whether or not native Northern California Hermit Crabs prefer different shells, depending on whether they live in bay or coastal habitats. Methods/Materials After researching and recording common Hermit Crab species, characteristics and shell preferences for each location, I visited Bodega Bay and Fitzgerald Marine Reserve during low tides. With a magnifier, I observed and then recorded descriptions of species found, their shells, and their habitat in my journal and through photographs taken with my iPhone, noting the differences and similarities between the locations. After researching environmental characteristics (wave height, temperatures, and vegetation) I charted my findings. Results Although the same types of shells were available in both locations, the crabs in the bay inhabited certain types of Gastropod shells, while the same species of crabs on the coast chose completely different types of shells that were more hydrodynamic and colorful. Conclusions/Discussion Crabs in the bay chose large, dark, round shells, enabling them to camouflage in rocky shores, and offer protection when faced with water flow in the area. The shells chosen on the coast are more hydrodynamic to due to the greater water force in the area, and colored more brightly, to match the vegetation in the area and the diet of the Gastropod. Hermit Crabs select shells based on safety from predators, the ability to camouflage, shell stability in the local water flow, and fit for their bodies.

Summary statement

Shell selection of Hermit Crabs in bay and coastal habitats of Northern California is highly influenced by environment.

Help received

My mother drove me and my boyfriend to the two locations. They both helped locate crabs for me to observe. I also interviewed Rebeccah Trinh, an undergrad student at UC Berkeley also studying crabs, who gave me a better understanding of Hermit Crabs in general. This inteview is included in my display.

Awards (1)

  • Honorable Mention

Competition history

  • CSEF 2014 Zoology · Entry S2215

Resources

Related projects

Closest projects by meaning, across every fair and year in the corpus.

Browse more like this

Source: California Science & Engineering Fair public projects

Save projects to your library

Sign in with Google to keep track of projects you find interesting, organized into folders. An account also raises your daily allowance for “Has this been done?”, and lets you create a key for the MCP server with a much higher limit than anonymous use. Browsing stays public.

Continue with Google