We use many methods to find #invasivespecies: intertidal searches, settlement panel projects, & plankton tows.
You might not know each method can find the same species, rather than each looking for different species! #FunFactFriday We're exploring invertebrate planktonic phases!
You might not know each method can find the same species, rather than each looking for different species! #FunFactFriday We're exploring invertebrate planktonic phases!
The animals that settle on our shores can spend some portion of their life floating in the ocean. We call this part of their life the #planktonic phase, and depending on the species it defines how far a population can spread.
Some adult tunicates, like salps, spend their whole lives swimming in the open ocean. But most tunis we study are benthic (attached to the shore) as adults, so spend only a small period swimming as larvae. Here's a new tuni tadpole, just released from a Botryllid on our panels. 
It can be hard to find species in plankton samples though, as they're younger and smaller. Surveying for newly settled benthic species is faster, and can be more efficient with the help of volunteers! Help us identify adult inverts, and try #InvaderID! goo.gl/pd8jgg
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