While visiting my girlfriend in Monterey, she took me to the beach she goes to collect field samples for her research. Being a molecular biologist at CSU Monterey Bay, she analyzes sea life and their genetic attributes. While on the beach she showed me all of the different species she has studied and one specific species she has done intricate lab data on. The California blue mussel being one of them. Certain mussel species have invaded the coast due to some of the warmer temperatures and she aimed to study whether looking at morphology alone, she could determine the species. Morphology is the species’ physical attributes like size, color, and weight. When collecting samples, all of the mussels looked relatively similar. After trying to determine species based off of morphology, she went down to the genetic levels and saw that many of the morphs that she collected were entirely different species although sharing a similar morph. There were six or seven different species of mussels in this area that would typically be discounted as one due to the way they look. This information shows there is a lot more to marine life than just morphs of species as many species share the exact same physical attributes while differing completely in the genetic areas. If these physically identical mussels have different genetics, there must be many more land and sea creatures that share this quality. By looking down to the genetic factors of these mussels, more species are discovered and new traits are able to be studied by either biologists or behaviorists. This simple finding in beach dwelling California mussels opens up an entirely new realm of research in that we may have been disregarding a certain species as something else just by their morphology alone. It was very interesting to see the approach she takes to this marine life because as a psychologist I wouldn’t go as far to research their genetic factors but more their physical features compared to their behavioral aspects. A side note, go to beaches in Marina, California as they are absolutely breathtaking. The cliffside viewpoint outmatches the views in Malibu by a long shot.
I liked reading about the critters your girlfriend is studying. I know muscles have been a big issue lately as they have invaded lakes near by. Neat to learn a little more about how muscles are studied.
I really enjoyed reading this and learning about how species can differ based on very small factors. I would have guessed most mussels along our beaches in California are mostly one of the three most common species. I have always wanted to visit the Monterey area. My dad has told me amazing things about the beaches up there and the aquarium. The picture you shared was absolutely beautiful. I can’t wait to visit someday.