Conservation ecology of the black land crab Gecarcinus ruricola in The Bahamas

PhD student, Che Nicholls (Memorial University) will travel to the Cape Eleuthera Institute, The Bahamas, to study land crabs. As part of his tenure at CEI he will guide a group of 15-17 year old students, who spend an entire semester at CEI learning about The Bahamas. Che’s research will focus on the black land crab (Gecarcinus ruricola). Despite its name, it appears in many colours, including grey, orange, brown, purple, and black. Che will document these colour differences and test ideas about why they exist, including whether colour helps camouflage crabs from predators. To do this, Che will develop new field techniques suited to working in The Bahamian environment. The students will also help collect data, giving them hands-on experience with real scientific research. This project broadens perspectives in several ways. For Che, it means working in a new country, learning new research methods, and developing his skills in teaching/supervision. For the CEI students, it enables involvement in an active research project, guided by a PhD scientist, connecting classroom concepts with real-world ecosystems. For Che’s supervisors, Drs. Iain McGaw and Eric Schneider, it expands their research portfolio from marine crustaceans into land-dwelling crabs and strengthens international links with CEI.

Faculty Supervisor:

Iain McGaw

Student:

Partner:

The Island School

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Life Sciences (not health); Agriculture and Food

University:

Memorial University of Newfoundland

Program: