A comparison in Size and Abundance of

Cryptochiton stelleri on Natural and

Anthropogenic Reefs
Thomas Dolan, Brandon Morales, Sara Namay, Meriah Long
 Introduction

● Phylum Mollusca

● Grows up to 36 cm

● Brick-Red Coloration

● 8 Bony Plates
A Little Natural History
Size
● Largest marine invertebrate herbivore.

Habitat
● Low intertidal and down to 20m on rocky and soft bottom substrates.

Primary Diet
● Red algae.

Predation
● Pycnopodia helianthoides and Ocenebra lurida.
Question

Is there a difference in mean abundance and

size of C. stelleri between natural and
anthropogenic rocky reefs, and the
accompanying algal coverage of each?
Methods
● Between two buddy teams completed
eight roving transects using a half meter
quadrat.
● Using standardized sampling periods of
15 minutes.
● For each individual found we assessed:
○ Body length/ size
○ Depth at which they were found
○ Algae coverage
○ Whether the reef was anthropogenic or natural
● Photos were taken of each individual to
assess any possible confusion on data
sheets.
 Methods: Study Site
● Study sites consisted of the natural
and anthropogenic reefs at San
Carlos Beach, Monterey CA
● Depths from 3m to 12m
● Two Dives were completed at each
of the four designated areas over
the course of two days.
 Hypothesis (Population)
Welch’s 2-Sample t-test

T-test Count H0: There is no difference in the average populations of

C. stelleri found on natural and anthropogenic reefs.

T-test Count H1: The average population of C. stelleri found on

anthropogenic reef is greater or less than the average population of
C. stelleri found on natural reef.
Results (Population)
Cryptochiton stelleri per Sample on
Shapiro-Wilks:
Natural and Anthropogenic Reefs

Natural Anthropogenic
● Anthropogenic Reef Shapiro Test

Reef
○ W = 0.90027, p-value = 0.1599
● Natural Reef Shapiro Test
○ W = 0.90703, p-value = 0.1954

Reef
Welch’s two-sample t-test:

● df = 17.418
● t = 3.0496 Chitons per Sample

● p-value = 0.007
Hypothesis (Length)
Welch’s 2-Sample t-test

T-test Length H0: There is no difference in average length of C.

stelleri found on natural and anthropogenic reefs.

T-test Length H1: The average length of C. stelleri found on

anthropogenic reef is greater or less than the average length of C.
stelleri found on natural reef.
Results (Length)
Shapiro-Wilks:

● Anthropogenic Reef Shapiro Test

○ W = 0.95927, p-value = 0.6486
● Natural Reef Shapiro Test
○ W = 0.94186, p-value = 0.06377

Welch’s two-sample t-test:

● p-value = 0.009
● df = 29.537
● t = -2.7948
● α = 0.05
Hypothesis (Algal Coverage)
Linear Model

T-test Algal Coverage H0: There is no relationship between algal

coverage and C. stelleri length.

T-test Algal Coverage H1: There is a relationship between algal

coverage and C. stelleri length.
 Regression of Percent Algal Coverage
Plotted Against Cryptochiton stelleri Length

Results (Algal Coverage)

Linear Regression of Percent Algal
Coverage Plotted Against Cryptochiton

Length in cm
stelleri Length

● P-value: 0.0029
● Adjusted R2: 0.1495
● F-statistic: 9.791 on 1 and 49 DF
● Intercept: 28.49
● T-value: -3.129

Percent Algal Cover

Hypothesis (Depth)
Linear Model

T-test Algal Coverage H0: There is no relationship between depth

and C. stelleri length.

T-test Algal Coverage H1: There is a relationship between depth and

C. stelleri length.
Results (Depth)
Regression of Depth Plotted Against
Cryptochiton stelleri Length

Linear Regression of Depth Plotted

Against Cryptochiton stelleri Length

Length in cm
● P-value: 0.215
● Adjusted R2: 0.01135
● F-statistic:1.574 on 1 and 49 DF
● Intercept: 21.9790
● T-value: 1.255

Depth in Feet
Discussion
In conclusion we found:

● There is a greater population of gumboot chitons found on the natural reef

than the anthropogenic reef.
● Gumboot chitons found on the anthropogenic reef were on average longer
than those found on the natural reef.
● There is a weak negative linear relationship between algae coverage and
length of gumboot chitons.
● There is no relationship between depth found and length of gumboot chitons
Discussion
Possible Problems:

- Low abundance of chitons

- Time constraints/ variance in time of dives
- Equipment problems

Possible solutions

- Standardize dive time

- More dives
- Backup equipment
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Questions?