Quick Summary

     There was four tanks, in which only one was divided into different substrates and the others were housing tanks. A starfish was placed in the center of the experimental tank (the one with multiple substrates) so that it was touching a little bit of each substrate, and then I would watch and record where the starfish went. The quadrant the starfish chose, or moved to, was the substrate it preferred.
   
     The starfish did move around the tank over different substrates and these are recorded maps of where some starfish traveled:

          (The highlighted area is where the starfish was traveling on the glass)

Hypothesis

     If Brittle Starfish are put into an aquarium with substrate choices of cut sponge, sand, small gravel, and large gravel, then they will move to the section of the aquarium with the substrate of sand, because the researcher thinks that sand will be the easiest for the starfish to burrow in.

Significance

Brittle Starfish are important organisms in the ecology and food webs of marine environments. If the preferred habitats of the Brittle Starfish are destroyed, it may affect the marine ecology and its related food web. Knowing the preferred habitat will give conversationalists the needed knowledge to make informed decisions on the manipulation of the marine environment for building docks, bridges, roads, and boat launch ramps without a great impact on the environment. The substrate preference would be helpful to determine how well they survive in this environment.

Purpose

The purpose of this experiment is to find what type of substrate is preferred by Brittle Starfish.