Welcome to the Academic World of Crystal D. Hartman

A vermetid snail Science makes me happy!! UF’s 1st Annual Marine Biology Conference Can you see the vermetid snail?

About me and research foci

As an aspiring Environmental Scientist, a key component to my educational and career goals is reaching across disciplines. I strive to combine the principles of environmental science and management, ecology, sustainability, and land use within the context of scientific research. Multi-faceted knowledge will help lead me to interesting questions and synergistic methods of discovering the answer. I have had the opportunity to learn research on alternative energy and have the honor of being a fellow in the HHMI G.A.T.O.R. program. Through the G.A.T.O.R. program, I am learning the fundamentals of research including employment of the scientific method. I am studying reef ecology under the guidance of my mentor Jada-Simone White. My portion of the untangling the complicated web we call ecology is to figure out what effect a fish, called the farmerfish, has on a unique animal called a vermetid snail. These snails anchor themselves to reefs and remain there the rest of their lives, feeding on sediment using mucous webs. The dusky farmerfish, Stegastes nigricans, cultivates algae on reefs and protects his home from intruders. We are trying to figure out what effect this farmerfish has on vermetid snails. Vermetids are important to the reef system because they have been shown to reduce the rate in which algae overgrows coral on reefs. We think they indirectly modify the interaction between algae and coral through the large amount of sediment the snails eat. Turf algae traps sediment and this sediment have been shown to be detrimental to coral survival. By removing the sediment through feeding activities, these snails may reduce the rate of coral overgrowth. We are comparing vermetid population density to the presence, absence or removal of the farmerfish. We are also comparing sediment abundance to vermetid density to see if there is a relationship. Our findings will be the foundation of future research on isolating the mechanisms underlying the interactions of farmerfish, algae, vermetid snails and coral.

Crystal's Curriculum Vitae Why I am interested in science Research as a tool

One lab vs. many Vermetid snails and reef ecology