Literature Review
Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to increase awareness, understanding, and appreciation of estuarine and other natural ecosystems and their conservation through outdoor education, research, stewardship, and volunteering (“History of Jug bay,” 2003). It was established in 1985 by the National Estuarine Reserve Research System which is under the federal National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary is a Certified Maryland Green Center meaning it is a model organization for environmental education, management practices, and community engagement. Jug Bay is 1,700 acres of water, tidal freshwater marshes, forested wetlands, upland and riparian forests, creeks,…show more content… Their diet consists of amphibians, fish, turtles, crayfish, crabs, and other invertebrates. Fish and marine invertebrate predation is important for the balance of the ecosystem. As secondary consumers, river otters play an important ecological role. The fish populations is greatly controlled by the demand of the river otter’s diet. With a fast metabolism, river otters eat often and plentifully. Predators consist of coyotes, bobcats, birds, and alligators. The otters are able to defend themselves and escape through land or water, giving them an advantage over their predators who may only be successful on land or water. (Dewey & Ellis, 2003). For relief, river otters visit latrines. According to a study done by Sadie S. Stevens and Thomas L. Serfass, latrine visits were most commonly recorded to take place in the late winter and early spring months. As this is also the breeding season for river otters, they were able to conclude that most river otters visit latrines during these months to perhaps meet a mate. The peak of latrine visits were recorded to be in February and March, which precedes and is apart of the breeding season (Serfass & Stevens,…show more content… The scat samples were kneaded to deform and mix the feces. Once the sample was prepared, 2 grams of feces were measured and collected into one cup. Then, 28 mL of fecal solution was added to the cup containing the feces, and mixed with a popsicle stick. The solution then had to sit for 5 minutes to soak. After the solution soaked, a strainer was placed over a second cup as the fecal mixture was poured through the strainer into the second cup. The popsicle stick was used to assist in pushing the mixture through the strainer. Once the mixture was collected into the second cup, a pipette was used to transfer the sample onto the cover slide which was then placed under a microscope. Once the sample was under the microscope, they were able to be observed and identified by looking at the parasitic guide we made. On the guide, there are pictures of commonly found parasite eggs that we may come into contact with our
