Course:VANT149/2025/Capstone/Science/Team3

Effect of environmental factors on zebra shell length

The effect of specific environmental factors on the average length of zebra clam shells at Wreck Beach and Tower Beach during April to May

Abstract

We investigated how environmental factors, specifically salinity and water temperature,

influenced the average shell length of zebra clams at Wreck Beach and Tower Beach from April

to May. Zebra clams play an important role in nutrient cycling and sediment stabilization,

making them useful indicators of environmental conditions. To explore this, we measured the

shell lengths of at least 30 clams at each site and recorded corresponding salinity and water

temperature data. We then used a two-sample t-test to determine whether the differences in

average clam shell lengths between the two beaches were statistically significant. Our results

showed that clams from Wreck Beach, where salinity was slightly higher, had a greater average

shell length than those at Tower Beach. The t-test confirmed that this difference was statistically

significant, supporting our hypothesis that environmental variation affects clam growth. This

study demonstrates that zebra clams are responsive to local environmental conditions,

particularly salinity, and highlights the importance of monitoring such variables in coastal

ecosystems.

Biographies

Person 1: Xinyan Sun is a first-year student in the Vantage Science program at the University of British Columbia. Her research focuses on the effect of specific environmental factors on the average length of zebra clam shells at Wreck Beach and Tower Beach. She is personally interested in this topic because she has always been fascinated by marine ecosystems and hope to contribute to understanding how coastal environments impact local species.  She is looking forward to learning more about marine biodiversity and ecological research methods at the conference.

Person 2: Yiyang Chen is a first-year student in Vantage Science at the University of British Columbia. Her research focuses on the shell size of different beach. She is personally interested in this topic because of her deep curiosity about the how environment influence the growth of mollusca.