Methods

To estimate the population size of turban sea snails in the study area, we used quadrat sampling.  A spool of twine was marked at every meter, and a random number generator was used to select the coordinates of the quadrats sampled.  The twine was used to measure the study area (20 meters x 50 meters) and locate the coordinates of each quadrat, then the twine was formed into a square with 0.5 meter sides to sample.  All individuals were counted within the 0.25m² quadrat, with those on the edges counted in the quadrat if they were more than halfway in the sample.  A total of 20 samples were taken over a period of 60 minutes to ensure a closed population through the data collection.