C-MORE Scholars’ Projects: Fall 2009

Photo of Fall 2008 C-MORE Scolars.

The Fall 2009 C-MORE Scholars. L-R: Alex Williams, Kehau Manoi, Sarah Chang, Leena Muller, La’Toya James, Ale‘a Dudoit, Michael Gray, Sara Thomas, Brenner Wai. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Trainees

Michael Gray (GES senior)

“Cross Referencing position and in situ Environmental Data Collected through Blue Shark Tagging with the World Ocean Database and the World Ocean Atlas”
Mentor: Kevin Weng

The feasibility and efficacy of using tracking technology is important to support studies concerning migration and population patterns of marine species. For example, fishery assessments of the Blue Shark, Prionace glauca, are showing that these predators are a large portion of the bycatch in the North East Pacific Ocean. Through the use of tagging and satellite technology, the recorded movement data of Blue Sharks, combined with in situ environmental data provides information about migration patterns, and foraging habits of their population. This information may be used to improve upon current fishing strategies by focusing the effort on catching a target species without the bycatch of Blue Sharks. This project entails cross referencing the environmental data collected from the tagged shark with in situ ship and buoy data, such as the World Ocean Database and the World Ocean Atlas

Alexander Williams (undecided sophomore)

Project TBD

Interns

Sarah Chang (microbiology junior)

“Resolving the large-scale population genetic structure of the planktonic copepod Euchaeta rimana
Mentor:
Erica Goetz

My focus in this project is to characterize the population genetic structure of Euchaeta rimana throughout its biogeographic range in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. This work is part of a larger study that aims to identify the ecological traits that play a large role in controlling dispersal among holozooplankton populations in open water habitats. My goal will be to obtain DNA sequence data of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome oxidase I (COI) from specimens collected at a range of ca. 20 sampling sites in temperate, subtropical, and tropical waters.

La’Toya James (biology sophomore)

“Expression of virulence genes within Vibrio parahaemolyticus found in the Ala Wai Canal”
Mentor:
Grieg Steward

My project will primarily focus on determining if any virulence genes are present within the DNA of the Vibrio parahaemolyticus that was collected from the Ala Wai Canal (Oahu, Hawaii). The main importance of this study is to determine whether strains of this bacteria found in the canal are pathogenic to humans. Various strains of the Vibrio are known to be pathogenic to humans, and this particular strain is still under investigation. Samples were collected over a one year period and have been cultured, isolated for purification, and amplified. This semester I will include various other lab techniques learned previously to employ a strategy of determining if any virulent genes are present.

Kehau Manoi (marine biology junior)

“Development of a scanning electron microscopy protocol for heterotrophic marine bacterioplankton”
Mentor:
Megan Huggett

A key component of systematic studies is high quality images of the organisms that are being taxonomically described. This study will focus on numerically dominant members of the heterotrophic marine bacterioplankton community, including members of the Alphaproteobacteria clade SAR11 and the Betaproteobacteria clade OM43. Heterotrophic marine bacterioplankton are unique in their low density growth conditions, and at present there are no established protocols for the electron microscopy of these cells. This project aims to develop a scanning electron microscopy method to enable successful imaging of heterotrophic bacterioplankton via culture of dominant heterotrophic marine bacteria, determination of optimal concentration levels, and development of an SEM protocol. This project will be done at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB), and at the Biological Electron Microscope Facility (BEMF) of the Pacific Biosciences Research Center at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.

C-MORE scholars program photo Leena Muller (NREM junior)

”Assessing Soil Carbon (C) with Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy“
Mentor: Greg Bruland

Soil carbon (C) is an important pool in the global C cycle, has been shown to increase soil fertility and water holding capacity, and provides an energy source for microbes. Traditional methods to measure soil C are very time consuming and generate toxic byproducts. Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (DRS) offers a rapid, non-toxic, and non-destructive method to measure soil C based on the reflectance spectra of illuminated soils. However this method is relatively new and requires more testing on various soil types and parent materials. The goal of my project this semester is to use DRS to assess soil C in Hawaiian soils.

Brenner Wai (GES senior)

“Temporal Variability of Ammonia Oxidizing Archaea at Station ALOHA”
Mentor: Matthew J Church

The purpose of this study is to examine the time variability of ammonia oxidizing crenarchaea in the North Pacific. Previous studies of ammonia oxidizing archaea across the equator have shown that the expression of ammonia oxidizing genes were highest near the base of the photic zone in mesotrophic waters. Station ALOHA (A Long-term Oligotrophic Habitat Assessment) is considered to be a biological desert and it would be interesting to see how ammonia oxidizing archaeal abundance and expression of ammonia oxidizing genes fluctuate through time.

Ale‘alani Dudoit (biology senior)

“An examination of the transfer of the neurotoxin β-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) from the marine cyanobacteria Lyngbya sp. to the cyanobacteria-grazing nudibranch Stylocheilus striatus
Mentor: Hank Trapido-Rosenthal

Cyanobacteria of the genus Lyngbya are found worldwide in the surface waters of tropical oceans. Lyngbya, like most or all cyanobacteria, produce β-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA), which has been shown to exhibit both acute and chronic neurtotoxicity in a variety of animals, including humans. The ubiquity of cyanobacteria in various environments suggests a potential for human exposure, via entry into food webs and subsequent biomagnification. We will examine the concentration of BMAA in samples of Lyngbya from coastal environments around O‘ahu. We will use molecular taxonomy to determine if different strains of Lyngbya produce different concentrations of BMAA. Most importantly, by means of experiments in which the algivorous nudbranch Stylocheilus striatus is fed upon Lyngbya, we will examine the fate of BMAA as it begins its trip to higher trophic levels. The results of these analyses will contribute to our understanding of the processes that regulate the movement of toxins through marine food webs.

Fellows

Sara Thomas (GES senior)

“Investigation of Arsenic Concentrations in Soil Cores and Potential Fern Phytoremediation”
Mentor: Eric DeCarlo

This study will serve as an investigation of the biogeochemical controls that govern the distribution and speciation of As in soils under tropical conditions, particularly focusing on vertical variations of As concentrations in soil cores. Arsenic (As) compounds are perhaps most commonly known for their toxic properties. Fertilizers and/or pesticides containing As are often applied in agricultural settings elevating As concentration in soils and potentially endangering human health. As has a similar chemical structure to phosphorus (P), but it is unknown how As concentrations vary in the soil column. To obtain a sediment core 30-60 centimeters in depth, soil will be collected in ten-centimeter increments, or sub-samples, for each site. An Inductively Couple Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICPMS) unit will be used to determine the concentration of As for each sub-sample. As concentrations are predicted to decrease with depth, as do P concentrations, because of its similar chemical structure to P.

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