TITLE: Assistant Professor
ACADEMIC INSTITUTION: University of Delaware College of Marine and Earth Studies

 

What are your role in Extreme 2008?
I’ll be using molecular methods to investigate ciliate diversity and grazing activities in two deep-sea hydrothermal vent ecosystems: Guaymas Basin in the Gulf of California, and the East Pacific Rise (EPR) in the Pacific Ocean. The Guaymas Basin has a soft-sediment bottom that is hydrocarbon rich, while the EPR has a rocky bottom. While both areas are hydrothermal, they support different species of animals. We hypothesize that the protist community will also be very different between these sites. We plan to collect a variety of samples from both sites where we think ciliates and other protists will be most abundant, such as thick bacterial mats that cover the sediments in Guaymas or decaying tubeworms from the EPR.

What questions are you trying to answer and why?  
Ciliates and other protists in marine ecosystems graze on bacteria and form an important link in the food chain between prokaryotic and eukaryotic life forms. When grazing, however, these organisms can be selective, preferring some prey species over others.  The questions that I would like to answer are: (1) What is the diversity and abundance of ciliates at these vent sites; and (2) Are they selective or nonselective in their grazing activities?

Why is this research important? What are the benefits?
Many of the chemical and biological processes at hydrothermal vents is mediated in part by bacterial members of the community. Bacteria associated with hydrothermal vent chimneys, for example, utilize and transform basic chemical elements that are emitted by the vents. Bacteria also play an important role as symbionts of many animals that inhabit these sites.  As grazers, ciliates and other protists help to shape the bacterial community composition. By selectively grazing on only a portion of the bacterial population, they can open a niche for other species which may impact both chemical and biological processes at vent sites.  Our investigation of protist communities at vent sites will increase our knowledge of life on Earth and how species interact with each other and with their environment. Very little is known at this time about the diversity of protists at hydrothermal vents, and virtually nothing is known about their role in ecosystem function at vent sites. 

What's your background, and what lured you into marine science/education?
I grew up in western Pennsylvania but my family often visited relatives in Maine or New Jersey, where I was introduced to two very different ocean environments. I always loved the ocean and as a teenager I dreamed of being a marine biologist.  It took a long time to get to where I am today, but I think my experiences along the way helped to shape my interests in marine biology.  At college, I began with an associate’s degree in biology in 1979 and then worked for several years in an analytical lab at a pharmaceutical company.  When I moved to Delaware, I returned to school to get my B.S. in chemistry in 1986.  I then taught chemistry part-time at a local college when my children were young.  In 1990, I decided to start taking graduate courses towards a Ph.D. in biochemistry.  My adviser had a lab at the UD College of Marine and Earth Studies in Lewes, Delaware, and I ended up doing my graduate research there. Although I didn’t work with protists as a graduate student, I was trained in molecular methods.  I have been able to use this knowledge in my post-graduate career investigating the ecology of protists in marine and freshwater environments.  I think that having a strong background in chemistry and biology, along with practical analytical and teaching experience, was really instrumental in preparing me for the research that I do today.