Thesis Defense by Holly Doerr – July 21 Livestream

 

"Species-specific transcriptomic responses of juvenile rockfish (Sebastes) to simulated future upwelling conditions"
A Thesis Defense by Holly Doerr

The Ichthyology Lab

MLML Live-Stream | July 21, 2021 at 2 pm

Holly graduated from the University of Missouri – Columbia (MU; MIZZOU) in 2016 with a B.S. in Biological Sciences. During her time at MU, she worked under the guidance of Dr. Elizabeth Bryda in her Comparative Medicine lab at the MU College of Veterinary Medicine and investigated the effects of exposure to a common brain parasite (Pseudoloma neurophilia) on the behavior of larval zebrafish for her undergraduate capstone projects, and also assisted then PhD student Daniel Davis with his research investigating the ability for a common probiotic (Lactobacillus plantarum) to mitigate stress-induced dysbiosis in the gut microbiome of adult zebrafish. Holly began the Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML) Masters program in the fall of 2016, initially joining the Biological Oceanography Lab and later switching to join the Ichthyology Lab at MLML and the Logan Lab at CSUMB in April of 2018 after realizing her interests were better suited studying marine fish physiology. During her time at MLML, she thoroughly enjoyed countless friendships and the ability to help on at least 10 other lab and thesis projects both at the bench and in the field. Likewise, during this time Holly also served three semesters as student body vice president, volunteered at 4 Open House events on the food committee, in the puppet show and in both the Bio Oce and Ichthyology labs, and was employed in a variety of roles - including one year as Student IT Help Desk Assistant, a little over a year as a research technician on a Ballast Testing project, two semesters as a TA, and two years as a Naturalist/Deckhand for Sea Goddess Whale Watching in Moss Landing, CA. In January of 2021 she moved to North Carolina with her husband where she finished up her thesis writing and is currently employed part-time as a research technician on UNC - Chapel Hill's shark surveys. After graduation, Holly looks forward to spending more time pursuing hobbies of swimming, hiking, camping, painting and reading, and exploring North Carolina with her husband and two dogs!

Thesis Abstract:

Anthropogenic climate change is predicted to trigger large-scale changes in ocean chemistry over the next few decades. These conditions may be exacerbated in coastal upwelling regions where strong, seasonal increases in pCO2 and hypoxia are expected to intensify under climate change. Nearshore rockfishes (genus Sebastes) may already be adapted to fluctuating upwelling environments along the west coast of North America, but further shifts in ocean chemistry could push individuals beyond their physiological thresholds. I examined the effects of future upwelling conditions by simulating fluctuating vs. static levels of combined high pCO2 and low dissolved oxygen (DO) on the gill transcriptomes of three juvenile rockfish congeners with different life histories: copper rockfish (Sebastes caurinus), gopher rockfish (S. carnatus) and black rockfish (S. melanops). Juveniles were collected and exposed to static-ambient (DO= 8mg/L; pH=8.0), static-moderate (DO=4.0mg/L; pH=7.5), static-extreme (DO=2.0mg/L; pH=7.3), or two fluctuating treatments that alternated between ambient and extreme conditions every 8 days, simulating upwelling and relaxation cycles. Gill tissue was sampled from fish following 13 weeks of exposure to each treatment. De novo transcriptome assemblies were constructed for each species, and compared for quality, completeness, and mapping rates across all samples.  The copper rockfish reference assembly was selected to map and compare differential gene expression for common orthologs across all species. I found significant changes in gene expression (edgeR, FDR<0.01) under all pair-wise comparisons of static vs. fluctuating treatments, with fluctuating treatment responses containing larger overall numbers of differentially expressed genes. Likewise, significant changes in gene expression of fishes from fluctuating-relaxation conditions vs. static-ambient may reflect persistent evidence of stress response after “recovering” from upwelling, or acclimatory preparation for subsequent upwelling exposure. Highly species-specific transcriptional responses appear to be related to life history differences and suggest the possibility of greater tolerance to future ocean chemistry in black rockfish, which was not reflected in the other species. Likewise, correlations of physiological data from the same copper and gopher rockfish to their respective expression responses suggest that these congeners rely on different molecular mechanisms to cope with environmental stressors. Comparing transcriptomic responses of rockfish exposed to static vs. fluctuating future upwelling conditions provides insights into the ways in which climate change will impact an ecologically and economically important group of marine fishes in North America.

Moss Landing Marine Labs 2021 Virtual Open House

Our annual Moss Landing Marine Labs Open House is back!

 

Every year, the MLML community comes together to raise funds for student scholarships that support marine science research. While we are once again unable to host our traditional in-person event, our students have put together an amazing virtual Open House that includes photos, videos, and an online auction! Learn more on our Open House website and make sure you're following MLML social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn) as we will be posting exciting Open House content throughout the month of June.

This year we're hoping to raise $15,000 for student scholarships so please consider supporting our fundraiser by donating to our Crowdfunding Campaign (June 1-30), purchasing an Open House t-shirt (June 1-30), and shopping our online auction (June 25-29).

Virtual Event – Dr. Dave Ebert at the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium Discovery Lecture Series – June 4

 

Dr. David Ebert presents:

"Searching for Lost Sharks"

Cabrillo Marine Aquarium | Discovery Lecture Series

Friday, June 4th, 2021 from 7:00-8:30pm pdt

Register for the free event here

About the speaker:

Dr. Dave Ebert is director of the Pacific Shark Research Center and a member of the SJSU/MLML research faculty. He has devoted his life to studying the ocean's most elusive, dangerous and yet fascinating predator - the shark! His adventurous search for Lost Sharks has taken him from his modest hometown in California to the Emperor’s glorious Palace in Tokyo, the dazzling Skeleton Coast of Namibia, and the vibrant streets of Cape Town. His global explorations have led to the discovery of over 50 new shark species.

 

California Sea Lion Bowl – Virtual Event – February 6th

The Sea Lion Bowl is one of 25 regional ocean science competitions, the winners of which compete in the National Ocean Sciences Bowl. The Sea Lion Bowl has been hosted by the California State University, Monterey Bay College of Science since 2017. While typically CSUMB hosts between 150-200 high school students and their coaches at an all day in-person event, this year the entire bowl will be held virtually on February 6, 2021. Teams of students from high schools across Northern California will compete in the quiz show-like competition. The students will answer marine science questions in the fields of  Biology, Geology, Chemistry, Geography, Marine-Policy, Oceanography, and Ocean Technology on the level of undergraduate marine science majors.

Moss Landing Marine Laboratories is honored to contribute to this event and help promote the importance of  STEM to high school students. Several MLML students will be volunteering at the bowl and we will also be hosting a virtual booth featuring information about our research and educational opportunities. To learn more about the Sea Lion Bowl and how you can get involved, please visit the event website.

California Sea Grant Webinar – Restorative Aquaculture in California – November 19th

Restorative Aquaculture in California Webinar

Thursday, November 19, 2020 from 5:00-6:00pm PST

California Sea Grant and Save Our Shores are pleased to present a short introduction to three of the restoration and conservation oriented aquaculture activities underway in California. Tune in to this webinar hosted by SJSU/MLML research faculty member Dr. Luke Gardner to hear about endangered white abalone’s road to recovery, efforts to rebuild decimated Olympia oyster populations, and sea urchin ranching with a view to restore our kelp forests.

Learn more and register here.

 

 

 

Event Recording – 8th Annual MLML In-House Open House

At the start of every fall semester, Director Jim Harvey hosts the annual Moss Landing Marine Laboratories In-House Open House to welcome new students and introduce them to the incredible research community at MLML. This event features all SJSU/MLML faculty members and research affiliates presenting 2 minute, 2 slide talks about who they are and what they do.

This year we hosted the 8th Annual MLML In-House Open House virtually due to Covid-19. We invite you to watch the recording and learn more the brilliant marine science research we are doing all over the world.

Webinar – SJSU College of Science Virtual Seminar – May 1st

 

Phil Heller, SJSU Department of Computer Science
Presenting: "Software Without Algorithms: Deep Learning in the Deep Ocean"

SJSU Webinar | May 1st, 2020 at 4pm

Abstract:

Deep Learning is an artificial intelligence technique that is especially successful at processing images. Although it is widespread in society, it is not well understood outside the Computer Science research community. This talk will explain Deep Learning in lay terms and then will describe 3 ways it is being applied in the Heller research group, which develops computer analysis techniques for understanding the effects of climate change on the world's oceans.

 

Webinar – Passive Acoustic Monitoring in California’s National Marine Sanctuaries by MLML alumna Angela Szesciorka

Register Here (free)

Date/Time: February 19, 2020 at 2 pm Pacific / 5 pm Eastern

Presented by: Samara Haver, Ph.D candidate at Oregon State University; Angela R. Szesciorka and Vanessa ZoBell, Ph.D. candidates at Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Description: Acoustic signals travel quickly and efficiently over long distances in the aquatic environment; thus, sound has become the principal sensory modality used by many marine animal species. This is particularly true for acoustically oriented marine mammals that rely on sound to communicate, perceive their environment, detect and avoid predators, forage for food, and navigate. Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) is used to measure, monitor, and determine the sources of sound in underwater environments, enabling scientists to eavesdrop on the acoustic behavior of marine animals (e.g., whale song, fish chorusing, snapping shrimp), natural abiotic sounds (e.g., wind, earthquakes), and human generated sounds (e.g., cargo vessels). By utilizing PAM tools in national marine sanctuaries, researchers are able to collect data to answer questions about these valuable marine habitats and provide important condition information to managers and policymakers. In this webinar, three Ph.D. candidates that are NOAA Dr. Nancy Foster Scholars will discuss current PAM research efforts taking place in some of California’s national marine sanctuaries.

Vertebrate Ecology Lab at Science Saturday at the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History

Science Saturday — Animal Athletes

  • Saturday, February 29, 2020
  • 10:00 AM  3:00 PM
  • Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History165 Forest AvenuePacific GroveUnited States (map)

This highest jumping, fastest flying, strongest biting Science Saturday of the year focuses on the Olympians in the animal kingdom. From falcons to mountain lions, and beetles to beavers, every athlete has a story to tell. Join us for crafts, activities, and science as we sprint, jump, and dive into the world of Animal Athletes. As always, admission to Science Saturday is free, and the event runs from 10:00 am - 3:00 pm.

*** Students from the Vertebrate Ecology lab will be tabling at the event***

Beach Clean-Up with Save Our Shores at Carmel River State Beach

February 29, 2020 @ 9:00 am – 11:00 am

Join Save Our Shores for a cleanup at Carmel River State Beach!

Please meet us in the parking lot off Scenic Rd.

We recommend that all volunteers dress in layers, wear sun protection, and bring a filled reusable water bottle. Save Our Shores encourages volunteers to avoid single-use plastics at our cleanups. Learn more about our current campaigns to reduce plastic pollution.

Volunteers under the age of 18 MUST be accompanied by an adult. Closed-toed shoes are required at all Save Our Shores cleanups.

Restrooms and drinking fountains are available onsite. Parking may be limited, so please plan accordingly.

No RSVPs are necessary, but you can print and complete our waiver beforehand to save time: saveourshores.org/waiver/. Be sure to bring your signed copy (1 per volunteer) to the event.

If you have additional questions, please contact alejandro@saveourshores.org.