After teaching marine botany for 3 different summers at Wallops Island Marine Science Consortium (WIMSC) I've been enchanted by the variety and abundance of the seaweeds of the local marine ecosystem, Chincoteague Bay. I searched the scientific literature via database (Biosis) and returned only 14 research articles on the biology of Chincoteague Bay since 1980. Nearby Chesapeake Bay had 1292 research articles in the same time period. The Chesapeake has major problems due to anthropogenic pollution and over harvesting and this would explain the many research studies. Smaller Chincoteague Bay, however, appears largely ignored.
The faculty and students of the Pennsylvania State Higher Education System have an advantage when doing shallow water and near shore marine research: Wallops Island Marine Science Consortium in Virginia. WIMSC provides easy access to Chincoteague Bay from the southern shore of the bay and has a variety of wet and dry laboratory facilities for sorting, packing and preserving specimens. The station also has inexpensive housing for students and researchers, close to bay sample sites. Other priceless supports are knowledgeable WIMSC captains and staff who are experts on local conditions. A varied college summer program is offered for students starting in May and running in 3 week sessions (4) until August. Even though our campus in East Stroudsburg, PA is 6 hours from the marine station, the habitat, ease of access and value of using WIMSC makes the trip worthwhile.
Why are studies of macroalgal distribution and abundance important? First, macroalgae are important producers for higher trophic levels within the bay. Without the seaweeds, phytoplankton and seagrasses there would be no oysters, crabs or fish. Second, macroalgae respond rapidly to changes in nutrient concentrations: they are good pollution indicators. Blooms of "scum" occur quickly after runoff containing high levels of nitrogen or phosphorus. Finally, changes in the distribution and abundance of macroalgae can pinpoint problem areas: nutrient pollution, oxygen deficit zones, and ecosystem breakdown due to over fishing or trawling.
The first
question I will be asking over the next few years is, "What is the
macroalgal species diversity of Chincoteague Bay?" At least 2 historical
collections have been made in nearby Chesapeake Bay, one by Connor (1980)
and another by Orris (1980).
The database for the Chincoteague
appears to be empty. I, with the help of marine botany students have
collected and preserved 17 macroalgal species from the bay. Over the next
year, weather and tide willing, I will make bimonthly collections at 3
sites in the southern bay: Tom's Cove, Queen's Island Channel and
Mill's Island Marsh. Distribution and abundance patterns will
be mapped using ArcView GIS. GIS mapping will continue with new stations
added in the central and northern bay in 2002 and 2003.
The second question I hope to explore involves the genetic diversity of the dominant species. Step one will be answered by the collections above: identify the most common species. From my and my student's preliminary collections, it appears that Gracilaria tikvahiae is one of the dominant and most abundant algae in the southern part of the bay. Focusing on that species, I have successfully extracted genomic DNA and amplified fingerprints from published microsatellite sequences. Material from the bimonthly collections will be used to quantify the genetic diversity of G. tikvahiae.
I'm also interested in investigating the ecological relationships between the tube worm, Diopatra cuprea and the macroalgae that colonize the worm's tube.
Finally, I will be working on developing an identification guide to the flora of the El Zota field station in the lowland tropical rain forest of Costa Rica. Dr. Thomas LaDuke, ESU's intrepid herpetologist, began working at that station 2 years ago and invited me to visit in summer of 2001. I will be returning in Summer of 2002 to begin collecting, cataloging and identifying the flora of that station. In particular I will be providing floristic support for research on primate, amphibian and reptile feeding habits. Several pictures from the field station are located at the El Zota link.