currenttidings2024-2
Current Tidings
Shannon Point Marine Center
Volume 2024, Issue 2
This final 2024 newsletter marks the end of an era as Dr. Suzanne Strom steps back from some of her duties as a Senior Marine Scientist at the Shannon Point Marine Center. While she will continue studying the Northern Gulf of Alaska Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) site, she will be spending less time at SPMC, and this will be the final SPMC newsletter to benefit from her editorial skills.
For more than 30 years, Suzanne has been an extremely productive researcher, a dedicated mentor, a valued colleague, and an important member of the SPMC community. As was evidenced by the number of former students who recently returned to SPMC to celebrate Suzanne and her accomplishments, her efforts have profoundly impacted a generation of marine scientists. We will miss her energy, enthusiasm, and outstanding work. Thank you, Suzanne!
Mel Lemke: The Many Flavors of Symbiosis
Big creative spirit who loves worms.” If I had to make a bumper sticker for Mel, it would read something like that. Working on a Biology Master’s degree with advisor Dr. Shawn Arellano, Mel was “one of those kids” who always wanted to be a marine biologist. After graduating from the University of Oregon she got a chance to participate in a research cruise on which she met Shawn (“a life-changing event”), and she jumped at the chance to apply to WWU’s graduate program for some deep-sea biology.
Mel is looking at the relationship between deep-sea hydrothermal vent mussels and the worms (Branchipolynoe symmytilida) that reside inside their shells. No one really knows much about this or other (non-deep sea) worm-bivalve cohabitation situations, even though they are relatively common. Mel sampled from deep-sea submersible Alvin, collecting mussels (and attendant worms) near and farther away from active hydrothermal vents on the East Pacific Rise. This was at ~2,500 m depth (1.5 miles below the sea surface)! Back on board the ‘mother ship’, she and teammates dissected and measured the worms and mussels and collected gut contents from both for metabarcoding analysis. Mel reports that about 70% of these vent mussels (Bathymodiolus thermophilus) contain the (surprisingly beautiful) B. symmytilida worms. She’d like to understand what they each get out of the living arrangement. The mussels live mainly off the products of their chemosynthetic gill-dwelling bacterial symbionts, but they do have a gut and feed on suspended particles. Are the worms getting some of the incoming foods? Are they eating (and helping to control) mussel parasites?
Preliminary evidence indicates that the worms do NOT subsist by eating mussel tissue (an idea floating around in the literature), but that their diet contains “lots of microbes”. More sequencing and data analysis is ahead to complete this picture and relate it to mussel and worm condition indices and morphometrics.
Early in Mel’s graduate studies she developed a major disability: nerve pain accompanied by a limited ability to use her hands. She’s had to get very creative - and learn to ask for and accept help - to navigate the research and academic landscape with these challenges. Both at sea and in the land lab she has research partners who act as her hands, helping with dissections and other physical tasks. She’s had to learn computer voice dictation to manage writing and typing and is working on becoming fully ambidextrous. Graduate school has been a challenge; it is not set up for people with disabilities, with its low wages, limited insurance options, and fairly rigid timelines. Mel is quick to point out that her advisor Shawn has been “really, really supportive” through all of this.
Mel is one of those extraordinary people who can see the gifts in these daunting challenges. She points out that navigating her existence in this world ties closely to her research on symbiosis. On the cruise she had to take lots of breaks from the physical demands of the work, which gave her opportunities to engage with the Alvin engineers as well as the ship’s crew. They became interested in the group’s science and a diverse community of curious minds developed. Mel wants to ‘take the worms with her’ and is applying to PhD programs, where she hopes to further investigate this or similar macro-organism symbioses.
Beyond deep-sea worms and mussels, Mel’s obvious creativity was once expressed in pen-and-ink illustration. She can’t reliably do this at present, which has led her to other art forms including creative writing (using the dictation software). She enjoys reading, especially audiobooks, and is a fan of mythology and fantasy works. I’m going to let this super inspiring human have the last word: Mel recounts that her life situation has made her more engaged with the people around her, and her reliance on the love and support of others has taught her about the collaboration side of science. What a powerful lesson for us all at this time in history.
Ian McBride: Planting the Seeds of a Career
Environmental Sciences graduate student Ian McBride has jumped straight from undergraduate research at WWU to an ambitious Master’s thesis project on eelgrass restoration. He’s full of enthusiasm for the process, and the potential of his findings to improve restoration success in the Pacific Northwest.
Ian shared that recent ‘heat dome’ events (2015, 2019) have led to dramatic declines in high tidal and intertidal eelgrass (Zostera marina). Local declines have been particularly dramatic in the San Juan Islands. On the U.S. east coast, thousands of hectares of eelgrass have been restored by spreading the seeds of these marine flowering plants. Unfortunately for would-be PNW restorers, most eelgrass in our region has a perennial life cycle strategy, reproducing vegetatively rather than producing seeds. Ian’s thesis co-advisor Dr. Sylvia Yang recently discovered an annual eelgrass bed in Padilla Bay, where the plants reproduce primarily by flowering and setting seed. Another such bed is in Willapa Bay. Funded mainly by the Washington Department of Natural Resources, the research goal is to compare the temperature response and disease susceptibility of annual and perennial eelgrass from these two sites.
Ian plans to grow mixed beds of annual and perennial plants at different temperatures in the Shannon Point mesocosms. He’ll be monitoring growth, flower development, above- and below-ground biomass, and various leaf, flower, and rhizome characteristics. In addition, the prevalence of eelgrass wasting disease will be assessed. Assistance with this array of measurements will come from undergraduates majoring in Marine and Coastal Sciences or Environmental Sciences. That’s the plan - then there’s the reality. When Ian attempted a pilot project last year, only a tiny fraction of the seeds germinated (“That was bad!”). So, in a typical research pivot, he’s now spending lots of time in Shannon Point’s sea table room trying to understand seed germination. Both freshwater and anoxia can stimulate germination, but saltwater and oxygen are needed for subsequent shoot growth, so Ian is experimenting to find the magic combination of these variables. Right now he’s mostly waiting for shoot formation to happen (“It’s really stressful and tedious!”). As a back-up, he also has annual and perennial plant stock that he can use in the mesocosm experiments. But ultimately, to scale this project to restoration levels, plants will need to be germinated from seed.
When asked what he does for hobbies and relaxation, Ian quickly responded “Come in every day and stare at them” (i.e. the seed trials)! But seriously, he enjoys many of the wonderful PNW outdoor opportunities, including fishing, rock climbing, and mountain biking. He and his brothers have a boat on Orcas Island that gets them out on the salt water. From his land-locked roots in Idaho and his past work as a high-rise window cleaner in Seattle, Ian’s now poised to make big contributions to eelgrass and associated habitat restoration in the Salish Sea. We can’t wait for the next installment of this research saga!
Scott Mystadt: Shannon Point Maintenance Mechanic
With Scott retiring from WWU “sometime within the next six months”, this seemed an appropriate moment to catch up, share some of his impressive bio, and get his take on the Shannon Point experience.
Scott’s had a long lifetime of experience keeping things running. Early on, he was a long-haul trucker who saw “every state and every major city” in the continental U.S. A serious introduction to maintenance came working on equipment at Sea Freeze, a seafood processing and storage plant in Seattle. When that plant’s mission changed, he headed to Anacortes as a better place to raise a family (Scott has a son and a daughter). There he started in maintenance at Sugiyo, a plant manufacturing imitation crab products. He then transitioned to his “most fun” job as a field engineer for a U.S.-based circuit board manufacturer. Scott travelled throughout Asia and Europe, training people to use and repair manufacturing equipment. When the circuit board industry moved fully out of the U.S. Scott hired on at Dakota Creek shipyard, where he worked as a welder and cutter (really hard jobs!). Ships he helped build included tugs as well as research vessels Neil Armstrong (operated out of Woods Hole) and Sally Ride (operated out of Scripps).
Scott started as Shannon Point’s maintenance mechanic in February of 2018. While he never thought he’d work for the state, he admits it’s been “pretty cool” to be in a teaching environment. Scott was one of those Midwest kids (Minnesota, then Iowa) who was interested in Marine Biology and thought he might head in that direction during a year of college. He’s found the interactions with students and the exposure to research to be some of the most rewarding parts of this job. After his upcoming retirement (“a little scary” - we get it!), he’s hoping to spend time doing things he enjoys: saltwater fishing, bow hunting, and spending time with his three grandchildren in Spokane. (Big results of a recent day on the water by Scott (L) and SPMC scientist Brady Olson (R) shown in photo.) Scott’s final words: “There’s a bunch of nice folks here!” Thanks, Scott, for being one of them, and for keeping us running for the past 7 years!
SPMC Research Technologist Kerri Fredrickson attended the Sugt'stun and Ocean Science Gathering which took place in Homer, AK, September 30 to October 2. The event was organized in collaboration with the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies, the Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, and Chugachmiut Heritage Preservation. A central focus of the gathering was the Sugt'stun language, an essential component of Sugpiaq culture. This event brought together community members and experts to celebrate and explore the Sugt'stun language, plankton, and traditional beach foods, highlighting the rich intersection of language and ecology in the Alaskan coastal region.
The gathering was part of an outreach project funded by the North Pacific Research Board. Under lead Katie Gavenus of the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies, the initiative builds on a grant to SPMC marine scientist Suzanne Strom to study small phytoplankton in the northern Gulf of Alaska. Aims of the outreach are to enhance understanding of phytoplankton in the Gulf of Alaska through the lenses of culture, language, art, and science.
Drs. Kathy Van Alstyne and Ruth Sofield are partnering with colleagues at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, Brigham Young University Hawai’i, and Kuleana Coral Reefs to measure metal contaminants in edible limu (seaweed) and fish on the southern shore of Oahu. The study, which is being funded by the State of Hawai’i, will include developing consumption guidelines for residents of the area, including many who continue a tradition of subsistence fishing and limu harvesting.
Graduate student Michelle McCartha recently defended her Biology M.S. Her thesis, advised by Dr. Shawn Arellano, is titled “Investigating symbiont acquisition in deep-sea snails using fluorescent in situ hybridization.” Michelle entered graduate school as a non-traditional student (right before the pandemic) and completed her degree while working full time as a single parent of a teenager. Wow. Congratulations and deep bows from all of us at Shannon Point to this persistent and multi-talented marine scientist!
Recent Graduate Degrees Awarded:
Jaime Blais: Rhizaria marine protists are unexpectedly abundant and exhibit taxonomic and trophic diversity in the northern Gulf of Alaska. Fall 2024, advisor Suzanne Strom (Biology)
Jiho Kim: The effects of diatom-derived polyunsaturated aldehydes on embryonic and larval Surf smelt (Hypomesus pretiosus) fitness. Fall 2024, advisor Brady Olson (Biology)
Michelle McCartha: Investigating symbiont acquisition in deep-sea snails using fluorescent in-situ hybridization. Fall 2024, advisor Shawn Arellano (Biology)
Yuki Wilmerding: Investigating perennial and annual eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) in Padilla Bay as potential donor sources for seed-based restoration. Fall 2023, advisors Sylvia Yang and Steve Hollenhorst (Environmental Studies)
Publications:
Dimond, J.L., Bouma, J.V., Lafarga‐De la Cruz, F., Supernault, K.J., White, T. and Witting, D.A., 2024. Endangered pinto/northern abalone (Haliotis kamtschatkana) are panmictic across their 3700 km range along the Pacific coast of North America. Evolutionary Applications, 17(12), p.e70040.
Raymer, R., Jessa, S.M., Cooper, W.J. and Olson, M.B., 2024. The effects of diatom polyunsaturated aldehydes on embryonic and larval zebrafish (Danio rerio). Ecotoxicology, pp.1-12.
Newsletter content prepared by Suzanne L. Strom (stroms@wwu.edu) unless otherwise specified.