Current Members
Click on name for further information.
Click on name for further information.
I am a PhD graduate student in the Neuer Lab, beginning my PhD in biology in the fall of 2007. I graduated from Bates College with a B.S. in biology, and received my M.S. in biology from East Carolina University. My master’s research was in arctic marine benthic ecology. I focused on the effect of two primary production communities, ice algae and phytoplankton, on a subtidal community in Kotzebue Sound, Alaska using the soft-shelled clam, Macoma balthica, as my model system. Arctic primary producers consist of phytoplankton, found predominantly in open water areas, and ice algae, found growing in and on the sea ice. This partitioning of arctic primary production is being altered as sea ice thickness, extent, and duration decreases.
I fed clams either ice algae or phytoplankton at 2 different temperatures and three different food concentrations. I found that clams fed ice algae had higher body protein concentrations than clams fed phytoplankton. This suggests that ice algae are a higher quality food source, and because of the timing of ice algal deposition to the benthos (during ice break-up in the spring) it may be coupled to critical timing in the clam’s reproductive cycle.
As with any research, my thesis brought up more questions than answers and I am excited to have the opportunity to continue my research in arctic primary producers with Dr. Neuer. I think it is imperative in this era of rapidly changing climate to explore the role and unique interplay of Arctic primary producers, especially their effect on higher trophic levels.