Research
Influences of aquaculture additives on larval sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) skin microbiome
Microbes that live on our skin can affect our health and survival, and they are often the first line of defense against infection. For fish, microbes from the water and the egg begin colonizing fish skin as the fish hatches, when the fish is considered a larvae. In sablefish aquaculture (i.e. "fish farming"), survival is low in the larval rearing stages. Algae and/or clay are often added to the water in larval rearing tanks to increase fish health and survival, but they can also change the microbes in the water and possibly on larval skin. For my M.Sc thesis, I wanted to take a closer look at how algae and clay change the microbial communities in the water and how that may affect those on larval fish skin.
Microbes that live on our skin can affect our health and survival, and they are often the first line of defense against infection. For fish, microbes from the water and the egg begin colonizing fish skin as the fish hatches, when the fish is considered a larvae. In sablefish aquaculture (i.e. "fish farming"), survival is low in the larval rearing stages. Algae and/or clay are often added to the water in larval rearing tanks to increase fish health and survival, but they can also change the microbes in the water and possibly on larval skin. For my M.Sc thesis, I wanted to take a closer look at how algae and clay change the microbial communities in the water and how that may affect those on larval fish skin.
The relationship between parasite infection and host behavior of marsh killifish, Fundulus heteroclitus
I began this project while I was working towards my B.Sc in Biology at Georgia Southern University in the lab of Dr. Tavis Anderson. I used fish-parasite modeling systems to observe the relationship between individual behavior and parasite infection. I retrieved killifish from two salt marsh sites that seemed to have different kinds of parasites. After tagging the fish, I recorded three aspects of their behavior: tank exploration, presence in groups (2+ fish), and behaviors that would be noticeable by predators (surfacing, flashing, shimmying, jerking, and contorting), with the intention of counting/roughly identifying the parasites that live on and in the fish. |