https://www.aquaticinvertebrates.net/news daily 0.75 2025-07-27 https://www.aquaticinvertebrates.net/news/outreach-podcast-germplasm-repositories-for-aquatic-species monthly 0.5 2025-07-27 https://www.aquaticinvertebrates.net/news/student-feature-biology-and-engineering-are-merged-for-interdisciplinary-undergraduate-research-in-sea-slugs monthly 0.5 2025-03-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6399ecba8bbf262bdd2d12fa/1740673844759-XO49436QS0KZNFWKDUZU/Alana-Aplysia-Egg-Mass.jpg News - Student Feature | Biology and Engineering are Merged for Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Research in Sea Slugs - Alana with an Aplysia egg mass. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6399ecba8bbf262bdd2d12fa/1740673862476-JDEAYBDQ0W8H9WKT4DCG/Dylan-Aplysia-Vitrification.jpeg News - Student Feature | Biology and Engineering are Merged for Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Research in Sea Slugs - Dylan loading Aplysia egg strands for vitrification. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6399ecba8bbf262bdd2d12fa/686b375f-d72d-460e-9444-af941fb0e518/Vitrification+batons+and+acupuncture+needles+used+for+vitrification. News - Student Feature | Biology and Engineering are Merged for Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Research in Sea Slugs - Make it stand out Vitrification batons and acupuncture needles used for vitrification. https://www.aquaticinvertebrates.net/news/student-feature-cameron-bonds-shrimp monthly 0.5 2025-02-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6399ecba8bbf262bdd2d12fa/1740673528490-HYOXTKT2TV7E98ZCRJ8E/IMG_7468.jpg News - Student Feature | Engineering Shrimp Germplasm Repositories with Open Hardware - Cameron Bonds holding a Whiteleg shrimp. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6399ecba8bbf262bdd2d12fa/1740673549769-AP7UW2SON13T93RYP6D5/IMG_7405.jpg News - Student Feature | Engineering Shrimp Germplasm Repositories with Open Hardware - Demonstrating the use of the 3-D printed AISR device. https://www.aquaticinvertebrates.net/news/publication-integrating-components-for-germplasm-repository-programs monthly 0.5 2025-02-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6399ecba8bbf262bdd2d12fa/c4a78e75-cceb-4ba1-bfbb-e9f0ea7a3a1a/Interaction-Network News - Publication | Integrating the Components Necessary for Germplasm Repository Programs. - Integrating the Components Necessary for Germplasm Repository Program Development to Safeguard the Genetic Resources of Aquatic Species. There is a critical need for the preservation and conservation of South American neotropical fishes and other aquatic animals. This chapter presented existing examples from fisheries, engineering, and biomedical research to illustrate how these technologies can help the future of South American Neotropical fishes. Germplasm repositories can provide technologies that will assist in maintaining the genetic resources of these species for decades into the future. It is important to identify and explore the components, operations, and interactions of cryopreservation-based germplasm repositories to help guide current and future research and application efforts. Germplasm repositories cannot be created or maintained in a vacuum; the planning, implementation, and maintenance must include local, regional, and national communities, the private sector, and government input and support. Together, people and repository technology can help preserve and distribute biologically and economically valuable genetic resources for the future of the world. PDF https://www.aquaticinvertebrates.net/news/outreach-podcast-a-co-benefits-approach-preserving-more-than-one-species-with-open-source-hardware monthly 0.5 2025-07-27 https://www.aquaticinvertebrates.net/news/publication-fabrication-of-microdevices-for-quality-management monthly 0.5 2025-02-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6399ecba8bbf262bdd2d12fa/a72cda9a-d42c-432d-87c7-6f8d2b3e229f/GraphicalAbstract_v2.png News - Publication | Fabrication of microdevices for quality management. - Evaluation of industrial and consumer 3-D resin printer fabrication of microdevices for quality management of genetic resources in aquatic species. Aquatic germplasm repositories can play a pivotal role in securing the genetic diversity of natural populations and agriculturally important aquatic species. However, existing technologies for repository development and operation face challenges in terms of accuracy, precision, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness, especially for microdevices used in gamete quality evaluation. Quality management is critical throughout genetic resource protection processes from sample collection to final usage. In this study, we examined the potential of using three-dimensional (3-D) stereolithography resin printing to address these challenges and evaluated the overall capabilities and limitations of a representative industrial 3-D resin printer with a price of US$18,000, a consumer-level printer with a price < US$700, and soft lithography, a conventional microfabrication method. A standardized test object, the Integrated Geometry Sampler (IGS), and a device with application in repository quality management, the Single-piece Sperm Counting Chamber (SSCC), were printed to determine capabilities and evaluate differences in targeted versus printed depths and heights. The IGS design had an array of negative and positive features with dimensions ranging from 1 mm to 0.02 mm in width and depth. The SSCC consisted of grid and wall features to facilitate cell counting. The SSCC was evaluated with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) devices cast from a typical photoresist and silicon mold. Fabrication quality was evaluated by optical profil- ometry for parameters such as dimensional accuracy, precision, and visual morphology. Fabrication time and cost were also evaluated. The precision, reliability, and surface quality of industrial-grade 3-D resin printing were satisfactory for operations requiring depths or heights larger than 0.1 mm due to a low discrepancy between targeted and measured dimensions across a range of 1 mm to 0.1 mm. Meanwhile, consumer-grade printers were suitable for microdevices with depths or heights larger than 0.2 mm. While the performance of either of these printers could be further optimized, their current capabilities, broad availability, low cost of operation, high throughput, and simplicity offer great promise for rapid development and widespread use of standardized microdevices for numerous applications, including gamete quality evaluation and “laboratory-on-a-chip” ap- plications in support of aquatic germplasm repositories. PDF https://www.aquaticinvertebrates.net/news/publication-carbonic-anhydrase-enzymes-in-a-temperate-symbiotic-sea-anemone monthly 0.5 2025-02-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6399ecba8bbf262bdd2d12fa/1671037271864-IF28HLDMW532KK1Z6BMI/Figure1.jpg News - Publication | Carbonic anhydrase enzymes in a temperate symbiotic sea anemone. - Carbonic anhydrase enzymes in a temperate symbiotic sea anemone. Carbonic anhydrases (CA; EC 4.2.1.1.) play a vital role in dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) transport to photosynthetic microalgae residing in symbiotic cnidarians. The temperate sea anemone Anthopleura elegantissima can occur in three symbiotic states: hosting Breviolum muscatinei (brown), Elliptochloris marina (green) or without algal symbionts (aposymbiotic). This provides a basis for A. elegantissima to be a model for detailed studies of the role of CA in DIC transport. This study investigated the effects of symbiosis, body size, and light on CA activity and expression, and suggests that A. elegantissima has a heterotrophy-dominated trophic strategy. We identified putative A. elegantissima CA genes and performed phylogenetic analyses to infer subcellular localization in anemones. We performed experiments on field-collected anemones to compare (1) CA activity and expression from anemones in different symbiotic states, (2) CA activity in brown anemones as a function of size, and (3) CA activity in anemones of different symbiotic states that were exposed to different light intensities. Carbonic anhydrase activity in brown anemones was highest, whereas activity in green and aposymbiotic anemones was low. Several CAs had expression patterns that mirrored activity while another had expression that was inversely correlated to activity suggesting that symbionts may induce different DIC transport pathways. Finally, CA activity was inversely correlated with anemone size. Our results suggest that the observed CA activity and expression patterns are not only affected by symbiosis but also by other factors in the host physiology including trophic strategy as it relates to body size and cellular pH homeostasis. https://jeb.biologists.org/content/early/2020/05/29/jeb.221424 https://www.aquaticinvertebrates.net/news/feature-feature-friday-reefbites monthly 0.5 2022-12-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6399ecba8bbf262bdd2d12fa/1671038114925-YMZV9NIMR4VMZJXABA3D/20160721-Aeleganitssima_GreensWhites_BoilerBay.jpg News - Feature | Feature Friday ReefBites - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.aquaticinvertebrates.net/news/outreach-osu-winter-wonderings-under-sea-learning-otoliths-and-nematocysts monthly 0.5 2022-12-14 https://www.aquaticinvertebrates.net/news/2016-international-coral-reef-symposium monthly 0.5 2022-12-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6399ecba8bbf262bdd2d12fa/2299a3ea-3386-47f8-a134-b0936ee461d0/20160116-Axanthogrammica_Fluorescence.jpg News - Outreach | 2016 International Coral Reef Symposium - The sea anemone Anthopleura elegantissima occurs in the intertidal zone from Mexico to Alaska. It is symbiotic with two genera of microalgae, the highly productive dinoflagellate Symbiodinium and the less productive chlorophyte Elliptochloris. The enzyme carbonic anhydrase (CA) catalyzes the interconversion of bicarbonate and CO2 and is known to play an important role in delivering CO2 to symbionts embedded deep in host tissues. Symbiont types in anemones are differentially distributed depending on latitude, tidal height, and light level. Anemones containing Symbiodinium are found at lower latitude, higher light environments compared to Elliptochloris-containing anemones that occur at higher latitude and lower light. Anemones in very low light lack symbionts. Previous research found aposymbiotic (without symbionts) and Elliptochloris-containing anemones to have similar and low CA activity compared to Symbiodinium-containing anemones. We predicted that anemones collected from lower latitudes would have greater CA activity than anemones of the same symbiotic state at higher latitudes. To test the effect of light on CA, A. elegantissima from the Oregon coast were collected and split into three 30-day treatments: dark, low light, and high light. To test the effects of latitude A. elegantissima were collected from several locations ranging from central Oregon to the Puget Sound. Symbiont density counts and CA assays were performed in triplicate on each anemone. Our results suggest that latitude, symbiont type and density, and light interact to influence CA in A. elegantissima. https://www.aquaticinvertebrates.net/news/award-five-science-students-nab-top-nsf-award monthly 0.5 2022-12-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6399ecba8bbf262bdd2d12fa/2d179ac4-05dd-4a21-9e1c-50356173f219/GRFP_logo.png News - Award | Five science students nab top NSF award - A total of five science Ph.D. students have received prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP) awards in 2016. Biochemistry and Biophysics student Nathan Waugh and Integrative Biology students Shannon Hennessey, Jack Koch, Zach Randall and Michael Brawner are among 11 students at Oregon State to receive the NSF Graduate Research Fellowships this year. In 2016, NSF received nearly 17,000 applications and offered 2,000 awards. Established in 1952, the NSF GRF Program is the oldest graduate fellowship of its kind, and recognizes and supports outstanding master’s and doctoral students in STEM disciplines at accredited U.S. institutions. The GRFP provides three years of financial support within a five-year fellowship period for graduate study that leads to a research-based master’s or doctoral degree in science or engineering. Students receive a $34,000 annual stipend and $12,000 cost-of-education allowance, which goes to the graduate institution. The award-winning projects in science cover an impressive gamut of topics, including biomolecular healthcare research, an invertebrate ecological habitat study, the effects of ocean acidification on marine organisms and semi-aquatic predator-prey interactions. But more importantly, these NSF awards demonstrates that the College’s newest fellows are outstanding young scientists with the potential to contribute significantly to research, teaching, scientific innovations, and to make a difference in the world. https://science.oregonstate.edu/IMPACT/2016/06/five-science-students-nab-top-nsf-awards https://www.aquaticinvertebrates.net/news/osu-winter-wonderings-elephant-toothpaste monthly 0.5 2022-12-14 https://www.aquaticinvertebrates.net/news/2016-society-of-integrative-and-comparative-biology monthly 0.5 2022-12-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6399ecba8bbf262bdd2d12fa/9b1ed105-6bd2-428d-8c84-136ad053565e/20170312_Anthopleura+elegantissima_JackCKoch.jpg News - Outreach | 2016 Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology - Anthopleura elegantissima participates in a facultative symbiosis with two microalgae Symbiodinium muscatinei and Elliptochloris marina. The symbiosis is centered around nutrient exchange including reduced organic carbon, inorganic nitrogen and carbon dioxide (CO2). The CO2 is used in algal photosynthesis and is produced in part by anemone carbonic anhydrase (CA) which catalyzes the reversible reaction of bicarbonate (HCO3-) to CO2. Under ocean acidification conditions, algal symbiont densities in A. elegantissima have been shown to increase, thereby increasing the demand for CO2 by the symbionts. Additionally, ocean acidification causes an increase in the abundance of HCO3- and CO2 in seawater. Therefore, we predicted that an increase in algal symbiont density under acidifying conditions would trigger an increase in anemone CA activity to meet the need for increased CO2. Aposymbiotic, Symbiodinium-, and Elliptochloris-containing A. elegantissima were collected from four locations around San Juan Island, and placed into ambient and high pCO2 conditions for ten days. Anemone CA activity was only measured after the experiment and algal densities were measured before and after the experiment. There was no significant effect of pCO2 or symbiotic state on the CA or density of algal symbionts after ten days of treatment. Our findings suggest that A. elegantissima may have internal homeostatic mechanisms to respond to increased pCO2 levels and concomitant increased algal densities. https://www.aquaticinvertebrates.net/news/category/Award monthly 0.5 https://www.aquaticinvertebrates.net/news/category/Outreach monthly 0.5 https://www.aquaticinvertebrates.net/news/category/Publication monthly 0.5 https://www.aquaticinvertebrates.net/news/category/Feature monthly 0.5 https://www.aquaticinvertebrates.net/news/tag/enzyme monthly 0.5 https://www.aquaticinvertebrates.net/news/tag/phylogenetic monthly 0.5 https://www.aquaticinvertebrates.net/news/tag/symbiosis monthly 0.5 https://www.aquaticinvertebrates.net/news/tag/science monthly 0.5 https://www.aquaticinvertebrates.net/news/tag/publication monthly 0.5 https://www.aquaticinvertebrates.net/news/tag/physiology monthly 0.5 https://www.aquaticinvertebrates.net/news/tag/sea+anemone monthly 0.5 https://www.aquaticinvertebrates.net/home daily 1.0 2026-03-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6399ecba8bbf262bdd2d12fa/1671036928674-D6P88NMSGG8BYXDLX8W5/20170330_lookin_jackckoch.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6399ecba8bbf262bdd2d12fa/1671036928785-Q9ADCN6HW7YSF7CMSL1I/20170401_busy+bee_jackckoch.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6399ecba8bbf262bdd2d12fa/1671036929342-E4W0R6J2GCAXT3ZMHXXL/20170429_bug+love_jackckoch.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6399ecba8bbf262bdd2d12fa/1671036929509-O6ATAT2LIMCMO541V27A/20170527_golden+overlook_jackckoch.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6399ecba8bbf262bdd2d12fa/1671036930036-PLJJ2L1PRRC2ECPII5BF/20170725_fire-eyed+sculpin_jackckoch.jpg Home https://www.aquaticinvertebrates.net/contact daily 0.75 2026-03-08 https://www.aquaticinvertebrates.net/publications daily 0.75 2026-03-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6399ecba8bbf262bdd2d12fa/dcd708d9-66df-40ee-8c43-d346cbad4ca1/Screenshot+2024-06-29+at+1.14.25%E2%80%AFPM.png Publications https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6399ecba8bbf262bdd2d12fa/00ac4805-65ea-4e80-97ce-0cdd5f195c44/Screenshot+2024-06-29+at+1.19.24%E2%80%AFPM.png Publications https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6399ecba8bbf262bdd2d12fa/0d59781f-237e-4c14-beb2-515f8ea8b936/Screenshot+2024-06-29+at+1.24.07%E2%80%AFPM.png Publications https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6399ecba8bbf262bdd2d12fa/47891950-80b6-40dd-88f2-b00990c81951/Screenshot+2024-06-29+at+1.25.38%E2%80%AFPM.png Publications https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6399ecba8bbf262bdd2d12fa/6d4c6b05-05ef-4d6d-9162-ffc0d1b71667/Screenshot+2024-06-29+at+1.28.36%E2%80%AFPM.png Publications https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6399ecba8bbf262bdd2d12fa/a9fda144-026e-4a44-a3ab-17398777859f/Screenshot+2024-06-29+at+1.30.19%E2%80%AFPM.png Publications https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6399ecba8bbf262bdd2d12fa/d14d2e0f-8efd-402f-9233-b565a20866f7/GraphicalAbstract_v2.png Publications https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6399ecba8bbf262bdd2d12fa/04d31def-129d-476f-99ff-d4264008307a/NEW_InteractionNetwork_Figure5_v13.jpg Publications https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6399ecba8bbf262bdd2d12fa/5986b1ba-5537-4a5d-8b0c-ef9163664d53/Screenshot+2026-03-07+at+7.06.55%E2%80%AFPM.png Publications https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6399ecba8bbf262bdd2d12fa/ce1e2ff5-eabc-48c1-8a96-4cebcdf9e415/Screenshot+2026-03-07+at+7.09.51%E2%80%AFPM.png Publications https://www.aquaticinvertebrates.net/aplysia daily 0.75 2022-12-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1589847904871-IJY33BXSJQA0OIFROI1H/image-asset.jpeg https://www.aquaticinvertebrates.net/cnidarians daily 0.75 2022-12-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1589847904871-IJY33BXSJQA0OIFROI1H/image-asset.jpeg