My current research focuses on eco-physiology of sugar kelp, including selective breeding for heat-tolerant strains, and assessing environmental and genetic influences on desired kelp traits for aquaculture. At WHOI, I work primarily in Scott Lindell's lab (click to see more).
Testing the influence of genetics vs. local environment on giant kelp morphology
To further understand what drives giant kelp morphology, I conducted an underwater experiment to test whether the shape of the holdfast is a fixed, genetically determined trait or induced by the environment where it grows. I collected wild spores from both pyrifera and integrifolia ecomorphs, created treatments of pure and mixed-morph spore solutions, and grew up the early life stages (gametophyte through emergent sporophyte) in the laboratory. Then I planted the baby kelp of both morphs onto hard structures at the bottom of the ocean in the same location and observed the development of their morphologies over time--the results were clear and striking! |
Alginate yield and composition in giant kelp ecomorphs
Alginate, a structural polysaccharide in kelp, is one of the most important natural chemicals for which kelp is cultivated and harvested. Alginate gives kelp tissue both strength and flexibility, and the particular ratio and arrangement of the chemical building blocks (mannuronic and guluronic acid) differs across species and within species across environments, yielding different properties which have distinct uses in industry. I am interested in how alginate composition in giant kelp varies across ecomorph populations and environments. Collaborators: Finn Aachmann, Olav Aarstad, Wenche Strand (Norwegian University of Science and Technology) |