Amy Giannotti, MS, CLM

Editors: Jennifer L. Gillett-Kaufman (UF/IFAS); Verena-Ulrike Lietze (UF/IFAS); Emma N.I. Weeks (UF/IFAS)

p. 22-23

Author is Gi Smith; pp. 6-7

In 2008, the Cambrian Foundation and Interactive Expeditions partnered with Sartek Industries and TracStar Systems to deliver an immersive, real-time, interactive platform that links geographically remote expedition teams with any web-connected student/participant worldwide. To achieve this feat, the production team utilized cutting-edge technologies and mobile satellite-enabled communication gear to provide this unprecedented interactive broadcast experience where youth and adults at various… Show more

In 2008, the Cambrian Foundation and Interactive Expeditions partnered with Sartek Industries and TracStar Systems to deliver an immersive, real-time, interactive platform that links geographically remote expedition teams with any web-connected student/participant worldwide. To achieve this feat, the production team utilized cutting-edge technologies and mobile satellite-enabled communication gear to provide this unprecedented interactive broadcast experience where youth and adults at various science centers in the Caribbean and North America could interact with the expedition cave diving team using live two-way audio and video technologies to explore the delicate and threatened karst environments beneath Bermuda's limestone cap.

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Feature article for the publication highlighting the Cambrian Foundation's research project investigating the role that microorganisms play in speleogenesis,or cave formation, at Wekiwa Springs, Rock Springs, Sanlando Springs, and Palm Springs. In relatively nutrient-poor, low-light habitats like these submerged caves, bacteria typically fix carbon dioxide into organic matter using sulfur, iron, or manganese. These bacteria provide the base for the food web structure in these systems, and the… Show more

Feature article for the publication highlighting the Cambrian Foundation's research project investigating the role that microorganisms play in speleogenesis,or cave formation, at Wekiwa Springs, Rock Springs, Sanlando Springs, and Palm Springs. In relatively nutrient-poor, low-light habitats like these submerged caves, bacteria typically fix carbon dioxide into organic matter using sulfur, iron, or manganese. These bacteria provide the base for the food web structure in these systems, and the geochemical processes carried out by these microorganisms can influence both the formation of and dissolution of minerals - all of which influence rates of speleogenesis. Show less

Paper published in conference proceedings pp. 136-38.

Abstract (excerpt): Marine invertebrate grazing on temperate macroalgae may exert a significant “top‐down” control on macroalgal biomass. We conducted two laboratory experiments to test (1) if consumption by the omnivorous mud snail Ilyanassa obsoleta (Say) on the macroalga Ulva lactuca Linnaeus was a function of food quality (nitrogen content) and (2) if grazing on benthic macroalgae occurred at significant rates in the presence of alternative food sources in the sediment (detritus, larvae… Show more

Abstract (excerpt): Marine invertebrate grazing on temperate macroalgae may exert a significant “top‐down” control on macroalgal biomass. We conducted two laboratory experiments to test (1) if consumption by the omnivorous mud snail Ilyanassa obsoleta (Say) on the macroalga Ulva lactuca Linnaeus was a function of food quality (nitrogen content) and (2) if grazing on benthic macroalgae occurred at significant rates in the presence of alternative food sources in the sediment (detritus, larvae, benthic microalgae). Grazing rates were higher for N‐enriched macroalgae; however, all snails lost weight when grazing on macroalgae alone, indicating that U. lactuca was a poor food source. The presence of sediment from two sites, a sandy lagoon and an adjacent organic‐rich muddy tidal creek, did not affect consumption of macroalgae in microcosm experiments, and the grazing snails were capable of significantly reducing macroalgal biomass associated with both sediment types. This level of grazing could remove up to 88% of new macroalgal growth at the lagoon site where the N supply was relatively low but had a much smaller effect (18% of new growth) at the high‐nutrient creek site. Snails facilitated macroalgal growth at both sites by increasing tissue N content by 40%–80%. Consumption and digestion of macroalgae aided in the recycling of nutrients temporarily bound in the algae and resulted in enrichment of surficial sediments. Increased N sequestration in the sediments also was associated with an interruption of snail burrowing behavior due to persistent anoxia in sediments rich in decaying algal material. Our data suggest that in shallow lagoons where mud snails and benthic macroalgae coexist, grazing may influence N retention in macroalgal biomass.
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