The odd little shipworm is starting to burrow its way into my heart. A few weeks ago I was telling myself “okay, so it’s not an oyster, but the larval stage is close enough so just be happy to study something similar.” Indeed, the shipworm was living in the shadow of the oyster. But nobody puts Teredo in a corner! So here I am, neck deep in shipworm literature (and boots stuck in the mud!), observing them every day and trying to learn as much as I can. They have been stigmatized as destructive pests that turn boats, pilings, and docks into swiss cheese. Their ecosystem services have been eclipsed by the damage they cause to manmade structures, when in fact, the holes that they burrow become refuges for other marine organisms. They cycle carbon just as their relatives the oyster and the clam. They break down wood and remineralize plant material, transforming it into nutrients to be used by other creatures within the ecosystem. Their benefits are vast, so let us not be so hasty in our judgement of the shipworm. Week four has been all about gathering the materials to get this experiment off the ground. The low tide series gave Richard and me two days for shipworm collection. We successfully gathered wood with live adult shipworms from two locations, Shinglehouse Slough and the junction of the Coos River and Isthmus Slough. Cutting the wood blocks and tile, assembling them, then soaking for at least twenty-four hours before experimentation are the next items on my to-do list. On Tuesday, the REU students were asked to submit research proposals to our PI’s and to give 10 minute presentations about those proposals to the entire group. What a wide range of studies we have! From isopod visual capabilities, to the biomechanics of comb jellies, to the prevalence of the invasive European green crab just to mention a few.
Rounding out the week, I had the pleasure of meeting OIMB instructor and shipworm researcher, Nancy Treneman. Nancy has sites throughout the surrounding waterways where she deploys wooden test pallets for shipworm collection. I have been invited to join her next week to retrieve and process the pallets. Her enthusiasm for these bivalves is infectious! I am so thankful for the opportunity to learn from her and work alongside her in the upcoming weeks.
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AuthorHello, my name is Tiffany Spendiff. I am a third-year marine biology student and unrelenting bivalviaphile. This blog is an account of the successes, lessons, trials, and tribulations of a burgeoning marine scientist. Archives
August 2018
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