Altered Algae Eating More Metal than Before in Lake Erie
Shows Great Lakes Bio-Remediation Potential
Bio-remediation researchers supported by Ohio Sea Grant funding are further enhancing genetically altered algae to maximize its ability to pick up trace metals. Metals such as mercury, cadmium and zinc from area industry accumulate in Lake Erie sediment and eventually pose a human health risk. The algae, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, is a unicellular algae that is widely available, can be genetically engineered easily, and grows quickly in high volumes.
Previous research by Ohio State University researcher Richard Sayre found the algae to be more effective, less costly and safer than using chemical extraction methods. Now, Sayre and his team have found further ways of altering the algae to increase the algae's ability to attach itself to heavy metals in Lake Erie sediment. They used three approaches of genetic alteration, and found that each enhanced the cell's ability to bind with the metals.
The most effective method involved attaching metallothionen, a protein that binds heavy metals, to the outside of the algae cell. It picked up five times more metal than a regular cell and grew three times faster when surrounded by high concentrations of heavy metals. Research will continue to study how much of each trace metal binds to the Chlamydomonas cell. Sayre will also work with engineering firms to test pilot facilities for treatment of contaminated wastes and sites.
"By increasing the algae's ability to attach to trace metals, we believe this research will be an important step in the identification of the best strategies for reducing heavy metal pollution and the remediation of contaminated sites and waters of the Great Lakes," said Sayre.
Contact: Richard Sayre, Ohio State University, (O) 614-292-9030, Email: sayre.2@osu.edu, Website: http://www.biosci.ohio-state.edu/rsayre/index.html
Study of Spartina Eradication Efforts will Help Native Birds, Seafood Industry
Spartina anglica is an exotic cordgrass that is rapidly spreading through mudflats in Puget Sound, Washington State. The invasive plant turns mudflats into salt marshes, rendering them less able to support shellfish or seabirds. Efforts undertaken to eradicate Spartina have been difficult thus far, and a study is underway to learn why. Washington Sea Grant researcher Sally Hacker will study the ecological conditions under which Spartina anglica invades native habitat and will examine the effectiveness of current eradication efforts. Results of the study will help research managers control this destructive weed, and aid Puget Sound's seabirds and shellfish growers.
Beginning this month, Washington Sea Grant will boost eradication efforts with the Spartina I.D. card. These photo-illustrated watch cards will contain useful information about identifying the plant and explain actions to take if it is found.
Contacts: Sally Hacker, School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University Vancouver, (O) 360-546-9634, Email: hacker@vancouver.wsu.edu for research information Melissa O'Neill, Washington Sea Grant Communicator, (O) 206-685-9215, Email: mboneill@u.washington.edu for information about Spartina Watch ID cards
Horseshoe Crab Census Underway, Counting Valuable Creature
Every spring, horseshoe crabs in the Delaware Bay come to shore to lay their eggs on Delaware and New Jersey's beaches. This spawning period is an ideal time for Delaware Sea Grant Marine Education Specialist Bill Hall and a host of volunteers to count the number of crabs along the shoreline. The "crab census" takes place on peak spawning days in May and June, and is conducted on 24 beaches in the Delaware Bay.
Delaware Sea Grant organized the first census in 1990 in an effort to learn more about the important animal's population status. Horseshoe crabs fill a critical niche in both the ecology of the Delaware Bay and in human pharmacology. Newly spawned eggs provide food for shorebirds on their way from South America to the Arctic. In the pharmaceutical industry, horseshoe crabs are bled to obtain a compound that can test intravenous drugs for dangerous bacteria. They are used in prosthetics like heart valves and artificial teeth as well. The horseshoe crab is also commercially fished and used as a baitfish.
Delaware Sea Grant researcher Nancy M. Targett has been working on development of an artificial bait to reduce fishing pressures on this species which predates the dinosaurs but whose numbers have been declining in recent years. Volunteers can learn more about the census at http://www.ocean.udel.edu/mas/bhall/hsccensus/
CONTACT: Bill Hall, Marine Education Specialist, Delaware Sea Grant,
(O) 302-645-4253, (F) 302-645-4007, Email: bhall@udel.edu
CONTACT: Nancy Targett, Delaware Sea Grant Researcher, Professor of Marine Biology/Biochemistry, University of Delaware. On sabbatical until mid-July, but is reachable via email that she checks daily. Email: ntargett@udel.edu
Sea Grant Calendar Spotlight: Rip Current Safety News Conference, May 24, 2002
North Carolina Sea Grant and the National Weather Service will remind the public to be alert for rip currents as the summer beach season approaches. Two simultaneous press events will focus on the placement of 500 rip current safety information signs along the North Carolina coast and the unveiling of the National Weather Service's rip current information website, located at www.ripcurrents.noaa.gov
For more information, visit: www.ncsu.edu/seagrant
Sea Grant Website Spotlight: The Horseshoe Crab http://www.ocean.udel.edu/kiosk/hshoecrab.html
Visit this page to learn interesting facts about an ocean creature that pre-dates dinosaurs by over a 100 million years and is one of the oldest animals on Earth. Site includes links to research information, the annual Crab Census and various publications and includes a video.
Sea Grant is a nationwide network of 30 university-based programs that works with coastal communities. Sea Grant research and outreach programs promote better understanding, conservation, and use of America's coastal resources. For more information about Sea Grant visit the Sea Grant Media Center Website at: www.seagrantnews.org, which includes on-line keyword searchable database of academic experts in over 30 topical areas.