INTERNATIONAL GRADUATE RESEARCH TRAVEL: INVESTIGATING HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOM FORMATION AND MITIGATION

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: OTHER GRANTS
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 0224143
• Grant No.: 2011-38420-20043
• Proposal No.: 2010-03327
• Project Start Date: Jan 1, 2011
• Project End Date: Dec 31, 2012
• Grant Year: 2011
• Program Code: [KK]- National Needs Graduate Fellowships Program

Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND
19 WOODWARD HALL 9 EAST ALUMNI AVENUE
KINGSTON,RI 02881

Performing Department
Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Science

Non Technical Summary
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are one of the biggest challenges for aquaculture, the fastest growth sector of world agriculture. This project seeks funding for one International Research Travel Award (IRTA) to enable a current National Needs Fellowship (NNF) student to perform a 2-months internship in the laboratory of renown Harmful Algal Bloom ecologist, Dr. Hae Jin Jeong at Seoul National University, Republic of South Korea. Understanding how HABs are formed is essential to managing and mitigating the economic and ecological losses in the aquaculture industry due to this natural phenomenon. The international research award will 1) enhance the Ph.D. student's scientific training in methodology currently unavailable at the home institution, 2) allow the fellow to gain first-hand knowledge of international aquaculture programs, and 3) see first hand application of biological HAB mitigation efforts. The expected outcomes for this fellow are: 1) increased scientific technical training, including mass culturing of HAB species, bioremediation, and electron microscopy; 2) publications and presentations based on research conducted during the international research exchange, and 3) provide the fellow competency in an integrative, biological approach, using tools and approaches from different disciplines, for HAB mitigation efforts helping to ensure aquaculture safety. This international research experience will provide the National Needs fellow in Diseases of Marine Organisms with training and international contacts that will benefit her research for years to come.

Animal Health Component

100%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

(N/A)

Applied

100%

Developmental

(N/A)

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
903	6099	3020	100%

Knowledge Area
903 - Communication, Education, and Information Delivery;

Subject Of Investigation
6099 - People and communities, general/other;

Field Of Science
3020 - Education;

Keywords

harmful algal bloom

toxic algae

aquaculture

mitigation

predator

grazing

microscopy

video analysis

behavior

international

Goals / Objectives
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are one of the biggest challenges for aquaculture, the fastest growth sector of world agriculture. This project seeks funding for one International Research Travel Award (IRTA) to enable a current National Needs Fellowship (NNF) student to perform a 2-months internship in the laboratory of renown Harmful Algal Bloom ecologist, Dr. Hae Jin Jeong at Seoul National University, Republic of South Korea. The international research award will 1) enhance the Ph.D. student's scientific training in methodology currently unavailable at the home institution, 2) allow the fellow to gain first-hand knowledge of international aquaculture programs, and 3) see first hand application of biological HAB mitigation efforts. The expected outputs are at least one publication and one presentation at an international meeting based on research conducted during the international research exchange, dissemination to the general public through presentations at an open house, newscasts through the URI press office, and highlights at the NNF DIMO web site.

Project Methods
Bloom formation has long been thought to occur mostly as a result of increased phytoplankton growth due to increasing light and nutrient availability in the water column. However, the role of grazing by heterotrophic protists in the formation of blooms is less well understood. To investigate predator/prey relationships in the plankton, the NNF DIMO fellow quantifies, by video analysis, the population distributions and individual movement behaviors of both predator and prey when exposed to one another. She also uses genetic techniques to investigate intra-species variation and the role of predation in maintaining strain diversity in toxic phytoplankton. In traveling to South Korea, the fellow will work in collaboration with a renowned biological oceanographer who has extensive experience working with harmful algae, as well as predator/prey relationships. Dr. Jeong's laboratory excels in electron microscopy, harmful algal culturing, predator/prey relationships, and is perfecting large-scale batch culturing of heterotrophic protists to be used for biological HAB mitigation in the field. This bioremediation approach through mass culturing is not explored in the US. Through her study in Dr. Jeong's laboratory, the fellow will gain insight into the methodology behind biological remediation of HABs. She will complete several behavioral and grazing experiments with the main toxic phytoplankton species of her research, Heterosigma akashiwo, to investigate H. akashiwo strain specificity in the response to heterotrophic protists. She will also collect samples from many different strains of H. akashiwo for genetic analysis upon her return, and learn a variety of new microbiological, microscopic, and imaging techniques. Upon completion of this travel, the fellow is expected to give an oral presentation to her peers in the NNF-DIMO program based on her experiences and newly learned imaging techniques. In addition, within one year of her return, Ms. Harvey will also be expected to: 1) Submit an abstract to an international/national scientific conference, to present data gathered during this travel period; and 2) prepare a manuscript for publication.

Progress 01/01/11 to 12/31/12

Outputs
OUTPUTS: From July 1 through August 20, 2011, Elizabeth Harvey (National Needs Fellow in Diseases of Marine Organisms - NNF DIMO) participated in an NNF-sponsored International Graduate Research Travel to the lab of Dr. Hae Jin Jeong at Seoul National University in Seoul, Korea. During her stay, she conducted experiments investigating the interactions of heterotrophic protist predators and harmful algal species. The goal of this research was to understand the impact that heterotrophic protists have on the formation and maintenance of harmful algal blooms (HABs). Understanding how a bloom occurs is the first step in abatement and mitigation, to decrease the overall risk to the marine environment and economic losses in aquaculture facilities. To visualize the interactions between protist predators and HAB algae, the fellow set up filming equipment in the Jeong Lab. The fellow used cultures that are maintained in the Jeong lab, including some specialized predators that are unavailable in her home laboratory. The fellow was particularly interested in how protist predators behaviorally responded to chemical cues of the toxic, bloom-forming raphidophyte, Heterosigma akashiwo. Similarly, she investigated how the behavior of H. akashiwo changed in the presence of predator chemical cues. While in the Jeong Lab, the fellow also had the opportunity to learn about scanning electron microscope (SEM) imaging, and was able to image some H. akashiwo cells. She also observed the lab conducting large-scale experiments investigating the role of temperature in influencing community structure and nutrient flow in water from Shiwa Bay, Korea. Furthermore, the fellow was able to exchange scientific ideas both with Dr. Jeong and the fellow students in the lab, and gain experience in fostering international collaborations. Upon returning to the home institution, the fellow disseminated the results from the IRTA in several ways. Articles were published on the Graduate School of Oceanography (GSO) website and the University of Rhode Island website/weekly press release. The fellow also presented the results of the collaborative international research to the faculty and students of GSO at a seminar given on September 26, 2011. She also presented her research at the 6th US Harmful Algal Bloom (USHAB) Meeting during the week of November 13th 2011 and at a meeting with fellow NNF-DIMO program colleagues at URI in early November. This research resulted in a publication with the advisor from the hosting institution that is now under review. PARTICIPANTS: Participants in this IRTA included: the NNF DIMO fellow Liz Harvey, who was awarded the International Research Travel Award (IRTA) and performed the research; the host for the IRTA stay, Hae Jin Jeoung, an expert in the study of the ecology, biology and management of harmful algal blooms at Seoul National University in South Korea; and Susanne Menden-Deuer, the major advisor of the NNF DIMO fellow Liz Harvey. Marta Gomez-Chiarri, director of the NNF DIMO program, coordinated the application for an IRTA award and report submission. TARGET AUDIENCES: This research will benefit: 1) researchers interested in the role of predator-prey interactions on the population dynamics of harmful algal blooms; 2) managers of coastal resources impacted by harmful algal blooms; 3) the fishing and aquaculture industries affected by the impact of harmful algal blooms; and 4) the general public, whose health and access to safe seafood may be affected by harmful algal blooms. These audiences were reached through presentations at meetings, peer-reviewed publications, news articles and web postings, and presentations at open houses. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.

Impacts
The NNF DIMO fellow found species-specific differences in predator movement behavior when encountering chemical filtrate from a H. akashiwo culture. One predator species increased aggregative movement behavior (e.g. increased swimming speed and turning rate when encountering) H. akashiwo filtrate, whereas the other predator tested had no behavioral response to the filtrate. Furthermore, she found that H. akashiwo modified its behavior in the presence of predator filtrate, exhibiting increased avoidance behavior (e.g. faster swimming,prolonged upward movement) resulting in a shift in population, with more cells accumulating away from the predator filtrate layer. These results suggest that both predators and prey may modify their behavior in response to chemical cues alone, and can induce shifts in population distribution. Incorporating chemically mediated behavioral interactions of the marine plankton will strengthen the predictions of population dynamics needed for the adequate management of harmful algal blooms. Overall, this was an outstanding opportunity to build international collaborations and share science across borders.

Publications

• Harvey, E.L., H. Jeong, S. Menden-Deuer (2013) Chemical cues drive shifts in movement behaviors and influences the grazing interactions between heterotrophic protest predators and a HAB alga (in review, Limnology and Oceanography)

Progress 01/01/11 to 12/31/11

Outputs
OUTPUTS: From July 1 through August 20, 2011, Elizabeth Harvey (National Needs Fellow in Diseases of Marine Organisms - NNF DIMO) participated in an NNF-sponsored International Graduate Research Travel to the lab of Dr. Hae Jin Jeong at Seoul National University in Seoul, Korea. During her stay, she conducted experiments investigating the interactions of heterotrophic protist predators and harmful algal species. The goal of this research was to understand the impact that heterotrophic protists have on the formation and maintenance of harmful algal blooms (HABs). Understanding how a bloom occurs is the first step in abatement and mitigation, to decrease the overall risk to the marine environment and economic losses in aquaculture facilities. To visualize the interactions between protist predators and HAB algae, the fellow set up filming equipment in the Jeong Lab. The fellow used cultures that are maintained in the Jeong lab, including some specialized predators that are unavailable in her home laboratory. The fellow was particularly interested in how protist predators behaviorally responded to chemical cues of the toxic, bloom-forming raphidophyte, Heterosigma akashiwo. Similarly, she investigated how the behavior of H. akashiwo changed in the presence of predator chemical cues. While in the Jeong Lab, the fellow also had the opportunity to learn about scanning electron microscope (SEM) imaging, and was able to image some H. akashiwo cells. She also observed the lab conducting large-scale experiments investigating the role of temperature in influencing community structure and nutrient flow in water from Shiwa Bay, Korea. Furthermore, the fellow was able to exchange scientific ideas both with Dr. Jeong and the fellow students in the lab, and gain experience in fostering international collaborations. Upon returning to the home institution, the fellow disseminated the results from the IRTA in several ways. Articles were published on the Graduate School of Oceanography (GSO) website and the University of Rhode Island website/weekly press release. The fellow also presented the results of the collaborative international research to the faculty and students of GSO at a seminar given on September 26, 2011. She also presented her research at the 6th US Harmful Algal Bloom (USHAB) Meeting during the week of November 13th 2011 and at a meeting with fellow NNF-DIMO program colleagues at URI in early November. She also will be preparing a manuscript documenting the results, to be ready for submission in early 2012. PARTICIPANTS: Participants in this IRTA included: the NNF DIMO fellow Liz Harvey, who was awarded the International Research Travel Award (IRTA) and performed the research; the host for the IRTA stay, Hae Jin Jeoung, an expert in the study of the ecology, biology and management of harmful algal blooms at Seoul National University in South Korea; and Susanne Menden-Deuer, the major advisor of the NNF DIMO fellow Liz Harvey. Marta Gomez-Chiarri, director of the NNF DIMO program, coordinated the application for an IRTA award and report submission. TARGET AUDIENCES: This research will benefit: 1) researchers interested in the role of predator-prey interactions on the population dynamics of harmful algal blooms; 2) managers of coastal resources impacted by harmful algal blooms; 3) the fishing and aquaculture industries affected by the impact of harmful algal blooms; and 4) the general public, whose health and access to safe seafood may be affected by harmful algal blooms. These audiences were reached through presentations at meetings, peer-reviewed publications, news articles and web postings, and presentations at open houses. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
The NNF DIMO fellow found species-specific differences in predator movement behavior when encountering chemical filtrate from a H. akashiwo culture. One predator species increased aggregative movement behavior (e.g. increased swimming speed and turning rate when encountering) H. akashiwo filtrate, whereas the other predator tested had no behavioral response to the filtrate. Furthermore, she found that H. akashiwo modified its behavior in the presence of predator filtrate, exhibiting increased avoidance behavior (e.g. faster swimming, prolonged upward movement) resulting in a shift in population, with more cells accumulating away from the predator filtrate layer. These results suggest that both predators and prey may modify their behavior in response to chemical cues alone, and can induce shifts in population distribution. Incorporating chemically mediated behavioral interactions of the marine plankton will strengthen the predictions of population dynamics needed for the adequate management of harmful algal blooms. Overall, this was an outstanding opportunity to build international collaborations and share science across borders.

Publications

• Harvey, E. L. and S. Menden‐Deuer. 2011. Understanding harmful algal blooms in the ocean: the impact of predator/prey interactions. Discovery at URI Graduate Student Conference, Kingston, RI
• Harvey, E.L. and S. Menden‐Deuer. 2012. Predator‐induced shifts in population distributions of the toxic phytoplankter, Heterosigma akashiwo (Raphidophyceae). (in prep)
• Harvey, E.L. and S. Menden‐Deuer. 2011. Bloom formation in Heterosigma akashiwo: Role of predation and physiology. 6th USA HAB Meeting, Austin, TX
• Harvey, E.L. and S. Menden‐Deuer. 2011. Understanding harmful algal blooms in the ocean: the impact of predator/prey interactions. Environmental Protection Agency ‐ Northeast Division, Narragansett, RI (invited)