—Melanie Burley (Mentor: Dr. Jennifer Dijkstra)
When you think of marine species that live in the Gulf of Maine, a tiny invertebrate attached to the side of a dock may not be the first one that comes to mind. However, tunicates have a powerful influence on other species within their environment. This is especially true in the Gulf of Maine, where they have been found on the side of boat docks, tangled up on lobster traps, and attached to oyster and mussel beds. Increasing amounts of certain invasive species of tunicates can negatively impact the organisms around them. Tunicates can have a drastic impact on local aquaculture, because they can grow over and therefore suffocate mussels. A better understanding of how these species impact ecological systems and the aquaculture systems around them is crucial for the health of the community and the overall planet as we combat invasive species and climate change. Therefore, with funding from a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) through the Hamel Center for Undergraduate Research, I studied how rising water temperature influences a non-native species of tunicate, Botrylloides violaceus, within the Gulf of Maine based on the dissolved oxygen concentrations within varying treatment temperatures.
Our results showed that Botrylloides violaceus did not respond well to increased heat and their heart rates majorly climb, and then just as quickly, decline. In addition, the dissolved oxygen data showed that on average, the control tank had higher concentrations of dissolved oxygen compared with the treatment tanks. This was not surprising, because warmer water has less dissolved oxygen concentrations.
