Recording-2025-03-14T19:04:15.911Z

Introduction

• Speaker: New talk, invites feedback on presentation quality.

• Context: Discussing one’s journey in marine biology and research.

Background

• Lack of Representation: No congressional representation due to not being a state.

• Education Journey: Attended UCSC for marine biology, highlighting the transition period in life during schooling.

Academic Path

• Texas A&M Galveston:

  • Began PhD to research jellyfish in the Migliata lab.

  • Conducted fieldwork in the Caribbean and Gulf, including locations in Florida and Panama.

  • Notable mention of Smithsonian's role in tropical research in Panama.

• Post-PhD Work: Returned to Panama for a fellowship; then moved to UC Merced for a postdoc.

  • Transitioned rapidly between positions, demonstrating the fast-paced nature of academic careers.

Research Focus

• Photosymbiotic Systems: Current research on anemones; draws comparison to past work with jellyfish.

  • Emphasizes that understanding these symbioses requires broad analysis beyond standard systems.

  • Highlights importance of various ecosystems (agriculture, forests, microbiomes) in understanding symbiosis.

Climate Change Impact

• Climate change threatens stability of symbiotic relationships in marine biology.

• Acknowledges complexity of interactions among multiple partners (symbionts).

Microbiomes in Cnidarians

• Differentiates between long-term stable endosymbionts and transient microbes.

  • Transients can be beneficial but are often overlooked.

• States that factors affecting these microbiomes include abiotic (light, nutrients) and biotic (host influence).

Photosymbiosis in Cnidarians

• Photosymbiosis spans across various groups including:

  • Hydrozoa, Schyphozoa, Anthozoa.

• Focus on non-skeletal photosymbiotic organisms, emphasizing their ecological importance.

• Proposes integrating findings from soft-bodied organisms to broader ecological models.

Case Studies

Cassiopeia (Jellyfish)

• Analysis of gut microbiomes versus external samples from Cassiopeia jellyfish.

  • Identifies that traditional sampling methods may misrepresent diversity.

  • Discusses findings of distinct gut microbiomes and their implications for understanding coral microbiomes

Aiptasia (Sea Anemone)

• Utilizes Aiptasia for exploring heat stress impact on microbiomes.

  • Compares thermal-tolerant and intolerant strains; establishes conditions for microbiome sampling.

  • Highlights variability and instability in microbiomes under temperature stress.

Stress Indicators in Microbiomes

• Identifies three key assumptions for evaluating microbiome under stress conditions:

  1. Naive Microbiome Argument - Initial conditions denote health.

  2. Heat Impact - Some members affected by heat regardless of host state.

  3. Host Stress - Distinct microbiome signatures arise from stressed hosts.

• Investigates shifts that reveal significant dysbiosis only in stressed phenotypes.

Methodology and Findings

• Explains use of comprehensive data analysis methods to connect microbiome members and stress impacts on organisms.

• Finds that heat stress indicators span a variety of microbiome functions (defense, endosymbionts, etc.).

  • Networks highlight the interconnectivity of microbiomes across species, indicating systemic rather than isolated responses.

Conclusion

• Emphasizes the need for interdisciplinary approaches in studying marine microbiomes and symbiosis.

• Acknowledges contributions from multiple collaborators in research.

• Encourages a greater understanding of ecological interdependence to drive conservation efforts.

Acknowledgments

• Thanks contributions from lab members, funders, and collaborators across various institutions.

Interactive Q&A

• Engages audience with questions regarding research methods and implications.

• Discusses complexities of maintaining ecological relevance in laboratory settings.