The Phycological Society of America seeks to raise $25,000 to aid student research and education. Please read more about the PSA fundraiser at this website.
PSA Grants Help Students
The Phycological Society of America supports graduate student member education and development through three programs: the Croasdale Fellowships, the Hoshaw Travel Awards, and the Grants-in-Aid of Research. Specific information about these grants are provided on their respective web pages. Listed below are personal examples of how PSA grants have assisted students.
2010 GRANTS-IN-AID OF RESEARCH RECIPIENTS
Grants-in-Aid of Research awards are made in amounts of up to $1,500 by the Phycological Society of America in support of graduate student research in any area of phycology.
Matt examines sequences from his desk.
Advisor: Edward C. Theriot – University of Texas at Austin, TX, USA
For as long as researchers have been sequencing DNA for phylogenetic analysis, sequence data from the chloroplast genome of the taxa within the Cladophorales have been elusive. Whether this difficulty is due to some chemical/metabolite interference with DNA extraction or amplification processes or the architecture of these chloroplast genomes is still unknown. With newer, high-throughput techniques of DNA sequencing, however, it may be possible to finally tease out chloroplast DNA sequence from these algae. Using PSA GIAR funds, my research has used the ABI SOLiD platform to sequence almost 9 gigabases of genomic DNA from Chaetomorpha sp (UTEX LB2356), and I am now in the process of bioinformatically sorting through this DNA data for chloroplast genes, with the hope of eventually piecing together most of the chloroplast genome sequence.
Kylla working on a Fucus vesiculosus experiment on the rocky shores of New England.
Advisor: Matthew Bracken - Northeastern University, MA, USA
The PSA GIAR award was essential in my ability to collect preliminary data for my research and focus the scope of my dissertation on declining biodiversity. My work focuses on how a species’ ability to adapt/acclimatize to small (i.e., intertidal) and large (i.e., latitudinal) environmental gradients alters their role in key ecosystem processes such as nutrient cycling. This award allowed me to begin characterizing the genetic diversity of my focal species (Fucus vesiculosus) in the western North Atlantic using traditional markers and next generation sequencing techniques. Additionally I was able to use the award to set-up an on-going field experiment investigating regional differences in nutrient uptake rates and growth of F. vesiculosus at different tidal heights. By examining genetic diversity and adaptive abilities within and among populations and its effects on processes such as nutrient cycling we may be better able to predict how future changes to genetic diversity will alter ecosystem function.
Nic at the wall off the coast of Panama
Advisor: William Gerwick – Scripps Institute of Oceanography, CA, USA
My research project, supported by the PSA Grant-In-Aid of Research award, focused on increasing our understanding of the taxonomy of marine cyanobacteria, as they are prolific producers of biomedically and ecologically relevant bioactive secondary metabolites products. Thanks to PSA, I was able to collect cyanobacterial specimens from three separate marine national parks Coiba, Bocas del Toro and Portobelo from both the Pacific and the Caribbean coasts of Panama. Hopefully, this study will add to understanding of the biodiversity of tropical marine cyanobacteria and the taxonomic distribution of bioactive secondary metabolites among various taxonomic groups.
Heather using the thermocycler for PCR.
Advisor: Rose Ann Cattolico – University of Washington, WA, USA
Heather Hunsperger, PhD candidate at the University of Washington, uses genetic techniques to study the evolutionary biology of algae. She used the PSA Grant in Aid of Research funding to support her work on genetic redundancy in the chlorophyll synthesis pathway in algae. Heather is interested in understanding why some algal species have maintained multiple enzymes to carry out the same function, whereas other species have maintained only one enzyme. By determining which gene sets are present and how they are regulated, she hopes to better connect the genetic compliment of an alga to its ecological success and potential.
Emily sequencing at the bench.
Advisor: Morgan Vis – Ohio University, OH, USA
With funding from the PSA Grant-in-Aid of Research my Master’s work, a revision of the freshwater genus Thorea (Thoreales, Rhodophyta) using molecular and morphological data, allowed me to sequence three genetic markers, the ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase large subunit (rbcL, chloroplast), the ribosomal large subunit (LSU, nuclear), and the cytochrome oxidase I region (COI, mitochondrial). To date, this study is the largest molecular analysis of genus Thorea and provides a number of new insights. Results showed that the genus Thorea contains two major clades, each with several species. The clades are clearly divided between the temperate and the tropical/subtropical latitudes. At the species level, two species with wide geographic circumscriptions, T. hispida and T. violacea, were shown to be paraphyletic, with new species needing to be described. Molecular support was provided for the previously synonymized species T. riekei and a new species from Vanuatu. This research was presented as a poster and a talk at three conferences: the 2011 North East Algal Symposium, the 2011 Ohio University Research and Creative Activity Expo, and the 2011 Phycological Society of America’s annual meeting. Research is ongoing.
Sophie working at her field site in coastal Washington.
Advisor: Catherine Pfister – University of Chicago, IL, USA
The PSA Grant-in-Aid of Research has permitted me to set up a laboratory mesocosm experiments at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago to explore responses to "future" pH (pCO2) and temperature simulations, which enable me to better understand the effects of ocean acidification on crustose coralline algae and also make predictions about future coralline algal communities. I am broadly interested in how ecological communities interact with climate and reacts to changes in climate, particularly ocean acidification. Ocean acidification research thus far has focused largely on single-species responses to changes in ocean carbon chemistry, although effects are likely to resonate to species interactions within the community. My dissertation has focused on a guild of intertidal crustose coralline red algae (Rhodophyta, Corallinaceae), competition between coralline algal species, and their interactions with molluscan herbivores. Competitive interactions between species of crustose coralline red algae show dependence on traits such as growth rate and herbivore resistance, which are likely to be affected as seawater carbon chemistry changes. Changes in species interactions and dominance could have important consequences for local species persistence in the community. I have been able to place my work in a historical context by comparison to experiments conducted in the 1980s and 1990s at my field site in coastal Washington.
Sutinee checking her experiments.
Advisor: Peter J. Ralph – University of Technology, Sydney, Australia
I was awarded funding through the Grants-in-Aid-of Research Program for my PhD research on the biomechanical consequence of ocean acidification, ocean warming and increasing storm severity on Halimeda species. This grant was used to support my experimental work investigating the physiological and biomechanical consequences of future climate change scenarios on the reef-building alga Halimeda. This green calcareous alga is an important sediment producer and is expected to become weaker due to ocean acidification and warming. This research will provide a better understanding of the impacts climate change will have on coral reef ecosystems and improve our predictive capacity of potential changes into the next century. Halimeda macroloba and H. cylindracea were collected from Heron Island and taken to the combination of two temperatures (28 (control), 32°C) and two pCO2 (380 (control) and 1000 ppm) treatments that are equivalent to a range of future climate change scenarios. This study found a significant decline in photosynthetic efficiency in response to elevated CO2 and temperature. The biomechanical properties of the CaCO3 segments of Halimeda were investigated using a tensiometer. Shear strength and punch strength significantly decreased in H. cylindracea at elevated CO2 and temperature, however in H. macroloba, the effect of pCO2 and temperature was variable, indicating different responses between heavily calcified species (H. cylindracea) and moderate to lightly calcified species (H. macroloba). Our findings suggest that these species of calcifying macroalgae are highly sensitive to the future climate change scenarios of elevated temperature and more acidic oceans.
- 2011 CROASDALE FELLOWSHIP RECIPIENTS
The Hannah T. Croasdale Fellowships are designed to encourage graduate students to broaden their phycological training by defraying the costs of attending phycology courses at biological field stations. The maximum amount awarded is $1,500.
Labeling sediment samples taken from sand/ash interface at the Nebraska Ash Falls site to be processed later for diatoms
Advisor: Ian R. Walker – University of British Columbia Okanagan, Canada
Funding from the Hannah T. Croasdale Fellowship provided by the Phycological Society of America was put towards my graduate student tuition to study Ecology and Systematics of Diatoms at the Iowa Lakeside Lab Facility in Iowa. This greatly advanced my phycological training and allowed me to study diatoms within a unique setting, expanding my knowledge of algae and providing real skills that can be applied in the field and the lab within many different scientific disciplines that benefit from studies involving phycology.
Collecting field samples of diatoms
Advisor: Evelyn Gaiser – Florida International University, FL USA
With support from the Croasdale Fellowship, I was able to attend the Ecology and Systematics of Diatoms course at the Iowa Lakeside Laboratory. I am a Ph.D. candidate in the Periphyton Lab at Florida International University, with a background in environmental science. I had no experience with diatoms and their communities prior to this course except what I had pieced together on my own during preliminary research. As my dissertation research will focus on diatom community dynamics in changing environments, this training was a critical step in my education as a Ph.D. student. Because I work primarily with sediment core samples, observing living diatom communities on field trips during the course provided me with new insight and a greater appreciation for my subject matter.
Identifying algae growing on a submerged tire around San Juan Island
Advisor: Suzanne Fredericq – University of Louisiana at Lafayette, LA USA
The Croasdale Fellowship funds were used to help pay for the cost of attending the Marine Algae course at the Friday Harbor Labs. It was a 5-week field and lab course that focused on the great diversity of macro and microalgae in the San Juan Island region in Washington and on Vancouver Island in Canada. As a first year graduate student studying phycology, it was an excellent way to immerse myself in the study of seaweeds and a great jumpstart to my research.
Carrying water samples back to lab facility to process for diatoms after field trip in Iowa
Advisor: Morgan Vis – Ohio University, OH USA
With financial support from the Hannah T. Croasdale Fellowship, I was able to attend the "Ecology and Systematics of Diatoms" course at the Iowa Lakeside Laboratory. This course provided me an in-depth study of diatoms and their ecology, biogeography, life histories, and importance as environmental monitoring taxa. Together with my classmates, we constructed a database of collected diatom species and individually wrote species treatments that will be published as part of the "Diatoms of the United States" website. I have learned invaluable skills for my current master's thesis research, studying the effects of acid mine drainage impact and macroinvertebrate grazing on benthic periphyton growth. I am positive that my future endeavors in phycology will also be significantly improved by the training and experience I gained at the Iowa Lakeside Lab.