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Class
of '04
Research Training Program - Application Information
Information
about the Research Training Program:
Application
Procedures
:
CONTACT US
- OR -
Research
& Collections
|
Updated:
17 July 2004 A total of 19 undergraduate students joined the RTP Class of '04, including 2 students from the Notre Dame partnership program. The RAMHSS and RET programs have been canceled. Schedule
of Events |
Poster |
Program
Summary
However, as a program dedicated to providing quality research experiences for students selected to participate, time, funding, and space limit the number of positions available. E-mail notification of status was sent to 213 (of the 215) RTP applicants 8 March 04 around noon, as planned. We were able to nominate 19 students for placement in the RTP Class of '04, identify 13 alternates, and hopefully, sincerely thank the rest of the 181 students for considering our program. There were 2 students who didn't provide an e-mail contact so paper letters of notification will be sent to them. The web site listing selected students and alternates was released 8 March 2004 at 4:00 p.m. Many students want to know how they can improve their application so as to be more competitive for upcoming sessions. Truthfully, for most applications, you're already a very good candidate. We simply are limited in the number of positions available and difficult decisions had to be made. In most cases there's nothing wrong with your application and we encourage you to apply to other programs. Following is the list of students selected to participate in the '04 Research Training Program including a short summary about each student. We also identified 13 alternates. Students selected to join the RTP Class of '04 had until 20 March 2004 to notify the RTP office if they accepted or declined participation in the summer program. The official notification form was e-mailed to all selectees with the requirement to be completed and returned to Mary Sangrey to confirm placement. Placement of alternates in open positions began Monday, 22 March 2004. If a position becomes available, either through the acquisition of additional funding or a selected student declines to participate, an alternate, most likely, but not exclusively, from the alternate list was considered to fill the position. Alternates offered a position in the '04 RTP had until 1 April 2004 to accept or decline. One selectee (Gabriela Salazar) withdrew for participation Friday, 28 May 2004, less than 24 hours before the start of the session. Due to the late notification we were not able to refill this position. Through March and April the '04 RTP summer curriculum was finalized and updates posted on the web at "Schedule of Events" along with apartment assignments and more information for students joining the RTP Class of '04. Please note: many Smithsonian staff are seeking student volunteers to assist them with various aspects of their research and collections management. If interested in a volunteer/non-paid internship position, visit the Volunteer Internship page for more information. Research
Training Program
Participant List 2004
Discipline Listing
with advisor assignments
-
- Biological Sciences
(11) -
Botany (3)
-
Entomology
(1)
-
Zoology
(7)
Fish (2)
Herps (0)
Inverts (1)
Mammals (3)
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- Geological Sciences (6)
Paleobiology
(3)
Funding Source
Assignments Chen, Jonathan - (moved
to REU funding to replace Salazar) 1. Aldabe, Joaquin
(Uruguay)
Aschliman, Neil -
(moved to Lane Endowment to replace Chen) Chen, Jonathan
- (moved to REU funding to replace Salazar) -
- The Smithsonian Women's Committee Internship Endowment Ortiz, Digna (US,
Puerto Rico) Gender Distribution |
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Research
Training Program
Participant Summary
2004
Students selected to join the RTP Class of '04 had until 20 March 2004 to notify the RTP office if they accept or decline participation in the summer program. One student declined and the position refilled. One student withdrew without time to replace their slot. A total of 17 students joined the program, plus two students from the NOtre Dame partnership initiative.
Joaquín
Aldabe |
Anthony
Alvarez |
Neil
Aschliman |
Arden
Ashley |
Megan
Brown |
Jonathan
Chen |
Lynn
Copes
Amie Garcia |
Xavier
Haro |
Emily
Moran |
James
Morgan |
Lauren
Nelson |
Digna
Ortiz |
Christian
Pinto
Gabriela Salazar |
Adrienne
Sussman |
Rafael
Torres Mejía |
Jorge
Velez |
Lee
Zelewicz
|
Career Goals: To achieve a career in systematics of birds, working for a museum or research institution. Sponsor: Participation in the 2004 summer session of the Research Training Program was provided by a grant from the Smithsonian Latino Initiatives Fund. |
Joaquin
Aldabe
joaquinaldabe@hotmail.com
Mr. Aldabe is from Montevideo, Uruguay. He is currently a non-graduating Senior
at Universidad de la República in Uruguay where he is majoring in Biology
and Evolution with a minor in systematics and vertebrate zoology. He plans to
attend graduate school focusing his studies on systematics and ornithology.
Mr. Aldabe is currently pursuing a research topic, investigating the geographic genetic structure in the franciscana dolphin, Pontoporia blainvillei, a cetacean species of conservation interest. Through this research topic he learned molecular techniques with application in evolution, such as DNA isolation, PCR amplification and sequence analysis. Apart from this he has participated as a volunteer in the ornithological collections of the NMNH of Uruguay and the Science school of Uruguay doing curatorial activities as well as working on field inventories and bird collecting trips. He is a member of a bird study group called "Averaves". This group is currently investigating bird communities in urban ecosystems and has recently presented a poster about this at the Neotropical Ornithology Congress held in Chile. Mr. Aldabe also works in the Entomology Laboratory of the Agronomy school where he participates in an aphid monitoring project identifying the species of this crop pest insect.
On the personal side: Mr. Aldabe says he has a passion for Uruguayan traditional culture, especially the Candombe rythm, a typical kind of uruguayan music, played in most cases with drums, which has its origins in Africa. However, it isn't exactly the same rythm as it was in Africa because through the years it has been modified, thus becoming a typical uruguayan rythm. "I'm a hard working and enthusiastic person. I really enjoy meeting people from all over the world. I'm interested in knowing about different cultures and interchanging ideas and experiences with people. I love nature and so I usually go camping in the country. There, I like watching birds as well as all kinds of animals and plants. When I go on these excursions I try to understand nature applying the theoretical biological knowledge I have aquired at university and share this with the people that are with me. I'm really looking forward to meeting the Smithsonian Institution, Smithsonian staff and RTP participants. I'm sure it will be a great and unforgettable experience!"
Research Advisor:
Carla Dove
phone: (202) 357-2334
e-mail: dove.carla@nmnh.si.eduResearch Zoologist. B.S. (1986) University of Montana, M.S. (1994) and Ph.D (1998) George Mason University. Research specialties: Forensic ornithology; researches microscopic variation in downy feather sturctures and identifies unknown feather samples retrieved from aircraft engines, wildlife cases, prey remains, and anthropological artifacts. Science Unit: Department of Zoology, Vertebrate Zoology Section, Birds Division.
Additional research contacts: Storrs Olson and Chris Milensky
Title: A study of the morpholocal adaptations and
feeding habits of the Scimitar-Billed Woodcreeper (Drymornis bridgesii).
Hypothesis: Drymornis bridgesii has differences in locomotor adaptations compared with the highly arboreal members of the family Dendrocolaptidae.
Project Summary: The Scimitar-billed Woodcreeper (Drymornis bridgesii) is a bird that belongs to the family Dendrocolaptidae, Order Passeriformes. It has ground feeding habits that make it different from the rest of the species of this family, which feed mainly on the trunks of trees. The hind limb and skull bones of Drymornis will be studied in this project to discern anatomical differences in locomotor and feeding adaptations. Feeding habitat preferences will be determined through the analysis of stomach contents and literature.
Project Description: The family of woodcreepers (Dendrocolaptidae) within the Order Passeriformes (songbirds) contains about 52 different species and are found in American tropical and sub-tropical forests from Mexico to central Argentina (del Hoyo et al. 2003). They are closely related to the ovenbirds (Furnariidae), with which they share syringeal and toe characteristics as well as genetic similarities (Austin 1961, Sibley and Ahlquist 1990).
Woodcreepers are arboreal birds that forage almost entirely by gleaning and probing along trunks and branches. However there is one species, the Scimitar-billed Woodcreeper (Drymornis bridgesii) of southern Bolivia, western Paraguay, the extreme south of Brazil, western Uruguay, and northern and central Argentina (Ridgely and Tudor 1994), which forages mainly on the ground where it feeds by probing loose soil with its long bill. Irestedt et al. (2004) reported that this bird climbs trees only for refuge, but other authors (del Hoyo et al. 2003) have noted both ground and trunk foraging habits in this species.
It is because of this particular feeding habit that the Scimitar-billed Woodcreeper is expected to have special locomotor and feeding adaptations compared to other members of the family. Although the diet of this species has been generally described by del Hoyo et al. (2003), no detailed analysis has been conducted to investigate the terrestrial versus arboreal feeding preferences. Therefore, this project will investigate the stomach contents to help determine the preferred feeding habitat of this species, and also investigate the hind limb and skull morphology to document any differences in locomotor adaptations compared with the highly arboreal members of this family.
This study will attempt to identify the structural adaptations associated with a niche shift from strictly arboreal, trunk-feeding habits to a dominantly terrestrial, ground-feeding mode of living. Recognition of the anatomical changes associated with such a niche shift may then be useful in interpreting the habits of extinct species for which nothing is known about behavior, such as some of the Hawaiian Drepanidini (e.g. Hemignathus vorpalis James and Olson 2003)
Materials and Methods: The hind limb and skull comparisons will be performed using the following genera of woodcreepers that are stored in the Bird Division skeleton collection of the Smithsonian Institution: Drymornis, Nasica, Campyloramphus, Xiphocolaptes, Xiphorincus, Dendrocolaptes, and Lepidocolaptes. In addition, specimens from the American Museum of Natural History skeleton collection will be examined. Characters from the hind limb and skull bones will be measured using electronic calipers and recorded in an Excel spreadsheet. A dissecting microscope will be used to study small characteristics of the bones. If necessary, basic statistics will be conducted using Systat. Museum study skins will be examined for other morphological character differences.
Stomach content analysis
of Scimitar-billed Woodcreeper will be performed using anatomical specimens
from the Bird Division’s alcohol preserved collection. The stomach contents
will be determined using a dissecting microscope. The habitat origin of the
items will be studied in order to infer the ecological priorities of Drymornis.
|
Career Goals: After graduate school achieve a career as a university professor conducting anthropological research. Sponsor: Participation in the 2004 summer session of the Research Training Program was provided by a grant from the National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates program - Award #DBI-0243512. |
Anthony
"Tony" Alvarez
anthony_alvarez@umail.ucsb.edu
Mr. Alvarez is from Los Angeles, California. He is currently a junior at the
University of California at Santa Barbara, having transferred from Pierce College
in Los Angeles where he received his AA in Anthropology and collected Certificates
of Achievement in both Anthropology and Archaeology, as well as being honored
for academic excellence with a President’s Award and a listing for three
semesters on the Dean’s List. He also received a Student Achievement Award
and Scholarship from Pierce College’s Anthropology Department. He is currently
double majoring in Anthropology and Religious Studies. He plans to attend graduate
school, completing the doctoral program at the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology
at UCLA. Mr. Alvarez says he's primarily interested in research topics dealing
with Southern California Indians and hopes to expand into both historic and
international social/archaeological projects. His long-term goal is to become
a university professor.
Mr. Alvarez was the co-presenter of 'Tataviam Technology: The Tools of a Lost Culture' at the 3rd Annual Undergraduate Research Conference for California Community Colleges and co-editor of "Tataviam Habitat and Culture, An Introductory Text." He was the Crew Chief for the Pierce College Tataviam Archaeological Research Program, Speaker Coordinator for the 1st Annual California Undergraduate Anthropology Conference, and President of Pierce College’s Anthropology Society. He served is currently serving an internship with the Curator of the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum and involved in an independent research project studying Tataviam subsistence.
He has also volunteered
over 200 hours at the Top Sail Youth Program for
underprivileged, at-risk youth - LA Maritime's acclaimed tall ship sailing
program.
On the personal side:
Research Advisor:
Scott Wing
phone: (202) 357-2649
e-mail: wing.scott@nmnh.si.eduResearch Paleobiologist and Curator of Paleobotany, Co-director ETE Program. B.A. (1976), Ph.D. (1981) Yale University. Research specialties: paleoecology; angiosperm history and systematics; plant taphonomy; Cenozoic and Mesozoic paleoclimate; fossil plants of the Rocky Mountain region. Science Unit: Department of Paleobiology.
Additional research contacts:
Title: GIS Prediction of the Outcrop Area of the
Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum
Hypothesis: Using a computer generated Geographic Information Systems projection we will be able to discover exposed deposits containing fossils from the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum.
Project Summary:
This research is part of a larger on-going project headed by Scott Wing in Washakie
County in northwestern Wyoming to study a geologically brief episode of climatic
warming, the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), that occurred at the beginning
of the Eocene Epoch. Evidence form fossil plants will be used to investigate
the effects on plants of the greatly increased carbon dioxide and accompanying
increased moisture and temperature that occured during this event. A difficulty
that has arisen is finding the small band of deposits (generally a few meters
to a few tens of meters thick ) produced by this short-term event within the
very large column of strata (generally several kilometers thick). The hypothesis
is that by using stratigraphic, elevation and spatial information about known
PETM deposits we can predict where exposed and nearly exposed deposits of the
right age can be found within the research area. The prediction will be made
through computer generated models produced with a Geographic Information Systems
(GIS) program. After producing the predictive model we will test the hypothesis
in the field and determine to what degree it was useful (in percentages) as
well as evaluate if and why discrepancies occurred and then revise and refine
the model for future use.
Project Description: Phase one of the project is synthesizing and producing a predictive computer model. It will include obtaining existing digital maps and other data for use in the model, inputting them into the GIS, running the projection and producing electronic and paper copies for use in the field. The deposits sought occur in the uppermost part of the Fort Union Formation (Paleocene) and the lowermost part of the Willwood Formation (Eocene). The starting point for the model will be the currently mapped boundary between these two formations. The existing geological data will be overlain on a topographic map to show how the formational contact varies with respect to topography as a consequence of the dip and strike of the strata, providing a predictive model of where PETM deposits are exposed. Multi year data will be incorporated into the GIS system data set. These field data include positions of plant and vertebrate fossil localities that help determine the age of the rocks, as well as traces of rock strata that are believed to mark the boundary. Using these spatial data from known deposits, we will project a plane onto the topographic data and examine where PETM deposits should outcrop in areas that have not yet been investigated. The areas on the surface where PETM-age rocks are predicted to intersect the land surface will consist of a set of points, lines and polygons.
The second phase of the project will be conducted in the field. We will take the list of predicted areas of PETM outcrop into the field and test its accuracy by collecting fossils, recording features of the rocks, and measuring aspects of rock chemistry that can be used to recognize the PETM. Visits to predicted areas of PETM outcrop will be prioritized according to: 1) the predicted thickness of strata, 2) the distance from known data points, and 3) accessibility.
After the field work, we
will conduct a statistical analysis of the accuracy of the GIS model. We hope
to identify the percentage of accuracy, where the accuracy was lowest/highest
and why, what can be done to increase the accuracy, what points we found to
have deposits that were not hits and why. To do this we will return the new
data to the GIS and try to not only see where the accuracy was greatest and
weakest, but also run a new projection for use in the future.
Materials and Methods: The first phase of the project takes place at the Smithsonian. A GIS model using digital map data provided by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and the Wyoming Geographic Science Center (WGSC) and its affiliates will be created. High resolution Orthographic photos, satellite photos, and geologic data will be downloaded and these layered in the GIS program ArcGIS 8.3. Using the maps, projections will be produced.
In the field both hand-held and differential GPS (Global Positioning System) devices will be used to locate and record deposits and fossils, and to verify the accuracy of the original map data.
In the final phase I will
return to the Smithsonian and analyze the results. I plan on doing the initial
analysis by inputting the new information into the GIS and identifying the factors
that led to my conclusions. I will also generate an updated GPS file that reflects
the new information.
|
Career Goals: Complete MS and PhD degrees in some manner of ichthyological pursuit, likely concerning systematics then achieve a professorship or position as museum curator. Sponsor: Participation in the 2004 summer session of the Research Training Program was provided by the Alice Eve Kennington Endowment. |
Neil
Aschliman
iceandshadows@hotmail.com
Mr. Aschliman
is from Houston, Texas. He is currently a Junior at Texas A&M University
in College Station, Texas where he is majoring in Zoology. He plans to attend
graduate school with focused study in ichthyology.
Through
affiliation with the Texas Cooperative Wildlife Collection, Mr. Aschliman has
investigated the phylogenetic implications of the intestinal spiral valve and
claspers of batoid fishes. Later this year, he will be a coauthor of the latest
revision of this ray phylogeny, which is currently in press. Last summer Mr.
Aschliman completed a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) internship
at Mote Marine Laboratory’s Center for Shark Research in Sarasota, Florida.
Under Dr. James Gelsleichter, he conducted an in-depth study on the immunodetection
of pollutants in hepatic tissue of the bonnethead shark, Sphyrna tiburo
as well as research on the sperm storage in the same species. He is a member
of both the American Elasmobranch Society and the American Society of Ichthyologists
and Herpetologists, and will present his immunological research at the Norman,
Oklahoma meeting in May (2004).
Mr. Aschliman is also an officer of the Aggie Science Organization and an active member in the E. L. Miller Science and Technology Committee, and TAMU Zoological Society. He has also served as a Research Assistant at the University of Hawai’i, San Diego, CA conducting research on kelp-fall communities on a Scripps Institution of Oceanography vessel under the direction of Dr. Craig Smith.
On the personal side: "I am a man apart, in that warring factions of scientific and aesthetic endeavor incessantly vie for my attention. Though I tend to rather famously neglect the marginally subordinate development of my artistic skills, an occasional marriage with science is actualized through freelance work. If I'm not ardently pursuing systematics or physiological research in the lab, I may be found in exotic realms on some mad quest for sharks and rays... or perhaps drawing and photographing organic forms or architectural arcana. I hope to realize some fanciful amalgamation of my experience in morphological systematics, molecular work and interest in developmental biology in the delicious sum of evo-devo research."
Research Advisor:
Bruce Collette
phone: (202) 357-2524
e-mail: collette.bruce@nmnh.si.eduResearch Associate, Systematics Laboratory, National Marine Fisheries Service, Department of Commerce, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C. B.S. (1956), Ph.D. (1960) Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. Research specialties: systematics, evolution, zoogeography, and biology of marine fishes, especially Scombroidei, Beloniformes, and Batrachoididae. Science Unit: Department of Zoology, Vertebrate Zoology Section, Fishes Division.
Additional research contacts: Carole Baldwin and Thomas Munroe
Title: Morphological Studies of Fish in the Zenarchopteridae
Project Summary:
The Beloniformes are a teleostean order consisting of the needlefishes (family
Belonidae), sauries (Scomberesocidae), halfbeaks (Hemiramphidae), flyingfishes
(Exocoetidae) and rice fishes (Adrianichthyidae). Schlesinger (1909) and Regan
(1911) recognized two subgroups, the Scomberesocoidea (sauries + needlefishes)
and Exocoetoidea (halfbeaks + flyingfishes). Sauries are valuable commercial
fishes in some areas such as the Mediterranean, and are important links in the
epipelagic food chain (Hardy and Collette 2003). Although Collette et al.
(1984) reaffirmed the monophyly of halfbeaks by identifying eight synapomorphic
morphological characters (Tibbetts and Carseldine MS), an extensive investigation
of the pharyngeal jaw apparatus in this group suggested that the family is paraphyletic
(Tibbetts 1992). Subsequent molecular analysis using nuclear and mitochondrial
genes (Lovejoy 2000) offered strong support for a paraphyletic Hemiramphidae.
These studies identified the five genera of internally-fertilizing Indo-West
Pacific (IWP) halfbeaks, the Zenarchopteridae, as being more closely related
to the Scomberesocoidea than to the Exocoetoidea. Lovejoy notes that the morphological
dataset of his study was relatively small, and analysis of further characters
could yield a better-resolved phylogenetic tree. Monophyly has been well-established
in the sauries (Lovejoy 2000), IWP halfbeaks (Meisner and Collette 1999) and
flyingfishes (Lovejoy 2000), but no sauries were included in Tibbetts' robust
analysis of the pharyngeal jaw apparatus. The pharyngeal region of additional
beloniform species, particularly sauries, will be examined to determine whether
or not the sauries are more closely related to the IWP halfbeaks, to the needlefishes,
or to the halfbeaks and flyingfishes.
Project Description: Detailed dissections will be made of the pharyngeal region of beloniform species insufficiently examined by previous studies. As Tibbetts omitted sauries from his pharyngeal jaw apparatus analysis, special emphasis will be placed on this family. Morphological characters from Tibbetts' dissertation will be used to derive additional osteological and myological values for sauries and complete the data matrix. Forty characters will be evaluated, including 29 pharyngeal characters and 11 non-pharyngeal characters.
External examination of specimens will consist of standard length measurement with calipers, followed by determination of jaw teeth shape and size, nasal papilla morphology and caudal fin shape. Specimens will be dissected from the left side, exposing the pharyngeal region. Illustrations in situ or of excised bones will be made using the camera lucida. Dissections will follow Tibbetts' procedure, and muscle and pharyngeal bone characters will be evaluated according to his criteria.
Scanning electron microscropy
will be used to visualize pharyngeal teeth and bones to determine character
states in large specimens. Sample preparation follows Tibbetts' procedure. Phylogenetic
analysis using parsimony (PAUP) version 4.0b10 for the Macintosh will be used
to construct phylogenetic trees to test the hypothesis that the sauries are
more closely related to the needlefish and IWP halfbeaks than to the halfbeak/flyingfish
group.
Materials and Methods:
United States National Museum (USNM) specimens of two saury genera, Cololabis
and Scomberesox, and additional species of the Zenarchopteridae and Belonidae,
will be examined. Dissection instruments, including dissection scope and camera
lucida will be used. Scanning electron microscopy: pharyngeal bones will be
removed from specimens by NA and prepared for SEM analysis according to Tibbetts'
protocol by Scott D. Whittaker, SEM Lab Manager, National Museum of Natural
History. Chemical reagents and equipment use will be furnished by the SEM Lab.
PAUP v.4.0b10 for the Macintosh will be used for phylogenetic analysis.
|
Career Goals: Pursue a career in either education or integrative/evolutionary biology Sponsor: Participation in the 2004 summer session of the Research Training Program was provided by a grant from the National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates program - Award #DBI-0243512. |
Arden
Ashley
aashley@Macalester.edu
Ms. Ashley is
from Chicago, Illinois. She is currently a Junior at Macalester College in St.
Paul, Minnesota where she is majoring in Biology with a minor in Education.
She plans to attend graduate school with focused study in either paleobiological/systematic
research or secondary school biology education.
Ms. Ashley volunteers at the Nature Museum in Chicago where she is a Museum Naturalist, helping interpret exhibits and occasionally helping groups with activities relating to the natural world. In 2001 Ms. Ashley presented research at a conference of the Society of Wetland Scientists and was selected as an alternate to present research at a Northwestern University Symposium.
Ms. Ashley says she has always enjoyed studying invertebrates and boasts that her favorite is Echinodermata, noting that "perhaps this can be traced back to first grade when I played a sand dollar in the class play, The History of Life." Her other dream is of becoming an inspirational high school biology teacher.
On the personal side: "I'm an excitable, dorky, city person with a strange affection for public transportation. I also like hiking, visiting museums (the first thing I do when I go to a new city is find out which museums have free days -- and of course how to get to them on public transportation; I also did an awesome week-long internship at the Chicago Historical Society when I was fourteen which really made me just want to live at a museum forever), and planning and carrying out little random, secretive surprises for the lovely people in my life. Right now I'm doing an internship at a Montessori school which is very interesting and rewarding. Next year I'll be studying abroad in Ireland and I'm very excited about that -- particularly because I think bogs are just the neatest ecosystems ever!"
Research Advisor:
Dave Pawson
phone: 202-786-2127
e-mail: pawson.david@nmnh.si.eduSenior Research Zoologist, Curator of Echinoderms. Associate in Invertebrates, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University. B.A. (1960), M.S. (1961), Ph.D. (1964) Victoria University, New Zealand. Research specialties: systematics and ecology of sea cucumbers and sea urchins, worldwide. Science Unit: Department of Zoology, Invertebrate Zoology Section.
Additional research contacts: Cindy Ahearn and Steve Cairns
Title: Evolution in Action?: analysis of presumed
hybrids and parent stocks of the US east coast sand dollar genera Encope
and Mellita
Hypothesis: It is hypothesized that the unidentified sand dollar specimens from Capron Shoal, Florida are hybrids between the genera Encope and Mellita.
Project Summary:
Hybridization can play an important and positive role in the development of
animal species, but it can also be risky, for the hybrids may eventually "swamp"
the parent species, and hybrids may not possess the desirable ecological traits
that may make the parent stocks valuable. Five-holed sand dollars of the genus
Mellita occur in immense numbers in shallow water along the entire east
coast of the USA. In many areas, Mellita overlaps with Encope,
a very different genus. About twenty-five years ago, in the course of some Mellita
research off the coast of Florida, approximately 20 specimens of what may prove
to be a hybrid between Mellita and Encope were found. This RTP
research project will involve a detailed survey of the external and internal
characteristics of the presumed parent species and the presumed hybrids, in
an attempt to provide an answer to an important question: Are these sand dollars
indeed hybrids, or are they something else - perhaps a new genus and species?
Project Description: The common five-holed sand dollars of the genera Mellita and Encope occur off sandy beaches along the entire east coast and Gulf of Mexico coast of the USA; they are also common throughout the Caribbean, and they extend southwards along the coast of Brazil. The ecological role of Mellita can not be underestimated. In the course of feeding, species in this genus crush the silica sand grains, and swallow the fragments. The immense populations of Mellita along our coasts are reducing the grain size of the sand on which they live, and they directly affect the grain size of the sand on nearby beaches.
Publications by Telford (1981, 1988), Telford & Mooi (1986), Mooi (1986), Mooi, Harold & Telford (1987), Phelan (1972), Telford, Mooi & Ellers (1985), and Hendler, Miller, Pawson & Kier (1995) describe the external features of these sand dollars, their spine morphology, and provide some ecological information. These publications have shown that Encope and Mellita are very different in body form, color, and feeding habits (see Figures 1 and 2). More recent research (Pawson, unpublished) has demonstrated that these genera have very different breeding seasons - Mellita produced viable eggs and sperm year-round, while Encope has a short breeding season of two month duration. Thus, opportunities for hybridization between these two genera are reduced, but not eliminated entirely.
In the late 1970's, a sample of about 20 specimens of what have been identified as presumed hybrids between Encope michelini Agassiz and Mellita isometra Harold and Telford were collected from Capron Shoal, near Fort Pierce, Florida. These animals have the thin skeleton of Mellita and the coloration of Encope; other important physical features, such as the shape and position of the "slots" (lunules) in the body, seem to be exactly intermediate between Encope and Mellita. Presumed hybridization has been reported only three times in the Phylum Echinodermata. In an effort to determine whether or not these Capron Shoal sand dollars are indeed hybrids, this project will involve extensive morphological analysis of both of the presumed parent species as well as the proposed hybrids. The laboratory analyses described below (see Materials and Methods) should provide an answer to this intriguing and important question. If these animals are not hybrids, they must be regarded as a new genus and species.
The project will also involve a two-day trip to the Wachapreague, VA Marine Laboratory (College of William & Mary) to study live individuals of Mellita isometra in order to gain a better understanding of the functional role of the various types of spines, the lunules, and the complex water vascular system (not easily seen in dried study specimens but conspicuous externally in live individuals as thousands of moving tube feet performing a variety of tasks). If specimens of Encope are also collected, cross-breeding experiments will be conducted to determine whether Encope/Mellita hybrids are viable. Finally, as noted above, Mellita crushes sand grains while feeding; in contrast, Encope swallows sand grains whole. The planned research will determine whether or not the presumed hybrids crush sand grains while feeding. If the hybrids do not crush sand grains, and if the hybrids have the potential to eventually "swamp" the parent Mellita population(s), it is likely that, with the passage of time, the nature of our sandy east coast beaches will change.
Materials and Methods:
This project will utilize basic laboratory supplies (metric rulers, plastic
and glassware, razor blades, etc.), dissecting and compound microscopes, a digital
camera, the X-ray laboratory in the Division of Fishes, and the Scanning Electron
Microscope, as well as relevant image-processing software.
On selected specimens of Mellita, Encope, and the hybrids, the following will be measured: body length, width and thickness. The relative lengths of the petals and the number of pore-pairs per petal will be measured. The number of genital pores is also of importance. The position of the anus and lunules will be noted, also the position of the posterior lunule in particular in relation to the posterior petals. The spines from the dorsal and ventral sides, and from around the lunules, mouth, anus, food channels, pressure channels, and petals will all be removed, prepared, and compared using the scanning electron microscope. The SEM may also be used to examine the pincer-like organs (pedicellariae). X-ray analyses will reveal the relative sizes of the internal jaw apparatus (Aristotle's lantern) and structure of the internal skeleton in selected specimens. The contents of the intestines will be examined to determine whether the proposed hybrids crush sand grains like Mellita, or swallow the sand grains whole, like Encope.
Live larvae, bred during
the field trip to Wachapreague, VA, will be returned to the laboratory and maintained
in Pawson's larval rearing facility.
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Career Goals: Achieve a career in the geological sciences with opportunities to conduct extensive field work. Sponsor: Participation in the 2004 summer session of the Research Training Program was provided by a grant from the National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates program - Award #DBI-0243512. |
Megan
Brown
smartchick2003@yahoo.com
Ms.Brown is from
New Market, Maryland. She is currently a Freshman at Arizona State University
in Tempe, Arizona where she is majoring in Geological Sciences. She plans to
attend graduate school with focused study in geology and then achieve a geological
career working for a government or private research facility.
Ms. Brown says that geology has always been her passion. She collected rocks and has studied geology since elementary school. When she was a little older she was allowed to take a college level geology class at Moravian College as part of the Johns Hopkins Talented Youth Center. While there she confirmed her interest in pursuing a career in the geological sciences. In high school, she had the chance to go to Woods Hole, Massachusetts to participate in a twenty-day science program with ten days spent on land learning about marine science and how to run a tall ship and the next ten days spend on-board performing scientific experiments.
Ms. Brown maintains her own web site, http://www.public.asu.edu/~mrbrown4 featuring interviews with scientists in the geology field, places of geologic interest, geology focused book and movie reviews, and basic geological information. She has been awarded the Bausch & Lomb Science Award and Barrett Honors College student.
On the personal side: "I'm a student at Arizona State University. I am working on degrees in Geological Sciences and in Political Science. I am a member of the Geologic Society of America and volunteer in the ASU Geology Museum on campus. I love the outdoors and outdoor activities. I have had opportunities to sail on tall ships, rock climb, and white water raft. I am a white water rafting guide on the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers near Harpers Ferry, West Virginia when I have the time. Ice skating is another activity close to my heart. I was a figure skater when I was younger and then played hockey when I was older. I worked at an ice rink all through high school. I also have started to do yoga this year and can’t get enough of it. I grew up in Maryland about forty minutes away from Washington, DC. DC is my favorite city, and I can’t wait to spend the summer working in the Smithsonian."
Research Advisor:
Tim McCoy
phone: (202) 357-2251
e-mail: mccoy.tim@nmnh.si.eduGeologist, Associate Curator. B.S. (1986) Eastern Illinois University; M.S. (1990) University of New Mexico; Ph.D. (1994) University of Hawaii, Manoa. Research specialties: meteorites, igneous evolution of small bodies in the early solar system, martian volcanological history derived from meteorites. Science Unit: Department of Mineral Sciences.
Additional research contacts: Cari Corrigan and Lisa Collins
Title: Why is 433 Eros depleted in sulfur?: using meteorites to test competing ideas.
Project Summary: During the NEAR Mission, a depletion of sulfur was recorded in the asteroid Eros. There are two possible explanations for this occurrence: volatilization of S by micrometeorite impact or mobilization of a S-rich melt during partial melting. I will be studying meteorites that are analogs to 433 Eros to help determine which of the two possible explanations caused the depletion. I will be looking for evidence of sulfur volatilization in troilite grains from a regolith breccia and for evidence of mobilization of manganese (Mn) and chromium (Cr) in partially melted meteorites.
Project description:
On February 14, 2000, the
NEAR (Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous) spacecraft began a year-long orbit of
the S-type asteroid 433 Eros. The spacecraft carried a magnetometer, near-infrared
spectrometer, multi-spectral imager, X-ray and gamma-ray spectrometer to study
the geology, mineralogy and chemical composition of this asteroid. The data
found that Eros is chemically and mineralogically similar to ordinary chondrites
in most respects, but sulfur was depleted on Eros compared to H, L, and LL ordinary
chondrites by about a factor of 2.
There are two hypotheses for the S-depletion. The first possible explanation is micrometeorite impacts caused sulfur volatilization, with the volatilized S escaping the asteroid. The second possible explanation is that Eros partially melted either removing sulfur from the asteroid during volcanism or segregating it into a core. I will be looking at meteoritic analogues to Eros to evaluate these two possibilities.
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It
was a long process to narrow the applicant pool from 215 to 18 students
selected to join the RTP Class of '04. For those who did not find their
name listed as a participant, we wish you the best of luck in securing
another great summer internship! There were so many good applications,
it's hard to select only a few. We
sincerely wish we could give all applicants a chance to participate in
the natural history research activities at the Smithsonian.
