Phycophila
New member
:bounce3:Hello RCers! I've spoken with the moderators and they've given the go-ahead for me to contact you all about an interesting project I'd like to involve the RC community in.
My name is Anna Simeon and I'm a graduate researcher (specializing in phycology) affiliated with the University of Guam as well as the government's Bureau of Statistics and Plans. In the last three years, Guam has experienced a problematic bloom of Chaetomorpha (also known as "chaeto" ) on our reef flats that is starting to overgrow and shade corals, and we are concerned this bloom will harm our already-stressed reef ecosystem. Chaeto blooms have also been reported in the Caribbean and in Australia.
In collaboration with NOAA and other international researchers, Dr. Tom Schils and I are in the process of starting a project to use genetics to determine if this is (1) an invasive species or (2) a native species that has bloomed because of some environmental factor. We already have wild samples of Chaetomorpha from all over the world, and we'd like to compare samples of what YOU keep in your aquariums to those in order to determine which strains are commonly kept in reef tanks and if those are being accidentally released and established in new regions.
We are asking the RC community to help by donating some of your Chaetomorpha for genetic analysis. We will ship you a small package with silica gel (a non-toxic substance for preservation), detailed instructions, a short survey, and a prepaid return shipping envelope (nothing that will be shipped is toxic, illegal, or requires any special customs consideration.) We need only a very small amount of each sample - a small bunch about 1/4" in diameter.
IF YOU WANT TO PARTICIPATE please contact me here on RC or send an email to chaeto.project@gmail.com with the following information. Your information will of course be kept confidential.
- Name
- E-mail address
- Mailing Address
- Where you got your Chaeto (ebay, fellow aquarist, local store, etc.)
Thank you in advance for your contributions - I will keep you all updated on the study as more information becomes available.
Feel free to ask any questions - I look forward to hearing from you all
My name is Anna Simeon and I'm a graduate researcher (specializing in phycology) affiliated with the University of Guam as well as the government's Bureau of Statistics and Plans. In the last three years, Guam has experienced a problematic bloom of Chaetomorpha (also known as "chaeto" ) on our reef flats that is starting to overgrow and shade corals, and we are concerned this bloom will harm our already-stressed reef ecosystem. Chaeto blooms have also been reported in the Caribbean and in Australia.
In collaboration with NOAA and other international researchers, Dr. Tom Schils and I are in the process of starting a project to use genetics to determine if this is (1) an invasive species or (2) a native species that has bloomed because of some environmental factor. We already have wild samples of Chaetomorpha from all over the world, and we'd like to compare samples of what YOU keep in your aquariums to those in order to determine which strains are commonly kept in reef tanks and if those are being accidentally released and established in new regions.
We are asking the RC community to help by donating some of your Chaetomorpha for genetic analysis. We will ship you a small package with silica gel (a non-toxic substance for preservation), detailed instructions, a short survey, and a prepaid return shipping envelope (nothing that will be shipped is toxic, illegal, or requires any special customs consideration.) We need only a very small amount of each sample - a small bunch about 1/4" in diameter.
IF YOU WANT TO PARTICIPATE please contact me here on RC or send an email to chaeto.project@gmail.com with the following information. Your information will of course be kept confidential.
- Name
- E-mail address
- Mailing Address
- Where you got your Chaeto (ebay, fellow aquarist, local store, etc.)
Thank you in advance for your contributions - I will keep you all updated on the study as more information becomes available.
Feel free to ask any questions - I look forward to hearing from you all
