Fish collecting is always better at night (but beware sharks!)
We recently published an article in the journal PLoS ONE entitled “Impacts of Groundwater Discharge at Myora Springs (North Stradbroke Island, Australia) on the Phenolic Metabolism of Eelgrass, Zostera muelleri, and Grazing by the Juvenile Rabbitfish, Siganus fuscescens”. This article describes the impact of natural “acid springs” on eelgrass meadows near North Stradbroke Island, Queensland, Australia. The data support the findings we published from the Chesapeake Bay (USA) and Sicilian CO2 vent sites (Italy): high CO2/low pH conditions dramatically reduce soluble phenolic levels in seagrasses, often with an increase in the levels of insoluble lignin. Dickinson students, including co-authors Grace Freundlich,Taylor Weilnau, and Arielle Verdi participated in this research. Marine scientist and director of global education programs, Ian Tibbets, was our University of Queensland collaborator. Support was provided by grants from the Smithsonian Institution and NASA. Seventeen other Dickinson students, enrolled in the College’s Global Scholars pilot program, contributed in other ways. We’re grateful for Dickinson’s continued support of innovative undergraduate research programs.