Mentor: Jeffrey Markert (Providence College)

Project Location

Providence College

Project Description

Coastal New England has been forever changed by human activities. Industrial waste, introduced species, climate change, development, fisheries, and commerce all impact the waters of Narragansett Bay and adjacent estuaries. To me as an environmentalist, this is both frightening and depressing. I feel a special responsibility to educate and empower the next generation of environmental scientists with the skills to manage our increasingly challenged ecosystems. Our summer 2022 project will provide an important opportunity for young scientists to 1) learn field methods for estimating fish population sizes, 2) work with state-of-the-art DNA fingerprinting methods in a laboratory setting to develop novel tools for community assessment AND to measure adaptive genetic variation, and 3) network with federal scientists and environmental researchers from other Rhode Island colleges.

Specifically, we are interested in documenting how fish communities in Narragansett Bay change in response to pollution and climate change. We know that very polluted sites have very different ecological communities than places with cleaner water. We also know that the genetic composition within species may vary as populations respond to different environmental challenges. With this project, we propose to develop a robust environmental DNA (eDNA) system for rapidly surveying fish communities in the coastal waters of New England. Such a system would use current conditions to establish an ecological baseline. Importantly, future surveys could use this baseline data to detect changes in community structure in response to pollution, climate change, or other environmental challenges.

Our proposed project will provide many opportunities for student engagement through systematic fieldwork and by using state of the art laboratory techniques.

This project involves:

• field work
• lab work
• computational work

Available for SURF Flex?

Yes

Required/preferred skills

Some DNA laboratory or field experience is desirable, but not absolutely required. Good organizational and record keeping skills are a must. A drivers license is helpful.

Transportation needs

We’ll spend some time visiting field sites in coastal Rhode Island. A car and drivers license are helpful, but not absolutely required unless covid regulations prohibit us from car pooling. Providence College also has vans which can in theory be driven

2022