By Evan Bartow, Writing Intern Located across the many aquatic enviroments of Maine, harmful algae blooms (HABs) are caused by algae that can grow uncontrollably, and cause the production of naturally produced toxins. These toxins negatively impact other organisms within the aquatic ecosystems. Robin Sleith, who started as a postdoctoral scientist at Bigelow Laboratory for […]
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By Ilaria Bardini, Writing Intern Natural ecosystems, including Maine’s plants and forests, are increasingly being impacted by pollution and climate change. Mycorrhizal fungi, fungal communities that have often unseen symbiotic relationships with the roots of plants, are vital to forest communication and their consequent growth and success. The build-up of toxic chemicals and pollutants in […]
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By Ilaria Bardini, Writing Intern Alewife, an anadromous species of herring, spawn in freshwater systems along the coast of Maine. As an ecologically, economically, and culturally significant fish, their decline over the last two centuries is a crucial area of interest and study. With the development and use of environmental DNA (eDNA) techniques, researchers are […]
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By Evan Bartow, Writing Intern For some researchers, environmental DNA (eDNA) based research is limited and underutilized due to its, at least perceived, cost and ease of use. A major part of the NSF EPSCoR RII Track-1 Maine-eDNA grant is focused on the development and creation of advanced eDNA collection technologies and strategies. As eDNA […]
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By Ilaria Bardini, Writing Intern Environmental DNA (eDNA) may be the answer for the detection and monitoring of vital species in the Gulf of Maine and freshwater systems. Across the NSF EPSCoR RII Track-1 Maine-eDNA grant, researchers are spearheading the development of novel eDNA techniques. With climate change impacting species behavior, dynamics, and oceans and […]
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By Evan Bartow, Writing Intern For undergraduate students, especially early in their academic career, field experience is often limited, but at University of Maine Farmington (UMF), faculty are working to incorporate more field and laboratory experience in their introductory biology classes to expand opportunities. Donelle Schwalm is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Biology at UMF […]
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The latest Maine EPSCoR print newsletter is out now. This newsletter covers some of the amazing work researchers across both Maine and the state’s EPSCoR grants. Maine EPSCoR Newsletter March 2023: Featured Stories: Maine-eDNA Research Learning Experience Forest Bioproducts Research Institute Mind the Gap: Ecology, evolution, and the impact of humans on the natural […]
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By Caty DuDevoir, Media Intern In the fall of 2016, shellfisheries in the Gulf of Maine were closed and five tons of clams and mussels were recalled due to an unprecedented harmful algal bloom (HAB) of toxin producing species Pseudo-nizschia australis that spread from the Bay of Fundy to Rhode Island. Pseudo-nizschia australis can produce […]
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By Ilaria Bardini, Media Intern As the world’s climate changes, ecosystems and the animals that inhabit them are changing as well. This holds true for blue crabs, Callinectes sapidus, which are beginning to populate areas along the coast of Maine. Native to warmer waters along the U.S. coastlines, the rising temperatures in the Gulf of […]
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By Caty DuDevoir, Media Intern Across the NSF EPSCoR Track-1 Maine-eDNA grant, researchers are partnering with local communities and organizations to maintain dialogue and expand conservation in Maine’s waters. Located close to the University of Maine Orono campus, the Penobscot River, New England’s second largest river system, provides Maine-eDNA researchers studying freshwater systems or species […]
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