National Geographic reports on Lasley-Rasher’s copepod, toxic algae research
National Geographic reported on a recent study conducted by Rachel Lasley-Rasher, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Maine’s Darling Marine Center. She found a common species of plankton in the northern Atlantic Ocean, Temora longicornis, becomes intoxicated when it consumes the toxic algae, Alexandrium fundyense. Plankton under the influence swim faster and on a straighter path, making them more susceptible to predators, according to the article. “We honestly thought we would see [the plankton] slow down,” Lasley-Rasher told National Geographic, but by speeding up, “they are encountering predators at a much higher rate.” Inside Science, Tech Times and Science News for Students also reported on the study.