Boothbay Register reports on visiting researcher’s mussel study

UMaine Alert

Posted: April 19, 2024 - 1:32 PM

At approximately 9:24 a.m. on Friday, April 19, a University of Maine graduate student was struck by a university vehicle on Long Road at the University of Maine campus in Orono. The student reports that they are at a local hospital with minor injuries.

Emergency services, including the Orono Fire Department, University Volunteer Ambulance Corps, University of Maine Police Department, Orono Police Department and Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.

The university vehicle involved in the incident was a Chevrolet Express van. It was being operated by a university employee.

Counseling services and support are available for students, faculty or staff who may have been affected. The Counseling Center can be reached at 207-581-1392 and the Dean of Students Office can be reached at 207-581-1406.

The scene has been cleared and Long Road is now accessible. An investigation is being conducted by the University of Maine Police Department with assistance from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit. Any witnesses to the incident are encouraged to contact Lt. Noel Santiago at noel.santiago@maine.edu.

April 29, 2016 Research, UMaine in the News

Boothbay Register published a University of Maine news release about a study conducted by Scott Morello, a visiting researcher at the Darling Marine Center in Walpole. Morello found mussel larvae swim toward odors from adult mussels, and swim away from odors from predators, including green crabs and dog whelks. According to his research, mussel larvae can recognize and respond to a range of odor cues when deciding whether to settle in wild beds or on aquaculture lines. The predator odors Morello used are from species that feed on older mussels, which indicates larvae assess future risk on some level when they make settlement decisions. “I wouldn’t go so far as to suggest cognition on the part of larvae, but rather that these behaviors are the outcome of selective pressures exerted by predators, or competitors, of future life stages,” he said.