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GLASS SPONGE RESEARCH
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My M.Sc. research examined the ecology of glass sponge reef habitat off the coast of British Columbia, Canada. Glass sponge reefs are unique to Canada's Pacific coast. These reefs function in deep-sea nutrient recycling and form complex habitat structures on the seafloor that increase deep-sea biodiversity. Evidence of trawl damage has been observed in the reefs. To mitigate these threats, Canada declared the Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound reefs a marine protected area (MPA) in February 2017. I used multi-scale mapping to study the distribution of live and dead sponge cover in the reefs. I also inventoried reef-associated fauna and helped describe a new sponge species in the genus Desmacella. My findings informed policy-makers about the health conditions of the reefs to improve long-term MPA monitoring and conservation strategies.
A decorator crab (Chlorilia longipes) decorating its body with glass sponge.
Retrieving our remotely operated vehicle ROPOS from the Hecate Strait.
Night shift from 6:00 pm to 6:00 am, collecting real-time data of our evening sponge dive.
Building structures for the Aquadopp Profilers. These instruments measure the direction and speed of deep-sea currents.
Underwater footage of ROPOS and its robotic arms collecting excurrent waterflow out of a sponge using a SIP suction sampler.
Seastars and nudibranchs collected for foodweb studies.
Preparing the greenish-yellow fluoroscein dye. A dye used to detect if a sponge is alive and pumping water.
Practicing a safety drill with marine survival immersion suits. A tricky thing to get into!
Beautiful sunset out on the water returning home from our research cruise.
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