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Mollusks
in Peril
2016 FORUM
BAILEY-MATTHEWS
NATIONAL
SHELL
MUSEUM
“Many of the marine
mollusks will disappear
before we even have a
chance to inventory or
describe them.” —DR. JOSÉ H. LEAL
LIMACINA HELICINA PTEROPOD MOLLUSK PHOTOS: NOAA
Mollusks in Peril
2016 FORUM PROGRAM AND ABSTRACTS
Presented by:
BAILEY-MATTHEWS
NATIONAL
SHELL
MUSEUM
MAY 22—24, 2016
SANIBEL, FLORIDA
P U B L I S H E D B Y T H E B A I L E Y- M A T T H E W S N A T I O N A L S H E L L M U S E U M
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THIS FORUM IS DEDICATED TO
S. PETER DANCE,
a noted British conchologist, historian of natural history, and
well-respected author of shell books. Born in 1932 in the UK,
he was a naturalist at the Natural History Museum in London,
the Manchester Museum, and the National Museum of Wales
in Cardiff. Among the many articles and books he wrote is
one of the most popular books on shells ever published, the
Compendium of Seashells (1982), co-authored with former
Shell Museum Founding Director R. Tucker Abbott. Mr. Dance
is a regular visitor to Sanibel, where he collects shells during
the winter. Through his work and writings, Mr. Dance helped
raise awareness of mollusks and the unique roles they play
in the web of life. It is with great pleasure and a sense of
honor that we dedicate the Mollusks in Peril 2016 Forum to a
scholar, a gentleman, and a great human being, S. Peter Dance.
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W ELCOM E
WELCOME TO MOLLUSKS IN PERIL
This forum began as an idea that Stephanie and I had. We asked the Bailey-Matthews
National Shell Museum to help. We’ve supported the Forum. We believe in it.
We worry that many species of mollusks are at risk in the not-too-distant future, even
in the next 50 years. We wanted to bring together researchers and malacologists to get a
better handle on the nature and severity of that risk.
Among other things, we want to learn at what points in their life cycles mollusks are
most vulnerable and where geographically the risks are greater. Could we begin to build
a list of those families (especially marine mollusks) whose life cycle characteristics and
locations suggest they are most at risk?
We also hope that this forum will expand the network of interested individuals and
institutions, and perhaps even create new partnerships. We hope the presentations and
discussions will generate 1,001 new questions that need to be answered, the impetus for
a new generation of malacologists. Here at the Museum, we plan to use what we learn to
strengthen our collection and educational programs.
SMOKY & STEPHANIE PAYSON
MOLLUSKS IN PERIL 2016 FORUM
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W ELCOM E
FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
“Where does a shell come from?” It’s a simple question that
most often results in an astonishing answer…“I don’t know.”
More than 9 of 10 people cannot answer the question. They
have absolutely no idea—because they’ve never thought
about it. Nearly everyone loves shells. Yet, they cannot begin
to explain how the shells arrived on the beach.
How can the public value these amazing living creatures
if they aren’t aware that they exist? How can we preserve,
protect and steward the fragile and endangered populations
of mollusks if people have never noticed that they are living?
These are challenges that the National Shell Museum meets
each day. And we are having great success, as more than 60,000 visitors each year
are thrilled to discover the unique and fascinating creatures that created the shells
we love. We know we are making a difference because visitors regularly tell us we’ve
changed their view of the world: that they are seeing things on the beach that they never
saw before.
But recognition of mollusks isn’t enough. The public must also learn that they are a
critical component of the world’s food web, a source of irreplaceable biodiversity, and
that they are most likely disappearing faster than we can name them. We must take
current scientific knowledge and make it available to everyone.
Mollusks in Peril is our opportunity to have a community of scientists, researchers,
shell and mollusk lovers, students, museum supporters and interested individuals
come together for the first time to learn in great detail about the threats to our mollusk
populations. We look forward to sharing the
most current research during the Forum and to
disseminating it around the globe.
This meeting is extraordinary. I’m sure that
its impact will be far reaching in ways that we
cannot begin to predict. It is also a step in the
walk back from the brink as we learn how to
save these species and save the environments in
which they live.
On behalf of the Board of Trustees, volunteers and staff of the Bailey-Matthews National
Shell Museum, I welcome you to the Forum and
am grateful that you are joining us today to work
together on asking the right questions, sharing
our knowledge and finding the best solutions for
the future.
“This meeting
is extraordinary.
I’m sure that
its impact will
be far reaching
in ways that we
cannot begin
to predict.”
DORRIE HIPSCHMAN, The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum
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MOLLUSKS IN PERIL 2016 FORUM
W ELCOM E
FROM THE SCIENCE DIRECTOR & CURATOR
After learning about my involvement with the Mollusks in Peril
2016 Forum, a couple of well-informed but not scientifically
inclined friends asked me, why plan an entire two-day conference on distressed snails and clams? After all, they are small,
slow-moving, slimy, “lowly” creatures that are barely noticed
by most people. Right? Well, no. There is much more to them
than just a trail of slime or pretty empty shells.
Mollusks are the most diverse group of animals in the
world’s oceans, and the second most diverse on Earth. They
are present in virtually all of Earth’s natural environments
and ecosystems, including deserts, cold mountain springs,
rainforests, and the deepest ocean trenches. If nothing else, in addition to their status
as a highly diverse and widespread group of animals, mollusks are also important to
humans as food and as sources of inspiration for materials and products in contemporary science, medicine, and engineering. And let’s not forget about the beautiful shells
they make. However, despite this fundamental relevance of mollusks in the big scheme
of things, they have received neither the consideration they warrant from conservation
efforts, nor the public attention they deserve.
Human-induced environmental changes such as air and water pollution, clearing
of natural areas for agricultural and urban development, and climate change cause
the current global rate of species extinctions to be higher than the normal rate of
appearance of new species. This disconnect between rates of extinction and speciation
is one of the attributes of what Nobel Prize-winning chemist Paul Crutzen termed the
Anthropocene Epoch (spanning the last few centuries), when the human impact on the
Earth’s atmosphere, physical make-up, and living systems has been so significant as to
represent a new geological epoch.
Our knowledge of the actual extinction rates for mollusks in general, and in particular for marine species, is conflicting or lacking. We know, for instance, that the vast
majority of the freshwater mollusks from the United States and Canada are extinct or
imperiled. We also know that there is widespread extinction of Pacific island land snails,
and that the list of global molluscan extinctions published by the International Union for
Conservation of Nature is not even a rough approximation of the actual state of affairs.
Mollusks are threatened by generalized, widespread disturbances such as those associated with ocean acidification and warming. Many of the marine mollusks will disappear
before we even have a chance to inventory or describe them.
We must discuss mollusks from the standpoint of a threatened, and to a large extent
neglected, group of animals. We must learn from the experts, voice our questions and
concerns, and help the community understand some of the problems that mollusks and
everyone else face as we tackle the realities of the Anthropocene Epoch.
JOSÉ H. LEAL, PH.D., The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum
MOLLUSKS IN PERIL 2016 FORUM
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SPONSOR S
THANK YOU
TO OUR SPONSORS
SMOKY and
STEPHANIE
PAYSON
THE CAMPBELL FOUNDATION
PETER and MALLORY HAFFENREFFER
JOHN and LINDA KRAMER
THE LAW OFFICE OF JANET M. STRICKLAND, P.A.
LEE COUNTY ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE
(exhibit sponsor)
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MOLLUSKS IN PERIL 2016 FORUM
NINA BEDNARŠEK, PH.D.
Research Associate
School of Marine and Environmental Affairs
University of Washington, Seattle
ROBERT H. COWIE, PH.D.
Research Professor
Pacific Biosciences Research Center
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Honolulu, Hawaii
SCI ENTIF IC ADV ISORY COM M IT T EE
SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY COMMITTEE
ARTHUR E. BOGAN, PH.D., F.L.S.
Research Curator of Aquatic Invertebrates
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
Raleigh, North Carolina
C. MARK EAKIN, PH.D.
Researcher
Satellite Oceanography & Climatology
Marine Ecosystems & Climate Branch
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Silver Spring, Maryland
RICHARD A. FEELY, PH.D.
Senior Scientist
Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Seattle, Washington
JOSÉ H. LEAL, PH.D. (Chair)
Science Director & Curator
The Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum
Sanibel, Florida
LAURA PARKER, PH.D.
Centre for Research on Ecological
Impacts of Coastal Cities
The University of Sydney
Sydney, Australia
Staff Support by
Stefanie Wolf, M.Sc.
MOLLUSKS IN PERIL 2016 FORUM
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SCIENTIF IC PR OGR AM
MONDAY, MAY 23
8:00 a.m.
Continental Breakfast
8:30 a.m.
Dorrie Hipschman, Executive Director, BMNSM
Conference Welcome
José H. Leal, Science Director & Curator, BMSNM
Announcements
SESSION 1
9:00 a.m.
Robert Cowie
WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT MOLLUSK EXTINCTIONS?
10:00 a.m. Kenneth Hayes
PACIFIC ISLAND LAND SNAIL CONSERVATION: CASE STUDIES
FROM THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS
11:00 a.m. Pannel Discussion
12:00 p.m.
Lunch Program Norine Yeung
TO KNOW IS TO CARE: STEMMING THE DECLINE OF
MOLLUSKS AND MALACOLOGISTS
SESSION 2
1:30 p.m.
Arthur Bogan
FRESHWATER MOLLUSKS IN PERIL
2:30 p.m.
Chuck Lydeard
HIDDEN DIVERSITY IN PLAIN SIGHT: DELIMITING SPECIES
BOUNDARIES IN FRESHWATER MOLLUSKS
3:30 p.m.
Panel Discussion
4:30 p.m. 8
Adjournment
MOLLUSKS IN PERIL 2016 FORUM
“We wanted to bring together researchers and malacologists to get a better handle on the nature and
severity of the risk to mollusks.” —SMOKY & STEPHANIE PAYSON
8:30 a.m.
SCI ENTIF IC PR OGRAM
TUESDAY, MAY 24
Continental Breakfast
SESSION 1
9:00 a.m.
Brad Seibel
HUMAN-INDUCED THREATS TO
PELAGIC MOLLUSKS
10:00 a.m.
Julia Sigwart
IS MINING THE SEABED
BAD FOR MOLLUSKS?
11:00 a.m. Emily Carrington
HANGING ON BY A THREAD? MUSSEL ATTACHMENT
IN A WARMER, HIGHER-CO2 WORLD
12:00 p.m.
Lunch
SESSION 2
1:30 p.m.
Mark Eakin
HOT SOUR SOUP: HOW CLIMATE CHANGE AND OCEAN
ACIDIFICATION ENDANGER CORAL REEFS AND MOLLUSKS
2:30 p.m.
Meredith White
THE IMPACTS OF COASTAL ACIDIFICATION ON EARLY
LARVAL GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF BAY SCALLOPS
(ARGOPECTEN IRRADIANS)
3:30 p.m.
George Waldbusser
OCEAN ACIDIFICATION THREATS TO SEASHELLS AT THE
BEGINNING AND END OF LIFE FOR MARINE BIVALVES
4:30 p.m.
5:30 p.m.
Panel Discussion
Adjournment
MOLLUSKS IN PERIL 2016 FORUM
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SPEAKERS AND ABSTR ACTS
ARTHUR E. BOGAN, PH.D., F.L.S.
Research Curator of Aquatic Invertebrates
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
[email protected]
FRESHWATER MOLLUSKS IN PERIL
T
he world’s freshwater mollusks are highly imperiled. The aquatic molluscan fauna
is at risk due to increasing requirements for potable water, increased groundwater
extraction, habitat modification, degradation and loss, as well as pressures from
introduced fish and other competitors. In the United States and Canada alone,
freshwater gastropods are 75 percent imperiled and freshwater unionid bivalves are 74
percent imperiled. Extinction of these aquatic mollusks is, at least for North America,
well advanced, with 67 gastropod species, including one whole genus, and 29 bivalve
species presumed extinct. ý
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DR. BOGAN is a malacologist specializing in freshwater mussel taxonomy, distribution,
conservation and evolution. He earned his Ph.D. in anthropology with a specialty in zooarchaeology, an interdisciplinary program at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He is
the author/co-author of 178 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and 7 books. He has
collaborated with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), assessing
the freshwater mollusk fauna of the Indo-Burma area. Dr. Bogan is an Adjunct Full Professor
at the Department of Biological Sciences at the North Carolina State University, Raleigh.
Dr. Bogan has been a member of the Species Survival Committee (SSC)/Mollusk Specialists
Group of the IUCN and is very interested in the conservation status and endangered species
of freshwater mollusks and endangered species.
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MOLLUSKS IN PERIL 2016 FORUM
SPEAKER S AND ABSTRACTS
EMILY CARRINGTON, PH.D.
Professor of Biology
Friday Harbor Laboratories
University of Washington
Friday Harbor, Washington, USA
[email protected]
HANGING ON BY A THREAD?
MUSSEL ATTACHMENT IN A WARMER,
HIGHER-CO2 WORLD
M
ussels are well-known ecosystem engineers and often dominate and structure
wave-swept mid-intertidal zones on temperate coasts worldwide. They are
also an important aquaculture species and a “biofouling” nuisance to many
maritime industries. Mechanical disturbances to mussel populations, such
as dislodgment due to a combination of increased flow forces and weakened attachment, therefore have important ecological and economic ramifications. Mussels attach
securely to hard substrates such as rock, neighboring mussels, aquaculture rope and
ships by molding individual tethers known as byssal threads. In controlled laboratory
experiments, we have found byssal threads weaken under ocean acidification (OA) and
ocean warming (OW). Our field observations of farmed mussel populations largely confirm these laboratory observations. Our ecomechanical framework provides a valuable
tool for predicting the responses of mussels, and their dependent coastal communities,
to current and future climate scenarios. ý
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DR. CARRINGTON’s research is based at the Friday Harbor Laboratories in the San Juan
Islands, where she leads a marine biomechanics research group. For more than two
decades, she has focused on the mechanical design of marine invertebrates and macroalgae, especially those that thrive in one of the most physically challenging habitats on earth,
the wave-swept rocky intertidal zone. She draws upon the fields of engineering, biology
and environmental science to develop a mechanistic understanding of how coastal organisms will fare in changing ocean climates. She is currently serving as a Program Director
in the Division of Integrative Organismal Systems at the National Science Foundation in
Arlington, Virginia.
MOLLUSKS IN PERIL 2016 FORUM
11
SPEAKERS AND ABSTR ACTS
ROBERT H. COWIE, PH.D.
Research Professor
Pacific Biosciences Research Center
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
[email protected]
WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT MOLLUSK
EXTINCTIONS?*
T
he International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists only 834 of the
earth’s 1.9 million species as extinct since 1500. This is similar to the background
extinction rate. Skeptics thus downplay biodiversity loss. However, only a tiny
fraction of invertebrates have been evaluated. We obtained a more realistic estimate of invertebrate extinctions by evaluating a sample of land snail species, adopting
a more relaxed “expert” approach than required by IUCN. We assessed 10 percent of
the species as extinct. Extrapolating to all biodiversity leads to an overall estimate of
extinctions of 7 percent. Pacific island land snail faunas exemplify the direst situations.
We assessed the status of all Amastridae, an endemic Hawaiian family with 325 species.
Only 5 percent are known to be extant; 27–95 percent were evaluated as extinct. IUCN
lists 33 extinct amastrids. The IUCN Red List is not intended as a rigorous assessment
of global extinctions; rather, it provides information on species’ status to inform
conservation. ý
*Authors: Robert H. Cowie, Claire Régnier, Benoît Fontaine, Philippe Bouchet
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DR. COWIE, a Research Professor at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, has a M.A. in Natural
Sciences from Cambridge University and a Ph.D. in Zoology from the Liverpool University.
He was a postdoc and then Honorary Research Fellow with University College London and,
following a period working on termites, for many years was the malacology curator and
a research biologist with the Bishop Museum in Honolulu. Dr. Cowie has received many
grants and awards from national and international organizations, including several National
Science Foundation grants. The overarching theme of Dr. Cowie’s research is to understand
the sources and determinants of non-marine molluscan diversity, both native and invasive,
primarily in the Pacific. He is particularly interested in understanding the origins, spread and
impacts of alien snails.
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MOLLUSKS IN PERIL 2016 FORUM
SPEAKER S AND ABSTRACTS
C. MARK EAKIN, PH.D.
Coral Reef Watch Coordinator
Center for Satellite Applications and Research
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
College Park, Maryland, USA
[email protected]
HOT SOUR SOUP: HOW CLIMATE CHANGE
AND OCEAN ACIDIFICATION ENDANGER
CORAL REEFS AND MOLLUSKS
C
oral reefs are beautiful ecosystems that cover only 0.1 percent of the ocean floor
but are home to 25 percent of all marine species. Unfortunately, humans are
changing the world’s climate and ocean chemistry. Human-produced carbon
dioxide is warming the climate, causing bleaching, disease, and death of corals—
including worldwide bleaching right now. It is also making oceans more acidic and
reducing the ability of corals and other marine life to build skeletons and shells. In his
talk, Dr. Eakin will explain how climate change and ocean acidification threaten coral
reefs around the world and what we can do about it. ý
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DR. EAKIN, a coral reef specialist with a Ph.D. in Biological Oceanography from the
University of Miami, is Coordinator of NOAA’s Coral Reef Watch program, which uses NOAA
satellite and climate model data to monitor and predict environmental conditions that lead
to coral bleaching. Dr. Eakin has held several positions with NOAA in the past, including
Director of the World Data Center for Paleoclimatology and Program Officer with the Marine
Ecosystem Response and Paleoclimatology Programs. He has co-chaired the US Coral Reef
Task Force’s Climate Change and Ocean Acidification Working Groups and chaired the
Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee of the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network.
Dr. Eakin has published on various topics in coral reef ecology, especially the impact of
climate change and other disturbances on coral reefs, and was a contributing author to the
most recent report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Climate change and
ocean acidification are among the biggest threats to coral reefs and threaten mollusks as
well. Dr. Eakin’s participation in the Scientific Advisory Committee for Mollusks in Peril provides a connection with coral reef ecology, given the importance of healthy coral reefs for
the well-being of reef mollusks.
MOLLUSKS IN PERIL 2016 FORUM
13
SPEAKERS AND ABSTR ACTS
KENNETH A. HAYES, PH.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Biology
Howard University
Washington, DC, USA
[email protected]
PACIFIC ISLAND LAND SNAIL CONSERVATION:
CASE STUDIES FROM THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS
I
slands comprise only 5 percent of the earth’s landmass, yet harbor an extraordinary
diversity of life, mollusks in particular. Nowhere, in relation to land area, does land
snail diversity reach that of the Pacific islands, with >6,000 species, most singleisland endemics. The Hawaiian Islands support one of the world’s most spectacular
radiations of land snails, which have distinctive evolutionary, ecological and cultural
legacies and play an important role in our understanding of evolution in general and
island biology in particular. Unfortunately, mollusk extinctions outnumber all other
recorded animal extinctions combined, and Pacific Island land snails account for a
majority of mollusk extinctions. While much of this spectacular diversity has been
irretrievably lost, there remains a large number of species, including some new to
science that may still be saved. Insights from these remaining taxa will be invaluable for
understanding how we can conserve land snails across the Pacific, and globally. ý
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DR. HAYES received his Ph.D. in zoology with a specialization in ecology, evolution and
conservation biology from the University of Hawaii. He is currently an Assistant Professor at
Howard University where his research focuses on understanding the ecological and evolutionary processes that generate, maintain, and in some instances reduce biodiversity. The
ultimate goal of his work is to use this knowledge to help conserve biodiversity in the face of
major threats (e.g. habitat destruction, invasive species and climate change). Invertebrates,
particularly mollusks, make great study systems to address a wide spectrum of questions at
the interface of ecology, evolution and conservation, and much of Dr. Hayes’ work takes an
integrative approach to address such questions.
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MOLLUSKS IN PERIL 2016 FORUM
SPEAKER S AND ABSTRACTS
CHARLES LYDEARD, PH.D.
Professor and Chair of Biological Sciences
Western Illinois University
Macomb, Illinois, USA
[email protected]
HIDDEN DIVERSITY IN PLAIN SIGHT:
DELIMITING SPECIES BOUNDARIES IN
FRESHWATER MOLLUSKS
F
reshwater mollusks include some of the most imperiled groups of animals on the
planet. Recognition of species among freshwater mollusks is often problematic
because species are identified largely based on shell characters that may vary in
response to environmental conditions. Here, I present case studies of how molecular phylogenetics has been used to delimit species boundaries in problematic groups
of unionid bivalves and pleurocerid gastropods. Understanding species boundaries has
provided useful data for those interested in assessing conservation status and protecting
the fauna. ý
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DR. LYDEARD’s research interests are focused on the systematics and conservation of freshwater mollusks. He received his Ph.D. from Auburn University and, before joining the faculty
at WIU, where he is now chair of the Biological Sciences Department, was a professor at the
University of Alabama and Program Director with the Division of Environmental Biology at
the National Science Foundation in Arlington, Virginia. He has been particularly interested in
delimiting species boundaries of imperiled freshwater mollusks using molecular techniques.
He is now beginning to explore the biological diversity of freshwater mollusks of the upper
Mississippi River basin and terrestrial gastropods of Illinois, and the major conservation
issues faced by these animals
MOLLUSKS IN PERIL 2016 FORUM
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SPEAKERS AND ABSTR ACTS
BRAD SEIBEL, PH.D.
Professor of Biological Oceanography
College of Marine Sciences
University of South Florida
St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
[email protected]
HUMAN-INDUCED THREATS TO
PELAGIC MOLLUSKS
O
ceanic animals are exposed to natural gradients of temperature, oxygen and
carbon dioxide as they migrate daily from shallow surface waters to depths
of hundreds of meters. These gradients dictate the vertical and horizontal
distribution of species, either via direct physiological limitations or via indirect
ecological effects. The oceanic pteropods and cephalopods are believed to be especially
susceptible to ocean acidification and deoxygenation via shell dissolution and asphyxiation, respectively. Here I discuss the physiology of these two groups and assess their
future in a changing ocean. ý
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DR. SEIBEL’s research is focused on the physiological response of marine animals to
extreme environments, ocean acidification, deoxygenation and warming, polar and deepsea biology, and the biology of mollusks. He employs a unique suite of field and laboratory
techniques and approaches to assess the ecological consequences of climate change,
including ocean acidification, deoxygenation and warming, and the role of animal energetics in ecosystem dynamics. Dr. Seibel carries out broad comparative physiology studies
to determine the limits to evolution and ecology. Physiological mechanisms provide a
foundation upon which ecosystem responses to climate change and consequences for biogeochemical cycles can be understood. His studies compare organisms across size, depth,
latitudinal and phylogenetic lines, from microzooplankton to macronekton, ctenophores to
fishes, from the poles to the equator and from the abyssal plains to the ocean surface. He
focuses on the physiology of individual species and what this can teach us about their origin,
behavior, ecology, diversity and the ecosystems in which they live.
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MOLLUSKS IN PERIL 2016 FORUM
SPEAKER S AND ABSTRACTS
JULIA SIGWART, PH.D.
Associate Professor and Associate Director
Marine Laboratory
Queen’s University
Belfast, Ireland
[email protected]
IS MINING THE SEABED BAD FOR MOLLUSKS?
D
eep-sea hydrothermal vents are home to a community of extraordinary mollusks,
two miles below the ocean surface. In an environment without light, under
intense pressure and volcanic heat, many gastropods and bivalves living directly
on the vent chimneys show adaptations that have driven important scientific
breakthroughs. The famous ‘scaly-foot’ gastropod, Chrysomallon squamiferum, has hard
scales on its foot with a crystalline iron coating that has inspired novel defensive armor
designs. This iconic species has been reported from only three sites in the central Indian
Ocean, hundreds of miles apart, each around half the size of a football field. Two of
these three sites are already designated under international “exploration” licenses for
deep-sea mining, to extract rare minerals from the vent chimneys. Economic and political pressures to exploit the seabed are advancing much faster than scientific exploration,
putting vent ecosystems and their molluscan residents at risk. ý
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DR. SIGWART is an evolutionary biologist who studies the evolution and diversification of
mollusks and other marine invertebrates. She is the Associate Director of Queen’s University
Marine Laboratory, an interdisciplinary research institute in Portaferry, Northern Ireland.
She is presently based in the University of California, Berkeley, on a sabbatical funded by a
research excellence award from the European Commission. Dr. Sigwart completed her Ph.D.
in 2008, working on deep-sea chitons, and spent most of her career in a museum setting,
having previously worked in the American Museum of Natural History, New York, and the
National Museum of Ireland, Dublin. One aspect of her research focuses on the specialist
adaptations that enable mollusks to exploit extreme environments, and adapt to environmental change. Using an integrative approach, Dr. Sigwart’s research group investigates the
diversity and diversification of species, in present environments and the fossil record. In the
Forum, she will present her research on current threats to deep-sea populations of mollusks.
MOLLUSKS IN PERIL 2016 FORUM
17
SPEAKERS AND ABSTR ACTS
GEORGE WALDBUSSER, PH.D.
College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric
Sciences
Oregon State University
Corvallis, Oregon, USA
[email protected]
OCEAN ACIDIFICATION THREATS TO
SEASHELLS AT THE BEGINNING AND END OF
LIFE FOR MARINE BIVALVES
O
cean acidification has the potential to act upon two critical stages in the life
cycle of marine bivalves; the formation of the first shell stage and the persistence of shell remains. I will discuss the mechanisms and dynamics of how
changes in ocean carbonate chemistry impact early shell development in several
species of marine bivalves. At the end of life, bivalves contribute their shells to the habitat in which they live, and in healthy populations, these shells can drastically alter the
biogeochemical composition of these habitats. Shells also provide a critical component
of the habitat for many species, and I will discuss some emerging work on the geochemical significance of shells. ý
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DR. WALDBUSSER received his Ph.D. from the University of Maryland examining organismal impacts on porewater transport and biogeochemistry. Near the end of his Ph.D. studies,
Dr. Waldbusser secured funding to work as an independent post-doctoral researcher and
began his work on ocean acidification in 2006 prior to completing his Ph.D. in 2008. Dr.
Waldbusser arrived at Oregon State University in 2009 and began building a research program around the effects of ocean acidification across multiple life-stages of marine bivalve
mollusks. Throughout his career he has worked on fundamental science questions while
maintaining a strong interest in informing policy makers and the public. Dr. Waldbusser has
authored 30 publications, has an extensive record of student advising, developed two new
courses at OSU, and serves as an associate editor at the Journal of Shellfish Research and
Limnology and Oceanography.
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SPEAKER S AND ABSTRACTS
MEREDITH WHITE, PH.D.
Visiting Assistant Professor
Earth and Oceanographic Science
Bowdoin College
Brunswick, Maine, USA
[email protected]
THE IMPACTS OF COASTAL ACIDIFICATION ON
EARLY LARVAL GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
OF BAY SCALLOPS (ARGOPECTEN IRRADIANS)
O
cean and coastal acidification result from increases in carbon dioxide (CO2).
Coastal and estuarine environments experience extreme and variable CO2
conditions, which have been shown to negatively affect the early life stages of
calcifying marine invertebrates, including bivalves. Recent work with oyster
larvae has indicated that initial calcification is a particularly critical stage in their development. I hypothesize that for the bay scallop Argopecten irradians, initial calcification
is also a critical stage, during which high CO2 exposure has severe effects on larval
growth and development. With multiple experiments varying the timing of exposure
of embryonic and larval bay scallops to high CO2, I identify two distinct stages in the
first 24 hours of development during which high CO2 exposure causes different effects
on scallop larval shells. Furthermore, I will discuss recent collaborations between
scientists, legislature, and industry in the Northeast, which have led to new initiatives
regarding ocean acidification research. ý
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DR. WHITE received her bachelor of science degree in biochemistry from Lafayette College
in 2006. She went on to pursue a Ph.D. in biological oceanography in the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program, where she
was co-advised by Lauren Mullineaux and Dan McCorkle. Her thesis focused on the effects
of ocean acidification on bay scallop larval development. She worked as a postdoc at
Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Science in Maine in the laboratory of Barney Balch, investigating the effects of ocean acidification on coccolithophore-copepod interactions. She
is currently a visiting assistant professor of Earth and Oceanographic Science at Bowdoin
College in Maine. Dr. White served as Chair of the “State of the Science” Subcommittee of
the Maine Ocean Acidification Commission in 2014.
MOLLUSKS IN PERIL 2016 FORUM
19
SPEAKERS AND ABSTR ACTS
NORINE W. YEUNG, PH.D.
Malacology Researcher
Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum
Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
[email protected]
TO KNOW IS TO CARE: STEMMING THE
DECLINE OF MOLLUSKS AND MALACOLOGISTS
G
lobal biodiversity is declining rapidly, and no group has been more impacted
than mollusks. Similarly, the number of scientists focusing on malacological
issues has also declined in recent decades. Malacology provides a diverse base
from which to develop inquiry-based and constructivist approaches for training
the next generation of students in science and engaging the public in caring about our
current extinction crisis. Education programs that engage individuals through the development of hands-on projects have been shown to be effective at helping students and
the general public in developing a thorough understanding of science, applying critical
thinking skills to societal and scientific problems, and retaining knowledge. An overview
of projects conducted at the University of Hawaii and Bishop Museum will be discussed
to demonstrate how this approach fosters a passion for mollusks and an appreciation for
methods that allow one to understand the world. ý
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DR. YEUNG received her Ph.D. from the University of Hawaii in 2010, working on the
systematics, population genetics, ecology and conservation of seabirds. As a Ph.D. student
she was a National Science Foundation GK-12 fellow, a program that pairs graduate level
researchers with K-12 educators to help develop a hands-on, active learning science
curriculum based in real world research activities. During her scientific career, Dr. Yeung
participated in and developed a variety of outreach programs aimed at bringing wider
conscientiousness of conservation issues to the general public. Many of these programs
focused on developing a hands-on, active learning science curriculum and activities that
were based on current research. She has extensive malacological research experience in
Hawaii, focusing on Hawaiian land snail (native and invasive) systematics and ecology. As an
educator of science, policy and management, she is interested in integrating research and
education in novel approaches. Doing so bridges the gap between science and public outreach and focuses on and efficiently serves contemporary conservation issues.
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MOLLUSKS IN PERIL 2016 FORUM
LAMINELLA SANGUINEA PHOTO COURTESY OF DR. KENNETH HAYES
BAILEY-MATTHEWS
NATIONAL
SHELL
MUSEUM
W W W. S H E L L M U S E U M . O R G