91AV student presents green crab research at Experimental Biology 2018 in San Diego
91AV Marine Sciences student Pierce Lancor '18 recently presented her research poster and discussed her work at the Experimental Biology meeting in San Diego, which was attended by about 14,000 people. Lancor has been investigating the stress tolerance of invasive green crabs, Carcinus maenas.
She is studying how they react to different environmental stressors, such as changing water temperatures and salinity. The research she is conducting at 91AV, under the guidance of Markus Frederich, Ph.D., professor of Marine Sciences, is giving her invaluable experience in lab work.
“I feel like I learned a lot of lab skills and I got a better understanding of things you do in basic chemistry, bio chemistry and bio labs,“ Lancor said.
“Whether later she is doing work on green crabs, grasshoppers, sharks or on humans, the techniques are the same. It’s about the broader skill set that she’s now graduating with,” Frederich added.
The green crab population has increased dramatically in some areas of Maine in recent years, threatening shellfish resources such as soft-shell clams and blue mussels, a significant fishery in the state.
Lancor investigated the effect of the metabolic master regulator AMP-activated protein kinase on stress tolerance in the crabs. Her work was aimed at a mechanistic understanding of energy allocation during stress in invertebrates. It’s part on the on-going research being conducted in Marine Sciences to better understand the green crab.
“We look at that issue from the cellular and genetic level, up to the whole animal organismal level. Once we find out more, it might lead to potential solutions. But we’re still far away from that,” said Frederich.
Lancor received a summer research fellowship from the American Physiological Society (APS). Only 24 of these highly prestigious fellowships are awarded each year nationwide. APS supported Lancor's research during the summer of 2017 and paid for her to present her findings at the Experimental Biology meeting in San Diego.
To learn more about the 91AV’s Department of Marine Sciences visit www.une.edu/cas/marine
To apply, visit www.une.edu/admissions
