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Dr. Van Alstyne and her students study the chemical and physiological ecology of marine seaweeds. These studies look at many different aspects of algal biology including the effects of environmental conditions on algal growth, the production of toxins by seaweeds, and the effects of herbivory on algal growth and chemical production. Currently, the main focus in the lab is looking at the formation of harmful seaweed blooms, specifically those involving ulvoid green algae (sea lettuces). This research project has both a lab and a field component. Most of the field work is conducted in the spring and summer and the majority of the lab work is done in the fall and winter. It is expected that graduate students working with Dr. Van Alstyne will conduct a thesis projects related to these topics.
Dr. Van Alstyne may advise Master of Science students in Marine and Estuarine Sciences Program (MESP). Students who wish to work in Dr. Van Alstyne's lab can apply to MESP through either the Biology Department or the Huxley Department of Environmental Sciences.
Dr. Van Alstyne resides in Anacortes and works at the Shannon Point Marine Center. Her graduate students typically take most of their required courses during their first year at the WWU campus in Bellingham, and then begin work on their Master's thesis at the Shannon Point Marine Center in Anacortes during the spring or summer. Most students take about two and a half years to finish their degrees. Students interested in working with Dr. Van Alstyne should contact her directly.
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Current & Past Graduate Students |
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Jason Hall (M.Sc., Biology, 2005)
Jason examined the ecology of two color morphs of the sponge Halichondria panacea. He determined that color was related to environmental light conditions and that it would change in response to changes in ambient light. In low light conditions, the sponge tends to be yellow-colored whereas in high light conditions, they tend to be green-colored due to the production of a blue carotene-protein that does not appear to be related to the presence of endobiotic algae or bacteria. It is hypothesized that the blue pigment may protect the sponge from UV radiation. Sponge color affected feeding and reproduction by nudibranchs (Archidoris montereyensis) that feed on the sponge. Jason was co-advised by Deb Donovan.
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Sandra Ryan (M.Sc., Environmental Studies, 2005)
Sandy's research focused on antifouling properties of marine organisms. For her thesis work, Sandy evaluated methods for assessing the effects of natural products on the settlement of microalgae and juvenile macroalgae that commonly foul boat hulls. Her studies evaluated methods for quantifying the growth of fouling organisms, including simple counts and pigment quantification by fluorometry and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and looking at leeching rates of metabolites using gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC/MS/MS). Sandy's work was supported by the Department of Environmental Science and the Bureau for Faculty Research.
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Amorah Nelson (M.Sc. Biology, 2003)
Amorah's research was focused on chemical defenses in the foliose green alga Ulvaria. She used bioassay-guided fractionation techniques to isolate the chemicals that make Ulvaria a low preference food for herbivores. Her work involved extracting Ulvaria, then dividing the extracts into fractions with vacuum flash chromatography. She then assayed the fractions by adding them to artificial diets that were fed to sea urchins. After she identified the active fractions, she used high pressure liquid ch chromatography (HPLC) to further isolate the deterrent compounds. By using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and mass specroscopy, Amorah was able to determine that dopamine hydrochloride was the feeding deterrent in Ulvaria. Amorah's work was supported by a Sigma Xi Grant-in-Aid-of-Research, a grant from the Bureau for Faculty Research, and a National Science Foundation grant to Dr. Van Alstyne. Her Master's thesis work was published in the scientific journal Oecologia.
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