Collecting slipper limpets in Coquimbo, Chile

Collecting Snails in Chile

In June 2014 Rachel and I flew down to the Universidad Católica del Norte in Coquimbo, Chile. We met up with Marcel Velasquez, a Collin lab veteran currently at the university. As usual, we were there in search of some calyptraeids.

We had three targets: Crepipatella dilatata, Crepidula coquimbensis, and Crucibulum quiriquinae


Crepipatella dilatata and Crepidula coquimbensis were "easy" to get because they are found just off the dock and able to be collected with only snorkel gear.  But the water was COLD! So before we went swimming we needed wetsuits.








Crepidula coquimbensis lives inside hermit crabs. In order to find them, you dive down at least 10 ft and swim above the sand until you see a hermit crab running away from you. When the hermit crab pulls itself into the shell you can sometimes find a few white shells, Crepidula coquimbensis! Only the biggest females have eggs.











We also were after Crucibulum quiriquinae. These snails are easily found on the shells of Turritella cingulata but at greater depth so we hired a scuba diver to collect for us. T. cingulata were very abundant and our diver collected bags and bags of individuals. Up on the boat, Rachel and I picked through each of them in order to find the C. quiriquinae.



                                                                                     C. quiriquinae (highlighted) sitting on top
                                                                                      of a T. cingulata shell

Back in the lab we checked each of the big females for eggs!

                                                                                   

Using Model Species to Study Reproduction and Development in a Marine Lab

Because we study development in our lab, there is a lot of reproduction going on here! Currently, we are caring for hundreds of sea snails, carefully monitoring them for new babies.

The snail farm.  Crepidula snails hanging out while
they wait for new water to be added to their cups.

In biology, we like to use "model organisms" in our studies. Model organisms are those species that have several good qualifications for study. Naturally, our lab prefers to study animals whose reproduction can be monitored. We also like to study animals whose eggs and larvae can be maintained in the lab.

Crepidula marginalis fit my needs for my biology experiment! They are a marine snail that live in the rocky intertidal zone. And one place we can find them is a beach close to our lab, in the Veracruz area of Panama.

Crepidula are easy to collect, easy to maintain in a lab, and their reproduction can be monitored.

A female with eggs

As you can see from the photo, male snails will "climb aboard" a female snail. If the female chooses to mate, and to fertilize her eggs, then her egg "brood" will be visible through the sides of the clear cups. We use clear cups in our labs, which become the snail's new habitat, or home, while we study them.

When the eggs have developed, the brood sac will open and hundreds of veliger larvae will be released from their mama's care. For their first few days of life, they swim freely and quickly! Within a few days, their swimming slows down as their shell gets larger and heavier.

Upon hatching, we try to distribute the new larvae into new bowls with fresh, filtered sea water and algae to eat.

Of the many things I have learned under Dr. Collin's mentorship, I have learned how to choose an organism that suits your experimental needs. And for my thermal tolerance study, the Crepidula marginalis have been a good model organism for these reasons:

* They have been easy to collect in the field,
* They survive and reproduce in the lab,
* Their reproduction can be monitored, and
* Their larvae survive in the lab while we are studying them.

Nina Dropcho, Intern, Collin LabSmithsonian Tropical Research Institute

Moving from snails to worms

After a year and so in the Collin Lab at Panama, I joined every possible project in the lab. And I tried all the possible things you can do in the vicinity of Naos and Cerro Ancon. Introduced extensively by Gina, Ancon was the home for many of the STRI interns and fellows: La Jaula. 

 

(La Jaula, Apt. H)

Independently of the space, it gather together some of the most remarkable interns and friends of the Collin Lab during my time there: Olaf, Victoria, Gina, Abby, Abrial and Robin. Together we were often found having potlucks and playing guitar.

Meanwhile in the lab, me as Costa Rican, wasn't refer by my first name (Allan), but usually by the name of "El mae" (=dude, in CR). Back there in Naos, I took care of the hundreds of snails and their food.

 

 

(Naos, animal and marine algae room)

Mostly based on the Pacific beaches of Veracruz and Venado, I was part of maybe all the sampling trips. Including the Venado marathons through the dry and rainy seasons. As a result of that, my water shoes give me a very distinct tan line. But thankfully, during my time there, I met incredible people and I gained an amazing experience which help me pursue my next step...GRAD SCHOOL. 

Because of Rachel I met my new supervisor, Néva Meyer. So, past July I came to Worcester, Massachusetts and became a PhD student at Clark University. I joined the Meyer Lab, where we work on one of my favorites groups of animals... ANNELIDS. Néva works with neural development on the charismatic marine worm Capitella teleta. 

 

(C. teleta and its sibling species live in the intertidal and shallow water mud of the East Coast. Me, Néva and Craig (Néva's husband and also a developmental biologist) went down to Sippewissett salt marsh to collect some mud (=food) for our colony in the lab)

 

(yeah, of course some Crepidula...)

Using modern molecular techniques, such as in situ hybridization, antibody staining, microinjections plus fluorescent and confocal microscopy, we are trying to understand how the central nervous system develops and how it can be compared among other animals. 

 

(Ventral view of a stage 9 larvae of C. teleta. Green shows acetylated tubulin (ciliary bands), red shows serotonergic neurons (annelids and molluscs, yeah, slipper snails too!, have a ventral nerve cord)

Meanwhile, I am narrowing down ideas for projects,  trying to get used to the cold of New England and learning a bunch of excited EvoDevo topics as well as more and more molecular techniques. That's for now. Pura vida.

My Collin Lab Internship

By Rowshyra Castaneda

Ricciardi Lab

Redpath Museum, McGill University, Montreal

I'm Rowshyra, I have a B.Sc. in biology and recently completed my M.Sc. at McGill University.  I had the opportunity to study in Panama through the Panama Field Study Semester (PFSS), a field-based course run by McGill University and STRI.  The program is made up of 26 McGill students and four Panamanian students who travel across the country absorbing and appreciating everything it has to offer.  Besides the course/field work, which includes environmental history, neotropical biology and sustainable tropical agriculture (that all students must take together), we each had to complete an internship with a Panamanian institution (NGO, governmental, or research).  I was fortunate to work in the Collin Lab through STRI.

I got to work on a neat project with my internship partner, Maura.  We looked at the effects of water temperature on the reproduction in an intertidal snail (Crepidula marginalis). This project required us to go into the field and collect snails from the intertidal zone, which was not an easy task. Thankfully, we had a great lab tech, Maricela, with us, who had an amazing talent for finding them.  Each rock I turned over I collected only one or two snails, whereas Maricela would be picking off about a dozen.

Hunting for Crepidula in the intertidal zone

Despite our failure at being efficient snail hunters, we did have fun looking at the different organisms hiding under rocks and between crevices.  The sponges and flatworms added flashes of brilliant and diverse colours, while the barnacles and snails added texture and structure; this makes the ecosystem so unique and beautiful. 

  

Cool critters under a rock

Adult Crepidula marginalis, C. lessonii and other inverts

Other then the research and report we completed, we also made a video describing our research to add to the lab's Youtube page.  Maura was a natural and flawlessly described our project, while I, being super shy had to retake every scene.  Although we found our video to be quite a success in the end (over 1000 views!), we have some tough Youtube critics (5 likes, 7 dislikes), looks like I won't be making it big on the big screen!

My experience in the Collin lab and in Panama was amazing.  Every part of our project from collecting snails on the beach to living in Panama City was unforgettable. 

Now, check out the YouTube video we made and maybe send us a few more "likes"! 

Seals, crepidulas, and a fish sandwich

Seals, crepidulas, and a fish sandwich

So, there are too many stories to tell about during my experience in an Island in the North Sea of Germany, Sylt.  I stayed there for 10 days, to attend lectures and also field work (part of my master program). 

Classes and lab work was carried out at Wadden Sea Station, the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI).  A comfortable and pleasant station, located at the interface between the North Sea and Wadden Sea.

The first days, we sampled algae in the shore, exposed to rain and wind.  Fucus, Ulva, Polysiphonia and a couple more were collected.   We also saw sea mice, chitons, bivalves, crabs and snails.

We also were abroad a vessel from the AWI, to collect some animals for the Aquatic Fauna class, we did it by dragging.  We found different organisms, such as: tunicates, shrimps, hermit crabs, fishes, different types of snails…..but the most representative was the famous Crepidula fornicata.  I have to say that at least more than 50% of the dragged samples were Crepidula.

                                                

C. fornicata is an invasive species, or let’s say a potential invasive species which was introduced from the North Atlantic to Europe, with the eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica.

Also, on the way to collect those specimens we were lucky to find seals. It was the first time for me to see those animals in their natural environment, how amazing!

In between we had the opportunity to take a long walk in one of the beaches of the island, beautiful but cold. Only courageous people bathed there (a friend of mine).

In Sylt, you can also find a small market to get different things, such as souvenirs, candies, clothes, and of course a delicious fish sandwich.  I ate two; I couldn’t miss the opportunity to try one of those.

Further information:

about C. fornicata

http://collinlab.blogspot.de/2012_09_01_archive.html

about AWI

http://www.awi.de/de/institut/standorte/sylt/