Research & Projects

USGS NWHC Animal health Graduate Internship

Amphibians are the most threatened vertebrates in the world, and infectious disease is a major driver of their decline. Understanding how amphibians respond to pathogens requires reliable measures of host health and immune function. Hematology, the study of blood and its components, offers one such measure: white blood cell profiles can reflect an animal's physiological stress and immune activity, even before visible signs of disease appear.

As a graduate intern at the USGS National Wildlife Health Center, I proposed and executed a study using amphibian hematology to evaluate the independent and combined effects of temperature and Bd infection on host physiological and immune responses. This study will form the third chapter of my dissertation on temperature-mediated immunity. I also supported ongoing disease research by caring for experimental animals, including feeding, housing, and sampling. Beyond amphibians, I contributed to an annotated bibliography on the New World screwworm, a parasitic fly that infests living animals and poses a significant threat to U.S. livestock and wildlife. I defined the literature search criteria, screened articles, and created example summaries to guide future work.

Sponsorship

My participation in this internship was made possible through support from NSF 2308044 (Mosher, Miller, DiRenzo, Grear), NIH 1T32GM156692-01, and the US Geological Survey.

Past Projects

Optimizing Species-Specific Assays for use with eDNA.

Successful salamander conservation depends on reliable information about a species' distribution, habitat, and threats. Yet traditional survey methods rely on physical capture, observation, and handling, which can be biased, unreliable, and ineffective in natural ecosystems. These issues are particularly pronounced for scarce, endangered, or elusive salamanders. Environmental DNA or eDNA is the genetic material organisms shed into their surroundings. eDNA offers a minimally invasive alternative to traditional methods: because each species' DNA is distinct, genetic assays can be used to distinguish a target species from others with a water sample alone.

This approach provides an opportunity to establish accurate, non-invasive detection methods for the Ambystoma species complex, a group of New York State Special Concern salamanders. For my undergraduate honors thesis, I selected and optimized species-specific qPCR assays for blue-spotted and Jefferson salamanders. I then evaluated assay suitability through in-silico and in-vitro validation. I also designed a genus-specific Ambystoma PCR assay for sequencing, and Sanger sequenced four Ambystoma species.

Sponsorship

A heartfelt thank you to New York State for their support of my undergraduate research journey. This project was sponsored by NYSDEC, P3/CSTEP, TRIO programs, and the US Department of Education. Additional thanks to the Cornell CALS Dextra Undergraduate Research Endowment Fund for investing in my work.

Study Overview

While I can't share the full results until publishing, here is a sneak peek.

final_mcnair_billboard_2023_48x36.pptx

Sacha Waysa: Indigenous Industry in the Ecuadorian Amazon

Mounting economic pressures have pushed many Amazonians to leave their homes in search of work. At the same time, decades of farming and extractive industries have led to a decline in forest land. Reforestation offers Indigenous communities an avenue to reclaim lost territories and build sustainable livelihoods at home. I traveled to the Amazon and joined the Kichwa Indigenous community of Nueve de Junio. They founded Sacha Waysa, a community-led tourism initiative, in collaboration with local partners and the Yakum Foundation. I conducted Spanish-language interviews to evaluate barriers to ecotourism and reforestation efforts. I had the privilege of following the creation of a service-based economy and learning more about how Indigenous groups are leveraging ecotourism to empower historically underserved communities.

Sponsorship:

Sincere thanks to the Cornell University Einhorn Center for Community Engagement and the Latin American and Caribbean Studies Program for funding and coordinating this amazing opportunity.

Results

Read the full creative essay below.

Copy of ecuador case study

Determining population characteristics of the Invasive Green Crab (Carcinus maenas) in Atlantic Patagonia

European Green Crab in the field

The European Green Crab is a highly adaptive invertebrate that is generally considered one of the worst marine invasives. It likes to eat other crabs. It outcompetes local species, and it aggressively feeds on clams and other shellfish. The species was first reported in Patagonia in the early 2000s, making it a relatively recent invader. Because of this, there is little available information regarding the green crab's regional adaptations to Patagonia. In an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA), like that of Bahia Bustamante, this information could be crucial to understanding future population and food dynamics. I set out to evaluate the unique population characteristics of the invasive European Green Crab in the intertidal zone of Patagonia.

Sponsorship

Special thanks to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology for making this research experience possible. Additional thanks to the American Indian Program Scott Excellence Fund for their support in my journey to Argentina.

Methods & Results

Read about how I pursued these questions and what I found in the full report below.

A Study on C. maenas in Atlantic Patagonia_Blanco-Ortiz

Optimizing Mussel Culture at the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe (SRMT)

Freshwater mussels are both culturally and ecologically significant in the Saint Lawrence River watershed. Their importance is deeply rooted in Thanksgiving and reciprocity. As put by the SRMT Tribe council, "the smallest creatures can accomplish great feats, such as providing clean water simply by following their original instructions. We are always grateful for them and those that take action in acknowledging their important purpose.” (See SRMT-DEC release).

Native freshwater mussels play critical roles in ecosystem services by serving as bioindicators, filtering water, and providing food for other culturally significant species like muskrats, otters, and lake sturgeon (see SRMT-DEC release). However, the introduction of invasive mussels and poor habitat conditions have put these natives at risk.

Juveniles can be readily produced via propagation and culture, but lab-reared mussels experience high mortality and slow growth. Outdoor pond grow-out in "cages" has been proposed as an alternative to lab rearing. My project evaluated suitable natural grow-out systems by conducting pilot tests in three distinct ponds.

Sponsorship

This research was made possible by the collaborative efforts of the ASET REU (NSF 2050848 Christian, Baki, White-Cree), SRMT Environment Division Remediation and Restoration Office, US EPA GLRI (GL-00E02266; GL-00E02902), US FWS Genoa National Fish Hatchery, and NYSDEC.

Methods & Results

Learn more about our findings in the linked poster below.

raps-poster_48x36.pptx

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