Congratulations to Casey Lab student Marissa Kordal, who recently received a Zale Parry Scholarship from the Academy of Underwater Arts and Sciences!

Marissa studies the biodiversity of organisms on Texas #oyster reefs using #eDNA (traces of DNA critters "sluff off" into seawater). 🦪💧🧬

Amazing performance by the Casey lab at the 52nd Benthic Ecology Meeting! 🧬🐠 Shoot out to @hannah-rempel.bsky.social and @Zoe for winning best presentation awards 🏆#BEM2024

Meet Christina! @christinamarconi.bsky.social is a PhD student who uses molecular techniques to explore marine biodiversity and trophic interactions, particularly among mesopredators, to aid in conservation and better management practices!

The Casey Lab team at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute spent a beautiful day on the Texas coast sampling for environmental DNA in our own "backyard"! 🧬🌊

#eDNA #molecularecology #TexasScience #longhorns @hannah-rempel.bsky.social @marconi.bsky.social
@txacsci.bsky.social

How do invasive species impact coral reef food webs? A 2023 study led by Juan Pablo Lozano-Peña reveals that invasive #lionfishes have broader diets than native Caribbean mesopredator fishes. 🦁🐠

Link to publication: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

#isotopes #ecology #coralreef

Meet Ingrid! @ingridbunholi.bsky.social is a Casey Lab PhD student using #eDNA and #eRNA to investigate the effects of environmental and ecological variables on diverse aspects of coral reef fish diversity and distribution, from organismal to communities levels! 🧬🐠

A study led by hannah-rempel.bsky.social found that Caribbean parrotfishes + surgeonfishes regularly eat fish poop, especially that of planktivores! When compared with their food sources, these feces may be a rich nutrient supplement–a fish "vitamin sea"! 🌊 💩

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

A 2023 study led by Jacey Van Wert shows that while fish poop nutritional quality varies across species, it is often packed with macro- and micronutrients (Ca, Cu, Fe, Mg, Zn, Mn) that are a rich source for hungry fishes and reef productivity! 🪸

esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

In a recent study Nina Schiettekatte and colleagues examine the quality of fish food and poop for 51 fish species. They found that fishes don't retain a lot of nutrients from their food, making fish poop a nutritious snack for other critters! Yum.

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Meet Dr. Nicole Foster! Nicole is a postdoc in the Casey Lab working with the Smithsonian's #MarineGEO Network to evaluate global production and diversity in coastal systems using a combination of eDNA and chemical analyses! 🧬🧪

Learn more about her work on her website!
intotheocean.water.blog

We’re the Casey Lab at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute!

Our lab investigates ecological processes shaping biodiversity patterns & trophic interactions in coastal marine ecosystems! We use the clues left behind in the form of DNA to understand the who, what, when, where & why! 🧬🐟