Research from the UGA Skidaway Institute of Oceanography (SkIO) was prominently represented at the 2025 Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO) Aquatic Sciences Meeting.
The conference, held from March 26-31, 2025, in Charlotte, North Carolina, featured presentations by nine current and two former SkIO scientists, with faculty member Jay Brandes delivering a plenary talk to all attendees.
Jay Brandes, professor
Plenary session title: They are Legion – Microplastic Behavior in the Marine Environment
Subject: This talk was on microplastics in marine environments, with a focus on estuarine systems, and the challenges in understanding their sources, distribution and interactions.
Format: Plenary session talk, oral presentation
Time/Date: 11 a.m., Monday, March 31, 2025.
Natalie Cohen, assistant professor
Presentation title: Exploring the Potential for Zinc Toxicity in Low Manganese Southern Ocean Phytoplankton
Format: Poster presentation
Additional authors:
- Nicholas Hawco, University of Hawaii
- Lucy Quirk, UGA SkIO
- Tatiana Gamez, University of Hawaii
Time/Date: 6 p.m., Saturday, March 29, 2025
Claire Zwiers Cook, Ph.D. student (Cohen Lab)
Presentation title: Distinct Physiological Responses of Southern Ocean Mixotrophs to Iron and Manganese Limitation
Format: Oral presentation
Additional authors:
- Nicole Millette, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William & Mary
- Natalie Cohen, UGA SkIO
Time/Date: 9:45 a.m., Thursday, March 27, 2025
Patrick Duffy, Ph.D. student (Greer Lab)
Presentation title: Pulses of Productivity, Patches and Pelagic Tunicates: Fine-Scale Aggregations Influence Trophic Structure
Format: Oral presentation
Additional authors:
- Marc Frischer, UGA SkIO
- Laura Treible, Savannah State University
- Emily Gipson, UGA SkIO
- Adam Greer, UGA SkIO
Time/Date: 5:30 p.m., Monday, March 31, 2025
Marc Frischer, professor
Presentation title: Shrimp Black Gill Disease is Climate Driven but the Catastrophic Decline of the Georgia Commercial Fishery is Likely a Result of Socioeconomic Factors
Format: Poster presentation
Additional authors:
- Max Braun, UGA SkIO
- Megan Tomamichel, UGA Oden School of Ecology
- James Byers, UGA Odum School of Ecology
Time/Date: 6:00 p.m., Saturday, March 29, 2025
Alyssa Fritz, Ph.D. student (Frischer Lab)
Presentation title: Optimizing DNA Preservation Methods for Molecular Gut Content Analysis Studies in Field Collected Gelatinous Zooplankton
Format: Poster presentation
Additional authors:
- Max Braun, UGA SkIO
- Marc Frischer, UGA SkIO
Time/Date: 6:00 p.m., Saturday, March 29, 2025
Emily Gipson, Ph.D. student (Frischer Lab)
Presentation title: Dietary Plasticity Differentiates Trophic Niches of Doliolids and Salps
Format: Oral presentation
Additional authors:
- Anita Minniefield, UGA SkIO
- Patrick Duffy, UGA SkIO
- Laura Treible, Savannah State University
- Adam Greer, UGA SkIO
- Jay Brandes, UGA SkIO
- Marc Frischer, UGA SkIO
Time/Date: 5:15 p.m., Saturday, March 29, 2025
Adam Greer, assistant professor
Presentation title: Stratification Onset and Dissipation Influences Gelatinous Zooplankton Abundance and Diversity
Format: Oral presentation
Additional authors:
- Luciano Chiaverano, Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo Pesquero (INIDEP)
- Nele Weigt, UGA SkIO
- Laura Treible, Savannah State University
- Jay Brandes, UGA SkIO
- Marc Frischer, UGA SkIO
Time/Date: 4:30 p.m., Saturday, March 29, 2025
Grace Mann, Master’s student (Greer Lab)
Presentation title: Upwelling Intrusions Drive Colonial Radiolarian Aggregations and Associated Zooplankton Dynamics in a Shelf Ecosystem
Format: Oral presentation
Additional authors:
- Patrick Duffy, UGA SkIO
- Marc Frischer, UGA SkIO
- Adam Greer, UGA SkIO
Time/Date: 4:45 p.m., Monday, March 31, 2025
Grace Aduasare, former intern (Frischer Lab), and current undergraduate student at Binghamton University
Presentation title: Evaluating the Efficacy of Dry Storage of Shrimp Gill Tissue on FTA Cards for PCR-Based Monitoring of the Cilate Responsible for Shrimp Black Gill Disease
Format: Poster presentation
Additional authors:
- Max Braun, UGA SkIO
- Marc Frischer, UGA SkIO
Time/Date: 5:15 p.m., Saturday, March 29, 2025
Laura Treible, former postdoctoral researcher (Greer Lab), and current assistant professor at Savannah State University
Presentation title: Seasonal Water Column Stratification Drives the Ontogeny of Pelagic Tunicates in Shallow Shelf Systems
Format: Poster presentation
Additional authors:
- Luciano Chiaverano, Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo Pesquero
- MickiAnne Harris, Weber State University
- Patrick Duffy, UGA SkIO
- Adam Greer, UGA SkIO
Time/Date: 6:00 p.m., Saturday, March 29, 2025
About SkIO
The UGA Skidaway Institute of Oceanography (SkIO) is a multidisciplinary research and education institution located on Skidaway Island near Savannah, Georgia. The Institute was founded in 1967 with a mission to conduct research in all fields of oceanography. In 2013, SkIO was merged with the University of Georgia. The campus serves as a gateway to coastal and marine environments for programs throughout the University System. The Institute’s primary goals are to further the understanding of marine and environmental processes, conduct leading-edge research on coastal and marine systems, and train tomorrow’s scientists. For more information, visit www.skio.uga.edu.