West Haven, Conn., June 11, 2009- University of New Haven (UNH) graduate student Melody Wood is on the war path. The Austin, Texas native is trying to combat the devastation wrought by a highly invasive marine invertebrate, or tunicate, lurking in Long Island Sound, Styela clava.
In waging her battle against the deceptively innocent-looking 8-12 cm, bumpy beige creatures, Wood is researching their temperature tolerances in the hope of helping to determine their potential spread to the Southern Atlantic seaboard. A bane to commercial fishermen on the Connecticut coastline and in many other parts of the world, the pesky sea squirts, native to Korea, congregate in masses on fishing equipment, ropes, and the hulls of boats, increasing fuel costs and rendering crab pots and lobster traps useless. They have also been known to clog the intake valves of water treatment plants and power plants, requiring a good deal of time and money spent in removal.
In addition, Styela clava deprive Long Island Sound native filter-feeding species of food. Able to filter greater quantities of water than native species, the sea squirts can consume whatever food is available before the natives have a chance to feed. In addition, the invasive species attach directly to the native bivalves, further preventing them from being able to feed.
Led by Associate Professor and Coordinator of the Marine Biology Program at UNH, Carmela Cuomo, Ph.D., Wood's research will aid scientists and resource managers in planning for possible sea squirt invasion as far south as Florida. In earlier testing, Wood determined that adult sea squirts can survive in water temperatures of up 80 to 85 degrees. This semester, Wood will begin testing larval temperature tolerance. If the larvae are found to be as tolerant as adults, scientists can expect Styela clava to eventually become a dominant competitor in southern waters.
A leader in experiential education, the University of New Haven is experiencing a historic and nationally recognized surge in enrollment. Founded in 1920, the University provides its students with a unique combination of solid liberal arts and real-world, hands-on professional training. UNH is a private university with an 80-acre main campus. The University has a full-time undergraduate enrollment of more than 3,000 students-with nearly 70 percent residing in university housing-and a graduate school enrollment that exceeds 1,600. The University offers more than 80 undergraduate degrees and more than 25 graduate degrees through its four colleges, in fields such as sports management, nutrition, forensic science, music and sound recording, engineering, computer science and criminal justice. University College at UNH develops programs and courses to meet the emerging educational and training needs of educators, businesses and public and social agencies, focusing on academic excellence, convenience and flexibility. University of New Haven students study abroad through a variety of distinctive programs.
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