Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Marine scientists from around the world will gather at the University of North Carolina Wilmington March 10-13 for the 39th Annual Benthic Ecology Meeting. Participants will present research findings on coastal issues such as the impacts of beach renourishment and the feasibility of oyster reef restoration, as well as research on specific marine species such as Eastern oysters, Hawaiian spiny and slipper lobsters, omnivorous sea stars, blue crabs, bay scallops, sea urchins, and giant barrel sponges. Benthic ecology is the study of the environment on the ocean floor and the organisms that dwell there.

The 2010 Benthic Ecology Meeting, hosted by UNCW's Department of Biology and Marine Biology and the Southeastern Estuarine Research Society, will be held March 10-13 in the Burney Center and Fisher Student Center on UNCW's campus. Media are invited to attend and cover any sessions of the conference; interviews and visual opps can be arranged on request.

Participants, including university research faculty, government representatives and both undergraduate and graduate students, will give oral and poster presentations on a variety of topics pertaining to marine biology and benthic ecology, including issues of particular interest to Coastal North Carolina. Presentation topics include the impact of beach renourishment, blue crab research and oyster repopulation efforts. Other major topics include research and discoveries related to global climate change and ocean acidification on the world's coral reefs.

More than 700 marine biologists from around the world are expected to participate, including scientists from Australia, France, Mexico, Germany, UK, Israel, the Netherlands and Eastern Europe. The conference is for registered participants only but is open to any media interested in covering parts of the event.

UNCW faculty member and researcher on giant barrel sponges Joe Pawlik is a major organizer of the conference, one of the largest marine biology meetings in the U.S.

"We're very excited to host this international event," Pawlik said. "The quality of research and the expertise of our faculty at UNCW are widely recognized, and we are very proud to open our campus to our colleagues from around the country and the world.

"Conferences like this are critical to the work that we do as scientists," he added. "They allow us to learn about what our colleagues are doing, hear their findings and network so that we can work together to address common issues."

Some presentations related to Coastal North Carolina include:
• UNCW professors Larry Cahoon and Martin Posey, UNCW research associate Troy Alphin and UNCW graduate student Anne Markwith will present about how water quality affects oyster health in tidal creek estuaries in Southeastern North Carolina. (2:30 p.m. Thursday, March 11, Burney B)
• Ami Wilbur, director of the new $4.3 million oyster hatchery at UNCW's Center for Marine Science and associate professor of marine biology, will present about genetic diversity in North Carolina populations of the Eastern oyster. (5:30 p.m. Thursday, March 11, Fisher Student Center)
• UNCW professor Thomas Lankford and student Whitney Knapp will present on the impacts of beach renourishment on the mole crab, one of the main sources of food for surf-zone fishes and shorebirds. (5:30 p.m., Thursday March 11, Fisher Student Center)

The full presentation schedule, abstracts and other conference information is available www.benthicecologymeeting2010.org.

Media contacts:
Dana Fischetti, media relations manager, 910.962.7259 office, 910.508.3127 cell or fischettid@uncw.edu

Dr. Joe Pawlik, UNCW marine researcher and Benthic Ecology Meeting organizer, 910.232.3579 cell