Chris Helak begins the first phase of extracting toxins from marine algae cultures at the Center for Marine Science's HABLAB, the Harmful Algal Bloom Laboratories for Analytical Biotechnology

Marine Environmental Toxicology

 

Drs. Andrea Bourdelais and Daniel G. Baden's primary research focus on the diagnostics, bioassays and screening to develop diagnostic tools for the detection of marine pathogens and toxic marine organisms using new and traditional detection methods.

 

Dr. David Padgett is the coordinator of the Marine Taxonomy and Ecology Program whose purpose is to share information and to discuss ideas that will lead to more enlightened understanding of our individual areas of interest and to explore opportunities for research collaborations and extramural funding.

Dr. Carmelo R. Tomas research involves the culturing of Marine Organisms. His group's efforts include identification, isolation and cultivation of harmful marine microalgae (HABS) as reference materials for studies on the composition of toxins and other bioactive compounds. 

 

Drs. Ryan Van Wagoner and Jeffrey L.C. Wright study Chemical/Molecular Diversity characterizing the metabolic pathways responsible for the biosynthesis of culturable organism compounds and in understanding the mechanisms by which the producing enzymes work.

Coral Reef Ecosystems are studied to find the synergistic effects of global-warming-related temperature stress on corals and their endo-symbiotic algae, epidemics of diseases, over-fishing which affects community structure and trophic dynamics, degraded water quality and sedimentation stress, have resulted in world-wide decline of coral cover on coral reefs.

 

Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) Research studies microscopic species that are capable of creating population explosions along with the production of bioactive compounds that can be highly toxic to humans, marine mammals, birds, fish and other components of the marine ecosystem.

 

Phytoplankton Ecology Research is the study of the relationship of planktonic microscopic algae with the physical, chemical, and biological factors that influence their growth and distribution.

UNCW/Jamie Moncrief