Traveling from Oregon to Bergen to study Oikopleura in culture
The Appendicularian Facility at the Michael Sars Centre at the University of Bergen is one of only four in the world. This month, guest researchers traveled from the U.S. to conduct experiments in this unique laboratory.
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Research Assistant Professor and Graduate Research Assistant Carey Sweeney from partnered with collaborator Dr. Terra Hiebert, Research Associate in the at the , to conduct a series of experiments at the Michael Sars Centre, University of Bergen studying the appendicularian Oikopleura dioica.听The facility in Bergen is one of only four in the world, with the other three facilities located in听Barcelona, Spain, and in Osaka and Okinawa in Japan.
The state-of-the-art Appendicularian facility, led by Head Engineer Anne Aasjord, was established at the Michael Sars Centre in 1998 by Prof. Daniel Chourrout and former Michael Sars Centre group leader Prof. Eric Thompson. Since then, it has had a crucial role in expanding the appendicularian research community. 鈥淢ost researchers doing significant work on Oikopleura have been visiting us to learn how to culture the animal鈥�, Prof. Chourrout said. 鈥淏eyond the culture, our groups have been establishing several key methods used for molecular biology studies of Oikopleura鈥�, he added.听
Oikopleura dioica is a microscopic, transparent planktonic species found in abundance all over the globe. It plays a crucial role in marine ecosystems, contributing to carbon transfers within the water column and ingesting large amounts of particles and microorganisms. 鈥淲e are enamored with the animals - they look like tiny specks by the naked eye but put them under the microscope and you witness a majestic creature with a very sophisticated feeding machinery鈥�, Dr. Anne Thompson said.
鈥淭he Bergen appendicularian facility is one of the very few, maybe even the only, facility in the world where appendicularians are expertly maintained and cultured in a very reliable and accessible way鈥�
- Dr. Anne Thompson
, supported by the and the , is interested in finding out how the ubiquitous appendicularian interacts with bacteria in the ocean. The stable culture conditions in the Appendicularian Facility allow for fine-tuned experiments that will help the team understand the impact of these trophic interactions on marine ecosystems. 鈥淚 could not do this specific project without this facility鈥�, explained Carey Sweeney. 鈥淚 think that the data that I would produce would look very different, and it wouldn鈥檛 be the quantitative data that I'll get from here.鈥�
In the, the focus is on the biology and fluid dynamics of gelatinous marine organisms. 鈥淎s we work with appendicularians, this facility is often in our minds when we are exploring research projects鈥�, said Dr. Terra Hiebert. 鈥淪ince Anne [Thompson] visited last year, I have been designing specific experiments using artificial microspheres as food particles that could be carried out there鈥�.听The team had ambitious plans for their two-week stay at the Centre and intended to make the most of the resources offered by the facility. 鈥淭he number of animals available and at the same developmental stage at the Appendicularian facility in Bergen provides the most efficient way to carry out our research experiments鈥�, Dr. Hiebert explained. 鈥淭he work we accomplished in one week would have taken months in Oregon!鈥�
The Appendicularian Facility offers unparalleled opportunities to study the fascinating planktonic animals. The three guest researchers were very satisfied with the work they completed during their stay at the Centre and hope to come back for future experiments. 鈥淭he Bergen appendicularian facility is one of the very few, maybe even the only, facility in the world where appendicularians are expertly maintained and cultured in a very reliable and accessible way鈥�, Dr. Thompson said. 鈥淲e are so grateful to Daniel Chourrout and Anne Aasjord for such an incredible resource.鈥� 听
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