U.S.-Sweden Cooperative Research: How Marine Organisms Adapt to Low Salinity Habitats

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9400199 Brawley This three-year award supports U.S.-Sweden cooperative research in marine biology. Researchers, undergraduates and graduate students at the University of Maine, Stockholm University and University of Umea will conduct field and laboratory studies on how marine organisms adapt to and invade freshwater habitats over evolutionary time scales. By studying organisms in low-salinity habitats, the investigators propose to extend their findings to freshwater habitats. The Baltic Sea is an ideal site because it is the largest body of brackish water on Earth and has an extensive and well-known post-glacial history. Fucus vesiculosus, a fucoid algae found in abundance in the Baltic, is the focus of the study. It has adapted gradually to brackish waters and serves as an important spawning and nursery ground for marine organisms including some economically important fish. The project takes advantage of complementary expertise of U.S. investigator, Susan Brawley, and her Swedish counterparts, Lena Kautsky and Goran Samuelsson. Dr. Brawley brings to this collaboration expertise in biology, physiology and genetics of seaweeds. This is complemented by Swedish knowledge in ecology and ecotoxicology. The research will advance understanding of the geographical distribution, speciation and evolution of marine seaweeds, particularly a species which is currently threatened by pollution. ***