Today's Message
Posted: Friday, February 28, 2025'The Pelagic and Benthic Life of Mysis Diluviana, Native Mysid Shrimp of the Great Lakes' - March 3
Please join the Biology Department and the Great Lakes Center for the seminar “The pelagic and benthic life of Mysis diluviana, native mysid shrimp of the Great Lakes,” presented by Dr. Jim Watkins on Monday, March 3, at 3:00 p.m. in Bulger Communication Center 214. Attendees are welcome to arrive at 2:30 p.m. to enjoy coffee and cookies leading up to the seminar.
Research Seminar Abstract: The native opossum shrimp Mysis diluviana is a critical crustacean of the deep Great Lakes, particularly since the near extiripation of native benthic amphipod Diporeia hoyi. Both are considered glacial “relicts” and Lake Ontario and the NY Finger Lakes represents the far southern extent of their range. While the benthic amphipod has nearly disappeared, the largely pelagic mysid has continued to persist, leading to questions on how the spread of nonnative dreissenid mussels have played a role. Mysids have the unique behavior of diel vertical migration, occurring in a distinct swarm layer at night and then rapidly migrating to the bottom of the lake during the day. Several fish species seek this lipid rich prey. I will present two new approaches to assessing mysid populations both in the water and near the sediment that have led us to a novel hypothesis on what could be causing some recently observed mysid declines in some lakes but not others.
