Thermal assay

Ben has been running thermal assays to answer the question: 

For every native and non-native populations of Gracilaria collected by the Sotka Lab, thermal assays will be run to see how different populations react to thermal stresses. 

Methods

• Ben cuts four 4 cm long tips from one individual. Those 4 tips are then placed in a micro centrifuge tube with 1.75 mL seawater. 
• The tips are then exposed to 40 degrees Celsius for 0, 1, 2 or 4 hours. The tips are then placed in culture plates for 8 days with bleaching being scored every 2 days. 

                     Scoring: Ben will observe any physical changes to the samples and give them a score of                          how healthy they appear. 1 = healthy, 2 = okay, 3 = unhealthy, bleached

•  Pictures are taken on day 0 and day 8 to have a record of bleaching.

Data

What is bleaching?

Bleaching, or the loss of color, is an indicator of seaweed health. Seaweed that is vibrant in color is healthy and able to photosynthesize!

---

Pictures are taken at the beginning of the assay and at the end of the assay to document any bleaching. If Gracilaria samples are bleached this indicates that the plant is unhealthy or dying.

Results

Stay tuned for results!