POSTER PRESENTATIONS
PRE-RECORDED: 5 minutes, questions on forum
The secret lives of plankton: Using plankton analysis to understand an unknown coral located in Packery Channel
Morgan Bruce, Ashleigh Epps, Keisha Bahr
Quantitative analysis of plankton is a common environmental data collection method and can be used to monitor the food availability for coral reefs. Recently, corals have been located in Packery Channel, TX. However, the environmental conditions observed in this area are not ideal for most corals due to lack of sunlight caused by high turbidity. To understand how these corals are surviving, plankton abundance and diversity will be analyzed. Each month during the highest tide and lowest tide of the full moon, a quantitative analysis of the plankton will take place at Packery Channel. The overall study site is 100 meters, and the plankton tows will take place from 45 to 55 meters. Zooplankton samples (n=3) will be taken with a 63micron net and phytoplankton will be taken with a 243micron net. The rate of flow will be documented with a manual flow meter and calculated according to net width to standardize each sample. After collection, the zooplankton is observed and counted using a dissecting microscope and identified using a compound microscope. Phytoplankton, due to its dense population, is observed using the dissecting microscope and measured using the density of each sample. This study aims to determine if the food availability is vast enough for corals to depend on heterotrophic feedings as opposed to autotrophic. This will contribute to the understanding of how corals are able to adapt to dynamic environments.
OpenCV algorithms and functions to support camera-based path-planning and exploration of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
Alan Garduno, Ruby Mehrubeoglu, Pablo Rangel
The tag detection concept has been an area of high interest for coordinating multiple robots. For instance, live camera feeds on an autonomous robot need to be processed in a timely manner to be considered “real-time”. Using OpenCV algorithms and the augmented reality tags provide sufficient information to detect objects and coordinate a robot’s path plan. This visual marker system uses a tag that allows six degrees of freedom (DOF) localization that provides fast and robust visual detection that builds on and the integration of OpenCV software libraries, Robot Operating System (ROS) and Raspberry Pi hardware. We implemented OpenCV algorithms and functions to support the augmented reality approach in camera calibration, tag detection, and path-planning/exploration for a multi-robotic system to improve the efficiency of vision data processing. The proposed methods allow the development of an improved approach for detecting images real-time, where real-time requirements such as robustness, speed, and flexibility are critical in the high-level control of autonomous systems, as well as their performance in assigned tasks, such as navigation and object detection.
Coral Health Assessment Card
Gabriella Herrera, Keisha Bahr, Alexandra Good
Corals may undergo bleaching during periods of stress. Stress is any environmental change (i.e., high temperature, light, nutrients) that causes a physiological response in the individual. During periods of stress, corals lose their zooxanthellae symbionts and "bleach" as the color lightens until the tissues are transparent and the skeleton becomes visibly white. One method to determine the severity of bleaching is to compare coral color over time and between colonies. The project objective was to develop a Coral Health Assessment Card for corals at the Texas State Aquarium (TSA) to detect changes in coral color effortlessly and, therefore, coral health. Nondestructive measurements of symbiont "health" were collected using Pulse-Amplitude Modulation (PAM) Fluorometry. Rapid light curves were conducted on each coral fragment to measure the efficiency of Photosystem II in the symbiotic algae, which measures how well the algae are photosynthesizing and can be representative of how healthy the coral is. Individual corals were photographed with a white background and analyzed in Photoshop to determine hue, saturation, and brightness. Coral health reference colors were selected for all species at TSA. PAM measurements were correlated with the photographs to quantify a "healthy" baseline color for each species. The coral health assessment card allows TSA to efficiently care for their coral collection, allowing them to put more species on display and utilize them as educational tools.
DyPolDroid: User-Centered Counter-Policies Against Android Permission-Abuse Attacks
Matthew Hill, Carlos Rubio-Medrano, Luis Claramunt, Jaejong Baek, Gail-Joon Ahn
DyPolDroid is a modern Android Enterprise framework for detecting permission abuse in Android applications and crafting policies to defend against permission abusing applications. Users are able to craft high level policies that define permission and app restrictions, attacks to defend against, etc. These applications installed on the device are then analyzed to locate if their permission usage conflicts with the user defined policies. If an app is found to be in violation of the policy, the application will have the permissions in question revoked. To test DyPolDroid, we developed Laverna, an example application that abuses the permissions granted by the app by the user by sending the user's contacts and SMS messages over the internet to a server we controlled.
Assessing symbiotic algae abundance in mystery corals located in Corpus Christi, Texas
Caleb Ramos, Keisha Bahr, Ashleigh Epps
Corals generally thrive in oligotrophic environments where they conduct photosynthesis to gain majority of their energy and nutrients, which would result in a high symbiotic algae abundance. However, corals located in eutrophic environments could have low symbiotic algae abundance as they may not have access to as much direct sunlight and have high turbidity. Corals found in the coastal bend are suspected to have a wide tolerance range to salinity, sunlight, temperature and even sediment, because conditions are highly dynamic. The purpose of this study is to observe the symbiotic algae abundance. Corals were collected in Packery Channel, Texas (n=16) in December, 2020. Each of these samples were airbrushed to remove coral tissue and alloqouted to separate the algal symbiont form the coral tissue. Chlorophyll concentration will be observed by a spectrophotometer and zooxanthellae will be counted using a hemocytometer. This research aims to indicate whether these corals rely mostly on heterotrophic feeding or autotropic feeding, as well as indicate whether the present of zooxanthellae within the coral is essential to their survival in a eutrophic environment.
Analyzing the effect of estuarine organismal grazing on biodegradable mesh bags
Abigail Louisa Schulz, Devin Comba, Jennifer Beseres Pollack
A recent project aiming to provide oyster-reef restoration projects three, completely biodegradable alternatives (cotton, cellulose, and jute mesh) found that the lifespan of each mesh was much shorter than what was advertised. Field observations noted a number of isopods, amphipods, and other organisms on the mesh, indicating the possibility of grazing on the bags themselves. The goal of this study was to examine the effect of estuarine organismal grazing on the biodegradable mesh bags in a controlled environment, in hopes of understanding the rapid degradation occurring within the mesh bags. A series of two trials were conducted, in which a varying number of crustaceans and gastropods were positioned in six, ten-gallon tanks. The three biodegradable mesh types were hung from a Styrofoam lid and submerged three inches into the water to encourage grazing. The two trials conducted, varying in methods and timeframe, both indicated an overall decrease in the mass of the mesh types observed. The findings of this study suggest grazing occurred throughout the trials conducted, which could alter the validity and integrity of the biodegradable options available for oyster-reef restoration projects.
Detection of Vibrio vulnificus pathogenic Isolates through use of primers using single-plex PCR
Vinoshna Sama, Gregory Buck
Vibrio vulnificus (V. vulnificus) is a gram-negative, halophilic bacterium and an opportunistic human pathogen. It lives in Marine and estuarine waters and grows at higher levels in the Gulf of Mexico between April and October. Various environmental factors regulate the activation of virulence genes in V. vulnificus bacteria. Transcription of these virulence genes is regulated by a sigma factor that is encoded by a gene called rpoS and vvhA is another important pathogenic gene that encodes hemolysin-cytolysin, because of activation of this gene it produces several toxins. Vibrio vulnificus infections can cause upon ingestion, through undercooked seafood, or entry into wounds, it may cause three distinct syndromes: - primary septicemia; wound infection leading to necrotizing fasciitis, and gastroenteritis. Therefore, the goal of this study is to design primers for both vvhA and rpoS for the identification of V. vulnificus . This study will ensure to design efficient primers for pathogenic genes and a consistent protocol to detect pathogenic isolates of (V. vulnificus) through Polymerase chain reaction to understand these genes better.
Comparison of growth rates of larval Atlantic croaker collected near Corpus Christi and Galveston
Angelina Weigand, Simon Geist, Shannan McAskill, Michelle Bromschwig
During their early life stages, larval fish are vulnerable to a variety of physical, biological, and environmental processes. The ability for larval fish to successfully capture prey items effects their body condition, growth rates, and ultimately survivorship. This project focuses on the growth and condition of larval Atlantic croaker, Micropogonias undulatus, collected in October to November 2017 at two distinct locations Galveston, TX and Corpus Christi, TX. A previous study on the diets of these fish show that M. undulatus collected and Galveston and Corpus Christi have significantly different diets from one another at family level taxonomic resolution of prey items. The goal of this study is to determine if the M. undulatus between the two locations also have a difference in condition and growth rates that may be related to differences in diets and localize prey availability. Using larval fish samples of M. undulatus, we can extract the otoliths and use otolith increment growth analyses to investigate the differences in their growth rates. Larvae for this study were collected approximately two to two and a half months following Hurricane Harvey, which may have changed the water quality which affects the growth of larval fish. Therefore, this study will also assess differences in environmental parameters between the two locations to determine potential effects from the Hurricane. By extracting, mounting, polishing, and measuring the otoliths from the collected samples, we are able to determine the growth rate and the age of the fish and expect to see differences between locations that may be caused by diet differences and water quality.
Assessing the influence of temperature and light on the rate of degradation of oyster bag materials
Daphne White, Devin Comba, Jennifer Beseres Pollack
Recently, oyster populations have been declining due to a variety of factors, and because of this, many new restoration efforts have begun. Assessing the influence of temperature and light on the rate of degradation of each different oyster bag material allows us to know how effective the bags are, and in what climates different bags may be better suited for. This can help oyster reef restoration efforts, and since we are testing such a wide range of temperature and light settings, this research can impact restoration efforts at more than just a local level. There are many variables that can change the bag’s ability to break down within the water, such as the temperature of the seawater, the depth of the reef (which can change the amount of light/ UV exposure to the bags), grazing, and much more. This experiment replicated multiple different types of temperature and UV settings in multiple different tanks in order to test a variety of potential climates. The results from this project have begun to show that temperature did have an effect on the different bag mesh types in all of the tanks on average, however it seems that light/UV caused a much greater rate of degradation on all of the bagging materials. As for the specific bagging materials, jute seemed to be the most efficient in breaking down on average followed by cotton, then cellulose.
Mapping of larvae fish in Texas Coastal Bend bays collected during 2016/17
Hannah McKenzie Zapata, Simon Geist, Shannan McAskill
This project aims to provide recent information on spatiotemporal – distribution of larval fish in the greater Corpus Christi Bay Area and the Coastal Bend which is otherwise scarce. Concerns were raised by residents, scientists, and environmentalists about possible negative effects of ongoing planning efforts for several desalination plants around Corpus Christi Bay, which aim to increase freshwater supply and safety for the region. Analyzing ichthyoplankton samples collected by the Geist Lab team between 2016 to 2017 at several locations within Texas Coastal Bays and Estuaries, will provide baseline data on larval fish communities located in these areas. This undergraduate research project has the goal to identify and quantify larval fish within these samples to produce abundance and distribution records of species within the order of Clupeiformes Gobiiformes, and Perciformes. Data produced from this project can help us better understand and identify changes in larval fish community structure that may be related to the development of desalination plants in these areas, which aim to increase freshwater supply for the region. In the following study, larvae were picked from bulk plankton samples, presorted by their shape and stored in Ethanol. Larvae were then identified to the lowest taxonomic level possible (ideally species), imaged, and individually measured so that species size class distributions could be analyzed. Preliminary data on taxa specific densities will be presented in maps of the sampling areas using Ocean Data View Software.