Shark genetics and ocean acidification
Shark Genetics
Alison Ballance joins biologists as they take genetic samples from the rig, one of New Zealand’s smallest sharks. Listen to audio on Radio New Zealand National (duration: 13′31″).
Jessica Gwilliam with a rig shark
There are about 75 shark species found in New Zealand waters, and rig shark is one of the smaller species. Each spring, rig come into estuaries such as Wellington’s Pauatahanui Inlet to breed. PhD student Jessica Gwilliam, from Macquarie University in Australia, is collaborating with NIWA’s Malcolm Francis, winner of the 2008 Marine Sciences Society medal, in a study that aims to unravel some of the genetic mysteries about rig and other closely related species, as well as understand how rig use the estuaries. Find out more about rig and other shark species at Te Ara, the online Encyclopaedia of New Zealand.
You can also listen to an earlier interview with Malcolm Francis about sharks and shark conservation.
Ocean Acidification
University of Otago marine scientist Abby Smith explains the impact of acidification of the ocean on shell-building creatures. Listen to audio on Radio New Zealand National (duration: 13′51″).
Marine biologists are warning that rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are causing the world’s oceans to acidify, and that this may have significant impacts on marine organisms that build shells from lime. Abby Smith is a marine biogeochemist in the Marine Studies Department at the University of Otago. She discusses her work with bryozoans, and explains why ocean acidification could be the next global environmental catastrophe.
To find out more about ocean acidification check out Wikipedia, read the Royal Society’s policy document and the briefing document produced for the Australian Government at the 2008 Hobart conference.
Filed under: Ali Perkins, News/Current Affairs
