The Biomolecular Sciences Institute at FIU has awarded Chromevol with seed funds to investigate the epigenetic mechanisms participating in the responses of the Eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) to Florida Red Tides (caused by the dinoflagellate Karenia brevis) in the Gulf of Mexico. This research is developed in collaboration with Dr. John Berry from the Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and it complements our work focused on mussels exposed to okadaic acid in the NE Atlantic. Tomorrow we’ll be doing the first oyster exposure experiments in the Ecotoxicology Laboratory (Dr. Gary Rand) at FIU, using K. brevis cultures provided by Dr. Kelly Rein in the core facility for the culture of toxic algae!
