Three projects and three goals for the next 6 months

(1) Alexandrium project

Research question: What are environmental drivers for blooms of Alexandrium in Bellingham Bay? 

Goal 6 months:

Question: Can we use already designed probes to quantify Alexandrium?

Use a TaqMan probe designed for identification of Alexandrium at the genus level to quantify Alexandrium fundyense and Alexandrium tamarense from culture. Then, use that same probe to quantify Alexandrium in Bellingham Bay.

(2) Pseudo-nitzschia project

Research question: What are environmental drivers for blooms of Pseudo-nitzschia in Bellingham Bay? 

Goal 6 months: 

Question: Can we use already designed probes to identify and quantify Pseudo-nitzschia?

Use rRNA-targeted probes in whole cell hybridization to enumerate cells in Bellingham Bay.

And, use Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) to quantify the cells.

(3) Longfin smelt project

Goal 6 months:

Can we use TaqMan probes to quantify Longfin smelt in the Nooksack River?