Anna Bass publishes in ‘PLoS ONE’

Anna L. Bass, Ph.D., assistant research professor in the Marine Science Center, co-authored a recent publication with former UNE Marine Science Center Post-doctoral Associate Louise Kregting, Ph.D., and former UNE Marine Science Center Director Philip Yund, Ph.D. The manuscript was published in the online journal PLoS ONE.

The research examined the effects of oscillatory water flow on green sea urchin fertilization in an experimental flume. Information regarding the effect of hydrodynamic factors on broadcast spawners, such as green sea urchins, is important for modeling fertilization during broadcast spawning events in highly energetic coastal environments.

Contrary to suggestions that turbulent wave action would always result in a decrease in fertilization rates, the authors detected significant fertilization even under various flow conditions.

In addition, the body surface of the animal was also determined to be a site of significant fertilization rates under energetic wave conditions.

Full citation:

Kregting LT, Bass AL, Guadayol Ò, Yund PO, Thomas FIM (2013) Effects of oscillatory flow on fertilization in the green sea urchin Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis. PLoS ONE 8(9): e76082. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0076082.