SEACHANGE welcomes visiting students for hands-on sclerochronology training
From 20-31 July, the Exeter SEACHANGE team welcomed four visiting students eager to learn techniques for visualising growth increments in bivalves and developing sclerochronologies.
Amelie Rawson and Awen Le Graet visited from 20-25 July. Amelie, a sixth-form student completing a work experience placement, is hoping to pursue a career in environmental science and has a particular interest in oceanography. Awen is a PhD student at the Roscoff Biological Station, where she studies the larval shells of hydrothermal vent mussels.
During their visit, they learned about the methods used by the SEACHANGE team to investigate growth increments in Arctica islandica shells from Iceland and the North Sea. They gained hands-on experience throughout the entire process, including embedding shells in resin, polishing cross-sections, producing acetate peels, imaging, and image analysis. Impressively, Amelie was even able to cross-date samples into the North Sea chronology.
Awen and Amelie producing acetate peels and imaging samples on the microcope.
Alongside this training, Awen focused on refining the production of acetate peels, applying the technique to thin sections of small mussels as well as several tiny larval samples.
The following week, from 29-31 July, the team hosted Francisco Coirini and Luisa Vargas, both PhD students based at the University of Exeter's Streatham Campus. Francisco's research explores mussel restoration and ecosystem service quantification, and he was interested in applying sclerochronological methods to determine the age of mussel specimens from south-west England. Luisa studies mangrove dynamics, palaeoecology, and carbon sequestration in Colombia, and was keen to explore how similar approaches could potentially be applied to trees or bivalves within her study system.
During their visit, the team processed five of Francisco's mussel shells and successfully produced trial acetate peels to reveal their growth patterns.
Emma leading Fran and Luisa through polishing and etching samples and producing acetate peel slides
The SEACHANGE team greatly enjoyed hosting all four visitors, learning about their research interests, and exchanging knowledge over the two-week period. We wish them every success in their future studies and research, and look forward to following their next achievements.
