51品茶receives National Science Foundation grant for blue mussel research
The 51品茶 has received a substantial grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to conduct research on the northern blue mussel.
The $431,000 grant was awarded to Philip Yund, Ph.D., director of UNE's Marine Science Center, for a study titled, "Does larval transport or physiological tolerance set the southern range boundary of a northern blue mussel?"
The NSF award will enable 51品茶researchers to test whether the southern range boundary of a northern blue mussel, Mytilus trossulus, is determined by limitations on the dispersal of larvae, or the physiological tolerance of larvae and/or juveniles.
The Gulf of Maine is home to a thriving Mytilis edulis aquaculture industry, and M. trossulus is a commercially inferior species; growers are concerned about its possible spread. A better understanding of the factors determining the range boundary of this species will help growers avoid M. trossulus spat. UNE鈥毭劽磗 research results will be shared with the Maine aquaculture community.
This project will provide training for one M.S. and one Ph.D. student, and several undergraduates. UNE's project will provide numerous student opportunities for field and laboratory research in oceanography and benthic ecology.