Interdisciplinary Seminar: Greg Sorg

An interdisciplinary seminar presented by UNC IMS Graduate Student, Greg Sorg.

Seminar Title: Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost: Use of Chemical and Acoustic Cues to Navigate Estuarine Environments

Abstract: The estuarine environment provides primary habitats, nurseries, and/or foraging grounds for a variety of recreational, commercial, and ecological important fisheries.  Many of these marine species have complex life histories that often include a planktonic larval stage(s). These planktonic larvae are not passive drifters.  Some larvae are able to utilize environmental cues to position themselves vertically in the water column to maximize their ability to be resupplied to their natal population.  This seminar will explore how acoustic and chemical cues, as well as estuarine coastal circulation processes, influence the life cycles of two commercially and ecologically important species: the eastern oyster and blue crab.  Larvae of the eastern oyster respond to physical, chemical, and acoustic cues to remain in the estuary for the duration of development and must commit themselves to a single location for the entirety of their adult lives. By contrast, blue crab larvae are initially transported into continental shelf waters and later returned to the estuary nursery grounds where subsequent stages of development rely on acoustic and chemical cues for orientation and post-larval settlement.  These findings can be applied to develop novel approaches that incorporate relevant chemical and acoustic cues to enhance fishery management and restoration practices for these important estuarine species.

This seminar will be held in Coker Hall seminar room 222 at the Institute of Marine Sciences in Morehead City and broadcast live to the Department of Marine Sciences seminar room G201 in Murray Hall, UNC – Chapel Hill.