Before Jamie Baldwin-Fergus studied vision in crustaceans, she was on a self-proclaimed mission to save the world. Following her bachelor’s degree in biology from Illinois State University, she first commenced graduate studies in an ecotoxicology program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Jamie’s interest in ecotoxicology stemmed from stories her parents had told her about the infamous 1973 incident of polybrominated biphenyl (PBB) cattle feed contamination in Michigan. Jamie’s parents were living in Michigan during that period. By the time the cause of the contamination was discovered, the majority of Michigan’s residents, including Jamie’s parents, had consumed tainted beef, milk, and dairy products. In contrast to the ecotoxicology program in Wisconsin, which was only a state away from home, the ocean and the career in marine biology that she dreamed of as a child seemed impossibly far away.
However, within her first semester at the University of Wisconsin, Jamie started second-guessing her pursuit of a degree in ecotoxicology. As an undergraduate, she had participated in a summer Research Experience for Undergraduates at the MDI Biological Laboratory, where she studied osmoregulation in brackish-water fish. The disparity between the laboratory work in her ecotoxicology program and the opportunity waiting for her at Duke University, where professor Sönke Johnsen had offered her a place, was deeply noticeable. So later that year, Jamie packed up and headed for the East coast, where she promptly enrolled in Duke’s biology program with the goal of becoming a marine biologist.
Years later, Jamie is an accomplished researcher in the area of visual ecology. She now works on hyperiid amphipods, which she calls “fun, grumpy little animals.” She has collaborated with other researchers at the Smithsonian’s Carrie Bow Cay Field Station in Belize and has taken to the sea with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute to collect specimens for her work. In particular, she finds hyperiid amphipods fascinating because, even though about 250 species have been identified, scientists still know comparatively little about their ecology or natural history. Plus, these animals have an amazing range of optical adaptations to life in the deep water column.
For her work with these diverse crustaceans, Jamie examines the physiology and morphology of their vision systems. One focus of Jamie’s work is determining the spectral sensitivity (i.e., sensitivity to different colors of light) of a variety of species living at different oceanic depths. To do this, the specimens are recovered from the ocean using deep trawl nets and then are maintained in complete darkness for 12-24 hours. Next, the eyes of the animals are cut into thin sections using a cryostat. Using a special microscope paired with a spectrometer, light is projected through the thin sections of the eyes at 1-nm increments, ranging across the visible light spectrum (300-800 nm). The custom built microspectrophotometry system records the intensities of the transmitted and absorbed wavelengths, allowing Jamie to pinpoint the colors of light that can be perceived by each species. However, to fully understand what a hyperiid can see, Jamie must also factor in the light spectrum that the organism would be exposed to in its environment. For this side of the work, measurements of water quality are paired with underwater recordings of light spectra, ranging from the water’s surface to depths below 500 m. Then, Jamie uses a modeling program that can reproduce the underwater light environment for specific locations at any time of day, depth, or weather condition. When paired with the specifics of a specimen’s visual system, these light models can be used to estimate the species’ visual capabilities in its environment. Jamie’s technique provides an opportunity for scientists to see the world how the animal might see it.
Ultimately, Jamie hopes to study 10 different species of hyperiid amphipods using this approach. Her work in this area represents an exciting effort to correlate adaptations in eye morphology with visual abilities. Once she has gathered her data, Jamie will be able to make predictions about the perception and activities of other hyperiids. In the future, Jamie hopes to find a tenure track position that will allow her to continue her work with marine crustaceans. Even though Jamie chose to follow a path of basic research in the field of marine biology, instead of a career in ecotoxicology, she now realizes how important her research is to the environment, as well as to the health of the species that live in the ocean and to humans, who rely on the ocean for sustenance.
“To conserve our oceans and be good stewards, we must first understand the animals and the environment that we aim to protect. It’s hard to get to the deep sea, and it’s hard to find the animals, but have to keep trying, to keep investigating these basic questions.” In other words, it would appear that Jamie is, in many ways, very much still on her quest to save the world.
by Liz Boatman
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