Zooplankton in Waquoit Bay

Research at the Reserve Series

Zooplankton in Waquoit Bay

Wednesday, March 18 – In-person & Virtual
6:30PM – 7:30PM

In-Person: Waquoit Bay Reserve Visitor Center, 131 Waquoit Highway.  Doors open at 6:00PM, light refreshments available.

Virtual: A Zoom link will be sent to you prior to the webinar.

Zooplankton are tiny animals that drift with the currents and help to form the base of the food chain. Zooplankton are essential prey items for fish and other predators, and changes in the zooplankton community can indicate broader ecological change. We are tracking how the zooplankton community changes seasonally and spatially in Waquoit Bay and comparing the zooplankton composition with historical records. Come and learn more about these diverse but often overlooked animals!

Speaker: Ann Tarrant, Ph.D., Senior Scientist, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). Ann Tarrant completed a B.S. in Marine Science and Biology at the University of Miami and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Biological Oceanography at the University of Hawaii. She currently a Senior Scientist in the Biology Department and the Associate Dean of Academic Programs at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Her lab uses molecular, physiological and behavior approaches to study how invertebrate animals detect and respond to signals and stressors in their environment. One recent focus has been in understanding how animals use internal circadian clocks and environmental cues to adapt to highly variable salt marsh environments. A second major effort has been toward understanding how copepods (planktonic crustaceans) respond to seasonal changes and use dormancy as a survival strategy. She is also an avid distance runner.