Jake Dytnerski
Ph.D. candidate
Research
Hong Kong has a seasonally dynamic marine environment. Summer sea surface temperatures can exceed 30°C whereas winter temperatures can drop below 15°C. This range in temperature allows for year-round coral communities, and abundant growth of macroalgae in the winter. For my PhD, I am researching the role of the long-spined sea urchin, Diadema setosum, in the ecosystem, here in Hong Kong. Much work has been done on Diadema antillarum in the Caribbean, and some work has been done on the D. setosum as a bioeroder of coral reefs in the tropics. However, little is known about which marcoalgae these urchins feed on; how they affect the seasonal patterns of macroalgae growth and distribution; if the urchins target living corals here in Hong Kong or just the turf algae that grows on the dead skeletons of the corals. Answering these questions will help understand the food sources of the urchins and how their energy stores vary with the seasonal change in food abundance. I am also interested in the connectivity of the populations of D. setosum across its range, as they can be found from the East coast of Africa to French Polynesia, from Honshu, Japan to NSW, Australia. I want to compare the physiological performance of the urchins from stable tropical environments and highly variable environments to determine if they show extensive physiological plasticity, or if populations have adapted to variable environments. This will allow me to predict how these important grazers will cope with future conditions across their range.
Education
2016: Bachelor of Science, Honours Marine Biology, University of British Columbia, Canada
2013: Arts and Science Diploma: Biology, Langara College, Canada
Awards
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2015: Dean of Science Scholarship – Biology research grant
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2013: Betty and Tony Pletcher Memorial Scholarship – For Achievement in Biology
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2012: Real Estate Foundation Biology Student Bursary – Bursary for Biology students
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Zhong Kaile
PhD Candidate
Research
Macroalgae are a major key primary producer in the ocean. They are widely distributed across the globe with varying degrees in distribution across species, that are associated with difference genetic and phenotypic plasticity. I’m interested in the mechanisms that explain such patterns and phenomenon, by testing eco-eco-evolutionary hypotheses linked to historical (e.g., Last Glacial Maximum) and contemporary (e.g, Shipping activity and ocean currents flow) conditions.
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To unravel the mechanisms, I utilized advance molecular techniques such as gene-based marker and genomic SNPs to evaluate the genetic diversity and differentiation among the sampled macroalgae across a gradient of seascape. Because macroalgae also subjected to major effect from climatic change events, I am also interested in exploring the effects of different environmental factors, in particular temperature, on macroalgae and understand their response mechanism from different physiological and molecular perspectives.
Subjects of Interest
• Macroalgae • Phylogeography • Ecology & Evolution, • Climate change • Plasticity