Marine Lipid Ecology Lab Research
Our research resides at the interface of marine ecology, fisheries, and marine chemistry, and focuses on informing issues of fisheries conservation, food web ecology, and aquaculture development. Our collaborative research projects have examined the effects of temperature, dissolved oxygen, oil contamination, and pH on lipid and fatty acid allocation, growth, and development in early life stages of marine organisms.
Our current collaborative research projects include:
- Developing condition metrics for Bering Sea snow and Tanner crab ยท Trophic dynamics in Arctic and subarctic food webs, including the Gulf of Alaska, eastern and northern Bering Sea, and Chukchi Sea regions
- Oyster mariculture development in Alaska
- Ocean acidification impacts on energy storage in Alaskan groundfish
- Thermal effects on the physiology of Alaskan and Arctic gadids
- Metabolic rates of snow crab
We offer fee-for-service lipid analyses, including:
- Lipid extraction using a modified Folch method (Fee ID 11310)
- Total lipids and lipid class analysis using thin layer chromatography with flame ionization detection (TLC-FID/Iatroscan, Fee ID 11350)
- Fatty acid analysis using gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC-FID, Fee ID 11129)
Our People
NOAA Partner: Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Fisheries Behavioral Ecology Program
NOAA PI: Louise Copeman, PhD, Marine Ecologist
CIMERS Lab Members:
- Michelle (Shell) Stowell, MS, Faculty Research Assistant
Focused on lab management, lipid class analysis, and epibenthic shrimp ecology in the Bering Sea - Emily Vernon, MS, Faculty Research Assistant
Focused on fatty acid analysis and assisting with husbandry and live animal experiments for Arctic cod and snow crab. - Hillary Thalmann, PhD, Postdoctoral Scholar
Focused on developing active and resting temperature-dependent metabolic rates for snow crab from the Bering Sea
Other Key Collaborators: AFSC/NOAA, Benjamin Laurel, Thomas Hurst, Emily Slesinger, Erin Fedewa, Robert Suryan
Related Program Links
- OSU External Fees for Service - Select "Search Fees" from the menu, and in the "Fee ID" field, enter 11310 (Lipid Extraction), 11350 (Lipid Class Analyses), or 11129 (Lipid Analysis of Fatty Acids).