Seagrass Ecosystem Research Internship
Seagrasses are threatened by various stressors, including increased temperature and salinity fluctuations, harmful algal blooms, and others. These stressors are causing seagrasses to die off at unprecedented rates across the state of Florida. Mote, along with partners from FWC and UF, is developing a ten-year seagrass restoration plan that will focus on identifying genotypes that are resilient to these stressors for use in restoration practices state-wide. To achieve this goal, Mote will undertake several genetics-based projects, including a state-wide assessment of the current genetic diversity for three species of seagrass: Halodule wrightii, Syringodium filiforme, and Thalassia testudinum. This internship position will assist Dr. Dominique Gallery with molecular techniques to genotype seagrass collected from multiple watersheds across Florida. The intern will be expected to learn molecular laboratory practices such as DNA extraction and sequencing library preparation. The intern will also have the opportunity to develop their own research project within the scope of Mote’s overall seagrass restoration goals. The intern will learn basic bioinformatics skills to analyze the data from their research project.
