Research

From the Desert to the Reef

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I study the interaction of sediment between coastal ecosystems, primarily focuses on the coral reefs of the Florida Keys Reef Tract. Using lipid composition and compound specific isotope analysis I track the biogeochemical cycling of particulate matter.

As an undergraduate at Northern Arizona University I studied unregulated water sources on the Navajo Nation. I have since transitioned to another oligotrophic system: coral reefs. I have also worked at Mote Marine Laboratories aiding in a project looking at the interactions between sargassum and staghorn coral under the effects of ocean acidification.

A dynamic energy budget for coral-Symbiodinium symbiosis with particulate matter input

Stony coral are known to ingest particulate matter and assimilate carbon and nitrogen. I put together a dynamic energy budget for coral-Symbiodinium symbiosis which takes particulate matter into account as a nutrient source and the influence of particulate matter reducing light availability.

PI: Jaclyn Torkelson and Dr. Mark Teece

Stony coral tissue loss disease does not alter lipid sedimentary signature

Stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) has been ravaging the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary since 2014. It has recently been shown that sediment is a vector for the transmission of the disease. However, lipids do not appear to alter the lipid geochemistry of the surrounding surface sediment.

PI: Jaclyn Torkelson and Dr. Mark Teece

Collaborators: Dr. Erinn Muller and Dr. Grace Klinges

Cycling of organic matter and trace metals in nearshore coastal ecosystem sediments

While the transfer of nitrogen and phosphorous between ecosystems has been extensively studied, there has been little done to understand the transport of lipids and trace metals between ecosystems. I am using GC-MS and ICP-MS to quantify lipid and trace metal concentrations in surface sediment from coral reefs, mangrove forests, seagrass meadows, and beaches.

PI: Jaclyn Torkelson and Dr. Mark Teece

Zooplankton derived organic matter as a
food source for benthic coral

Zooplankton are vital players in the biological pump of the open ocean. However, it was previously thought that the water column on coral reefs was too shallow for zooplankton fecal pellets to play a major role. Our results indicate zooplankton as the primary driver of settling particles in the Upper Florida Keys.

PI: Jaclyn Torkelson, Dr. Jesse Crandall, Dr. Mark Teece

Sargassum, staghorn coral, and ocean acidification

This study was focused on understanding the effects of sargassum algae blooms on staghorn coral growth and chlorophyll fluorescence in future ocean acidification scenarios.

PI: Johann David Lankes

Collaborators: Amanda Quasunella, Paul Leingang, Dr. Heather Page, Dr. Robert Nowicki, Dr. Emily Hall, Clöe Lemaire, Jaclyn Torkelson, Lillia Blasius

Trace metal quantification of unregulated water sources on the Navajo Nation

The Navajo Nation faced decades of uranium mining with little to no safety or environmental precautions. Unregulated water sources (e.g. livestock tanks or family wells) are contaminated with heavy metals and negatively affect the health of the surrounding communities.

PI: Jaclyn Torkelson, Dr. Jonathan Credo, Dr. Jani Ingram

Publications

Torkelson, Jaclyn; Crandall, Jesse; Teece, Mark A. Zooplankton derived organic matter as a food source for benthic coral. Under review.

Torkelson, Jaclyn; Teece, Mark A. Influence of coastal ecosystem type on ability of surface sediment to act as a sink of organic matter and trace metals. Under Review.

Torkelson, Jaclyn; Klinges, Grace; Muller, Erinn; Teece, Mark A. Stony coral tissue loss disease alters surface sediment lipid composition. In preparation.

Torkelson, Jaclyn; Testa, Jeremy; Teece, Mark A. A dynamic energy budget for coral-Symbiodinium symbiosis with particulate matter input. In preparation

Lankes, Johann David; Quasunella, Amanda; Leingang, Paul; Page, Heather; Nowicki, Robert; Hall, Emily; Lemaire, Clöe; Torkelson, Jaclyn; Blasius, Lillia. Quantifying the effects of Sargassum algae blooms on Acropora cervicornis growth and chlorophyll fluorescence in future ocean acidification scenarios. In preparation.

Credo, Jonathan, Torkelson, Jaclyn, Rock, Tommy, & Ingram, Jani C. (2019). Quantification of Elemental Contaminants in Unregulated Water across Western Navajo Nation. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(15). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16152727