Pacific NEON
National Ecological Observatory Network
A planning site targeting the National Science Foundation NEON Program
Kewalo Marine Laboratory Inventory
Name of Institution/Field Site:
Kewalo Marine Laboratory (Pacific Biomedical Research Center), UHM
Location:
41 Ahui St., Honolulu, HI 96813, mid-way between Diamond Head and Ke`ehi Lagoon on the Honolulu waterfront.
Available at site: for research, ecological monitoring & assessment
The Laboratory has an excellent, high-volume seawater-delivery system and the capability to regularly/easily monitor any seawater component; there is a wide variety of large, medium and small aquaria and tanks for maintaining marine organisms. All types of organisms, from corals to fish are easily maintained for long periods in the laboratory’s tanks.
The Laboratory maintains many different single-celled algae in pure cultures for its well established larval-rearing facility. Three marine invertebrate species (a mollusc, a polychaete worm and a barnacle) have been developed as excellent “model organisms” for research in developmental biology; two of them are recognized by the Office of Naval Research as important for biofouling research, as well as for monitoring and testing biofouling and pollution testing year-round. Additionally, the Laboratory maintains an excellent set of marine-biofilm bacterial strains, which can be used for a variety of purposes.
The Laboratory is well equipped with the major equipment needed for modern cell and molecular biology, including: ultra-, high-speed/refrigerated, and micro- centrifuges; seven - 80 oC freezers; UV-visible spectrophotometers; HPLC systems; Beckman Liquid-Scintillation Counter; PCR thermal cyclers; Real-time PCR cycler; Differential Gradient Gel Electrophoresis equipment; tissue culture and bacterial incubators; an extensive selection of equipment for protein and nucleic acid electrophoresis (including sequencing); a digitizing gel reader; an automated X-ray film developing system. Imaging equipment at the Laboratory include: a wide variety of binocular dissecting microscopes, standard bright-field, phase-contrast and interference microscopes; fluorescence microscopes; and a Zeiss 510 laser-scanning confocal microscope. Digital still and video cameras are available for use with any of the microscopes.
The Laboratory’s equipment also includes instrumentation for in situ water-quality monitoring (YSI recording and real-time sondes – temperature, salinity, turbidity, depth and oxygen), recording temperature probes, acoustic-Doppler current profilers, underwater video and digital cameras, and facilities and equipment for eco-toxicology studies.
Investigators at the Laboratory have maintained a field site in the Pearl Harbor Naval Base since 1991, where the fouling community has been continuously monitored, biofilm bacteria have been catalogued, and newly formulated marine coatings are tested.
Computers at the Laboratory are connected to the University of Hawaii by high-speed lines, allowing rapid access to the University’s library and its electronic search and journal resources.
The Laboratory’s on-line data base provides an extensive accumulation of data on reproduction and development of Hawaiian marine animals.
Unique attributes of site:
The KML is Hawaii’s only urban coastal marine facility, and thus is well positioned to monitor urban pollution potential and seawater quality. With established laboratory-model organisms, biological testing can be quickly and easily accomplished. The laboratory is five miles (~15 minutes by car) from the main campus of the University with its research library and ancillary support units such as the Biological Electron Microscope Facility, Chemistry Stores, and the Biotechnology Center.
Research at the Kewalo Marine Laboratory:
Research at the Kewalo Marine Laboratory capitalizes on favorable attributes of selected “model” marine organisms to study processes in molecular, cellular, developmental and environmental biology of marine organisms. Specific research projects include: (1) larval biology, with an emphasis on environmental/molecular factors that bring about settlement and metamorphosis of marine invertebrates; (2) the microbial basis of development of the marine biofouling community; (3) the conservation biology of coral reefs using molecular biomarkers in detection of stress factors; (4) reproduction and development of hard corals; (5) the evolutionary foundations of specific recognition in the animal immune system; (6) the cellular, molecular and evolutionary basis of pattern formation in animal development; and (7) the origins of body-plan novelty during evolution. A wide spectrum of marine invertebrate species are utilized in research at the Kewalo Marine Lab, requiring extensive knowledge of the locations and availability of members of nearly all major marine phyla, as well as familiarity with their modes of reproduction and spawning seasons. This information is available in a data base on the KML web site.
URL:
Contact:
Dr. Michael G. Hadfield hadfield@hawaii.edu
Dr. Robert Richmond richmond@hawaii.edu
Phone: 808-539-7300; FAX 808-599-4817.
Web Master
David Kimball
dkimball@hawaii.edu
Pacific NEON
http://www.pacificneon.hawaii.edu