{"id":4015,"date":"2025-10-02T15:00:29","date_gmt":"2025-10-02T15:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sciences-unamur.be\/bio\/system-ecotox\/?p=4015"},"modified":"2025-10-02T15:00:29","modified_gmt":"2025-10-02T15:00:29","slug":"field-trip-in-south-florida-in-july-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sciences-unamur.be\/bio\/system-ecotox\/field-trip-in-south-florida-in-july-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Field trip in South Florida in July 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Scientific Mission to South Florida - Epigenetics and Environmental Stress in Mangrove Rivulus and Cassiopea Jellyfish - <\/b>July-August 2025<\/i><\/h3>\n
From\u00a0July 16 to August 6, 2025, members of the Research Unit in Environmental and Evolutionary Biology (URBE) undertook a field expedition to\u00a0South Florida<\/b>, focusing on the study of two mangrove model species: the self-fertilizing mangrove rivulus fish (Kryptolebias marmoratus<\/em>)<\/b>\u00a0and the\u00a0upside-down jellyfish (Cassiopea sp.<\/em>)<\/b>. The mission was led by\u00a0Prof. Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Silvestre<\/b>, accompanied by\u00a0Dr. No\u00ebmie Guirandy<\/b>\u00a0(postdoctoral researcher),\u00a0Justine B\u00e9lik<\/b>\u00a0(teaching assistant and PhD student), and\u00a0No\u00e9mie Buratto<\/b>\u00a0(teaching assistant and PhD student, under the supervision of\u00a0Prof. Eli Thor\u00e9 and Dr. Omayma Missawi<\/b>). We had also the opportunity to have the help of a young student from Philadelphia, Mme Sofia Viatour<\/strong>, who made an internship with our team to gain experience in field marine biology and prepare her applications to college. Following an initial flight cancellation due to severe weather in New York, the team arrived on July 16 and carried out extensive sampling and behavioral testing across multiple mangrove ecosystems.<\/div>\n
The\u00a0mangrove rivulus\u00a0is an emerging model for studying the interplay between\u00a0epigenetics, environmental stress, and adaptation, particularly due to its unique reproductive biology (self-fertilizing hermaphrodites) and naturally isogenic populations. This makes it an ideal organism for investigating how environmental factors can shape behavior and gene regulation without confounding genetic variability. One of the focal populations, located at\u00a0Emerson Point Preserve (EPP)\u00a0near Tampa Bay, is among the most genetically homogeneous.<\/div>\n
In parallel, the\u00a0Cassiopea<\/em> jellyfish, a benthic cnidarian commonly found on mangrove seafloors, serves as a promising sentinel species for\u00a0monitoring marine pollution, including\u00a0microplastic contamination.<\/div>\n
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The field mission fulfilled its four main research objectives:<\/div>\n
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  1. Behavioral and Epigenetic Study of Mangrove Rivulus (J. B\u00e9lik)<\/b>\n