East Carolina University : Research and Creative Achievement Week 2012
High-Resolution Measurements of Shoreline Change, Albemarle-Pamlico Estuarine System, North Carolina, USA, Devon Olivola Eulie, J.P. Walsh, D. Reide Corbett, Department of Geological Sciences, Institute for Coastal Science and Policy, Coastal Resources Management Program, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858 Previous studies of shoreline change have relied on satellite and plane-based aerial photography which can be costly, or of limited availability, and is often of restricted resolution. These factors limit the usefulness of such images for frequent, high-accuracy, shoreline-change measurements. Alternatively, easily deployed balloon-aerial photography and high-accuracy GPS systems can provide high spatial and temporal resolution images at a relatively low cost. This study utilized an Aerostat balloon-aerial photography system along with a real-time kinematic GPS (RTK-GPS) to observe sub-annual changes in shoreline position in the Albemarle-Pamlico Estuarine System, NC. The accuracy and resolution of Aerostat images were also compared to commonly available orthophotographs and the RTK-GPS surveys. The results demonstrate that this method is capable of providing high-accuracy shoreline positions over short timescales (annual to sub-annual); however, the combination of methods provided the researchers with the most accurate shoreline positions and the potential to examine the drivers behind short-term shoreline change.
GO74
Evidence and Implications of Horizontal Gene Transfer in Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, Tiffany Kosch, Guiling Sun, Zefeng Yang, Kyle Summers, Jinling Huang, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858 Chytridiomycosis is an amphibian disease caused by the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). This disease has been identified as one of the main causal agents of worldwide amphibian declines and extinctions, and as the worst infectious disease ever recorded among vertebrates by the Amphibian Conservation Action Plan. Multiple hypotheses have been proposed to explain the geographic and evolutionary origin of Bd, with most agreeing that this pathogen had a single origin and was subsequently dispersed by the global trade of amphibians. Another interesting thing about Bd is that it belongs to a lineage of fungi previously unknown to parasitize verterbrates. Here I will discuss evidence of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) of several known virulence effector genes from oomycete pathogens and bacteria to Bd, which likely contributed to the sudden appearance of virulence in this organism as well as the possible implications of such events on global amphibian conservation and human disease.
94
GO75