Amy M. Apprill
Ph.D. Student
University of Hawaii
Department of Oceanography,
1000 Pope Rd.,
Honolulu HI, 96822
808-956-6050
apprill(at)hawaii.edu
Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology
P.O. Box 1346
Kaneohe HI, 96744
808-236-7465
FACULTY ADVISOR: Dr. Michael Rappé, Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Coral-associated microbial communities
I am examining the onset of the association between healthy corals and microorganisms (Bactreia, Archaea) to determine if the microorganisms are inherited from maternal colonies or horizontally acquired from the surrounding environment.
Bacterioplankton dynamics in coral reef environments
I am interested in bacterioplankton dynamics in coral reef systems and the responses of these communities to anthropogenic and natural disturbance events. My research focuses on examining the response of the bacterioplankton community in Kaneohe Bay, Oahu to nutrient loading from coral spawning events.
Utilizing microbial communities to assess the health status of marine mammals
Few tools currently exist to examine the health status of wild marine mammals. In collaboration with marine mammal biologists, I am comparing the epithelial skin microbial communities residing on healthy and disturbed (entangled in fishing gear, stranded, etc.) humpback whales to determine the usefulness of utilizing microorganisms as an indicator of marine mammal health status.
EDUCATION
Present - Ph.D. candidate (Biological Oceanography) University of Hawaii.
2005 - ‘Microbial Diversity’ summer course, Marine Biological Laboratory.
2004 - M.S. degree (Biological Oceanography), University of Hawaii.
2002 - 'Molecular Biology of Corals' 2002 Edwin W. Pauley Summer Program in Marine Biology, Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology.
2001 - B.A. degree (Marine Science, Biology), University of San Diego.
EXPERIENCE
2008 – Teaching fellow, ‘Microbial Diversity’ summer course, Marine Biological Laboratory.
2005-present – Graduate student in the laboratory of Dr. Michael Rappé, HIMB (dissertation research).
2002-2004 - Graduate student in the laboratories of Dr. Robert Bidigare, UH & Dr. Ruth Gates, HIMB (master’s thesis research).
2001/2002 - Laboratory Research Assistant, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, San Diego, CA. Supervisor: Dr. B.G. Mitchell.
2000 - NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU), Shoals Marine Laboratory, Appledore Island, ME. Advisor: Dr. Michael Lesser.
1999 - NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates, Bermuda Biological Station for Research, St. George, Bermuda. Advisor: Dr. Norman Nelson.
1999 - Summer Student Fellow, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, USA. Advisor: Dr. Heidi Sosik.
1998 - Summer Enrichment Fellow, Alabama A&M University and NASA’s Global Hydrology and Climate Center, Huntsville, AL. Advisor: Mr. Maury Estes.
PUBLICATIONS
Hiscock MR, Lance VP, Apprill AM, Bidigare RR, Johnson ZI, Mitchell BG, Smith, Jr. WO, Barber RT. 2008. Photosynthetic maximum quantum yield increases are an essential component of the Southern Ocean phytoplankton response to iron. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA. 105: 4775-4780.
Apprill AM, Bidigare RR, Gates RD. 2007. Visibly healthy corals exhibit variable pigment concentrations and symbiont phenotypes. Coral Reefs. 26: 387-397.
Apprill AM, and Gates RD. 2007. Recognizing diversity in coral symbiotic dinoflagellate communities. Molecular Ecology 16: 1127-1134.
Hochberg EJ, Apprill AM, Bidigare RR, Atkinson MJ. 2006. Bio-Optical modeling of photosynthetic pigments in corals. Coral Reefs 25:99-109.
Hochberg EJ, Atkinson MJ, Apprill A, Andréfouët S. 2004. Spectral reflectance of coral. Coral Reefs 23:84-95.
Apprill AM, Lesser MP. 2003. Effects of ultraviolet radiation on Laminaria saccharina in relation to depth and tidal height in the Gulf of Maine. Mar Ecol Prog Ser. 256:75-85.
PRESENTATIONS AT NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL MEETINGS
Apprill AM, Marlow H, Martindale M, Rappe MS. Microbial associations during development of the coral Pocillopora meandrina. 12th Biennial Symposium on Microbial Ecology (ISME-12), August 17 - 22, Cairns, Australia. *oral presentation
Apprill AM, Marlow H, Martindale M, Rappe MS. The Onset of Microbial Associations in the Developing Coral Pocillopora meandrina. American Society for Microbiology General Meeting, June 1 - 5, 2008, Boston, MA.
Apprill AM, Rappe MS. Water quality and microbial dynamics in reef waters following nutrient loading due to coral spawning events. Ocean Sciences Meeting, Orlando, FL March 2 - 7, 2008, Orlando, Florida. *oral presentation
Selph KE, Measures CI, Apprill A, Brown MT, Hiscock WT, Hatta M, Yang JJ. Winter and summer comparisons of phytoplankton and trace metal distributions around the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. Ocean Sciences Meeting, March 2 – 7, 2008, Orlando Florida.
Apprill AM, Mooney TA, Stimpert AK, ; Lammers MO. Rappé, MS. A Novel Approach to Examine Environmental and Health-Related Characteristics of Humpback Whales using the Bacterial Composition of Epithelial Skin. 17th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals, December 29 – 3, 2007, Cape Town, South Africa. **Best doctoral student poster presentation award**
Selph KE, CI Measures, M Brown, A Apprill. The influence of shelf-derived iron on phytoplankton growth dynamics in the Drake Passage, Antarctica. AGU Meeting, San Francisco, CA, Dec. 11 – 15, 2006.
Apprill AM, Gates RD. Assessing Diversity of Symbiotic Dinoflagellates in Corals. ASLO Ocean Sciences. Februrary 23, 2006, Honolulu, Hawaii. *oral presentation
Salerno JL, Hambleton EA, Apprill A, Rappe MS. Assessing the Composition of Microbial Communities Associated with Colonies of Diverse Coral Species in the Main and Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. ASLO Ocean Sciences. Februrary 23, 2006, Honolulu, Hawaii.
Selph KE, Apprill A, Measures CI, Brown M. Phytoplankton distributions in the Shackleton Fracture Zone/Elephant Island Region of the Drake Passage in February-March 2004. ASLO Summer Meeting. May 19-24, 2005. Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
Hiscock MR, Lance VP, Apprill A, Bidigare RR, Mitchell BG, Barber RT. 2004. Iron elevates photosynthetic efficiency of most, but not all, phytoplankton: implications for Southern Ocean iron enrichment and primary production algorithms. ASLO/TOS Ocean Research Conference, February 15-20, 2004, Honolulu, Hawaii.
Apprill AM, Bidigare R, Gates R. Variability of pigmentation in lobate Porites sp. corals. 10th International Coral Reef Symposium, June 29, 2004. Okinawa, Japan. *oral presentation
Hochberg EJ, Apprill A, Atkinson MJ, Bidigare RR. Bio-optical Modeling of Pigments in Coral. 10th International Coral Reef Symposium, June 28, 2004. Okinawa, Japan.
Hiscock MR, Lance VP, Barber RT, Apprill A, Bidigare RR, Lindley S, Mitchell BG, Maximum quantum yield responses of phytoplankton in the Southern Ocean and eastern equatorial Pacific. JGOFS Open Science Conference, May 4-9, 2003, Washington, DC.
Hiscock MR, Apprill A, Lance VP, Mitchell BG, Barber RT. 2002. Size-fractioned maximum quantum yield responses of phytoplankton to two open-ocean mesoscale iron enrichments - results from the 2002 Southern Ocean Iron Experiment (SOFeX). Eos Trans. AGU, 83 (47), Fall Meet. Suppl, Abstract OS11A-0209.
Apprill A, Nelson N. Multivariate classification of the Bermuda platform using satellite imagery. 9th International Coral Reef Symposium, October 2000, Bali, Indonesia.
LOCAL PRESENTATIONS
Apprill AM. Coral-associated microorganisms: helpful, harmful or somewhere in between? Hanauma Bay Educational Lecture Series, July 26, 2007, Honolulu, Hawaii.
Apprill AM. Microbial communities associated with corals and reef waters. UH Oceanography Microbial Grand Rounds. December 6, 2006, Honolulu Hawaii.
Apprill AM. Photosynthetic Pigment Ranges in Porites lobata Corals. UH Oceanography STAR Symposium, October 22, 2004, Honolulu, Hawaii.
AWARDS
2008 Travel grant, UH Graduate Student Organization.
2008 Student travel award, American Society of Limnology and Oceanography.
2007 Best doctoral student poster presentation, Society of Marine Mammalogy.
2006 Hiatt Student Education Scholarship, Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology.
2004–2007 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Award.
2004 Student Travel Award for Research Award, UH Oceanography.
2004 PADI Project AWARE Foundation Award for Research.
2004 Watamull Scholarship for Academic Achievement, UH Oceanography.
2000 Outstanding Research in Marine Science, University of San Diego.
1999 Outstanding Oral Research Presentation, University of San Diego.
1996–2000 Presidential Scholarship, University of San Diego.
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
2008 – Teaching fellow, ‘Microbial Diversity’ summer course, Marine Biological Laboratory
2007-2008: Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology Community Education Team Member.
2002-2003 (3 semesters): ‘Science of the Sea’ laboratory course, University of Hawaii.
2001: Teaching Assistant. Cape Outdoor Discovery - Oceanographic and environmental education field courses for grades K-12.
PERSONAL INTERESTS
Swimming, surfing, SCUBA diving and hiking.
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