Research out of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) and Smithsonian Institution is exploring an out-of-this-world approach to preserving Earth’s animal species in the event of a global disaster—storing animal cells on the moon.

A paper published in BioScience outlines a roadmap for the creation of a lunar biorepository and was authored by HIMB and Smithsonian scientists in collaboration with researchers from Harvard Medical School, National Ecological Observatory Network, University Corporation of Atmospheric Research and University of Minnesota.

The HIMB/Smithsonian team has successfully cryopreserved skin cells from a reef fish found in Hawaiian waters known as the starry goby (Asterropteryx semipunctatus). These are the first samples created for the lunar biorepository and are now being stored at the Smithsonian.

“Initially, a lunar biorepository would target the most at-risk species on Earth today but our ultimate goal would be to cryopreserve most species on Earth,” said lead author Mary Hagedorn, an HIMB affiliate faculty member and research cryobiologist at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. “This is meant to help offset natural disasters and, potentially, to augment space travel.”

The idea was inspired by the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway, which contains more than one million frozen seed varieties and serves as a backup for Earth’s crop biodiversity.

Why the Moon?

Preservation of animal cells requires temperatures so cold, (-320° Fahrenheit, -196° Celsius), they do not naturally exist on Earth. Cryopreservation of animal cells would require a steady supply of liquid nitrogen, electricity and a team working round the clock, making the system susceptible to disruptions that could destroy the samples.

Craters located in the poles of the moon are in perpetual shadows making them ideal locations for the lunar biorepository. The temperatures are so cold in the craters, no electricity or liquid nitrogen would be needed. The samples could be stored underground, or inside a structure with thick walls made of moon rock to block out the DNA-damaging radiation present in space.

Preserving animal cells

Scientists are unable to reliably preserve the sperm and embryos of most wildlife species but for many species, skin cells can be easily cryopreserved. These cells can be transformed into stem cells to recreate species and would be the primary biological material stored in the lunar biorepository.

“We hope that by sharing our vision, our group can find additional partners to expand the conversation, discuss threats and opportunities, and conduct the necessary research and testing to make this biorepository a reality,” said Hagedorn.

The next step for Hagedorn and her team is a series of radiation exposure tests cryopreserved fish skin cells and eventually conduct additional experiments on Earth and aboard the International Space Station. The goal is to develop a prototype packaging able to withstand the radiation and microgravity associated with space travel and storage on the moon.

“Life is precious and, as far as we know, rare in the universe,” said Hagedorn. “This biorepository provides another, parallel approach to conserving Earth’s precious biodiversity.”

The researchers envision the lunar biorepository as a public entity to include public and private funders, scientific partners, countries, and public representatives with mechanisms for cooperative governance like the Svalbard Global Seed Bank.

Read also on UH News.

Shark conservation must go beyond simply protecting shark populations—it must prioritize protecting the ecological roles of sharks, according to new research at the University of Hawaiʻi.

The largest sharks of many of the biggest species, such as tiger sharks and great whites, play an oversized role in healthy oceans, but they are often the most affected by fishing. The big sharks help maintain balance through their eating habits. Sometimes their sheer size is enough to scare away prey that could over-consume seagrass and other plant life needed for healthy oceans.

Sharks also help shape and maintain balance from the bottom-up. That means a variety of sharks in a variety of sizes are needed, yet their many and diverse contributions are under threat from overfishing, climate change, habitat loss, energy mining, shipping activities and more. The study, led by Florida International University (FIU) with partners at UH Mānoa’s Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) and others, was published in Science and sheds new light on how sharks- and their size- contribute to healthy oceans.

“New tools and technologies have enabled us to make huge strides in recent years in understanding the diverse—and critically important—roles that sharks play in the world’s ocean ecosystems,” explains Elizabeth Madin, co-author of the paper and associate professor at HIMB. “It’s clear now that protecting shark populations is a wise investment in ocean health, and one which ultimately benefits people and the planet.”

Besides helping to maintain balance within the food web, reef sharks feed in offshore waters and bring nutrients back to the reef. Others move nutrients around that are used at the base of the food chain. Sharks can also serve as food for other species and even as scratching posts for fish to remove parasites. The problem is shark abundance has plummeted by 71% for oceanic species in the past 50 years. Populations of the top five reef shark species have been depleted by 63%. As their numbers plummet, their important roles in ocean health are also lost.

“It’s time to have a conversation about everything sharks are doing to maintain ocean health so we can better prioritize conservation efforts and have the biggest impact,” said Simon Dedman, researcher at FIU and lead author of the study.

The issue of shark conservation becomes all the more critical as global temperatures increase, leading some sharks to head into new areas where they can find the temperatures they can thrive in.

“This study verifies what we’ve long suspected—sharks are critical to ocean health,” said Lee Crockett, executive director of the Shark Conservation Fund which funded the study. “This landmark study serves as confirmation that marine conservationists, philanthropists, policymakers, and the public alike need to recognize that sharks are keystone species that have a now-proven significant effect on marine environments.”

With the expansion of blue economy industries like aquaculture and tourism, people’s encounters with sharks will likely increase. Finding a balance that protects the sharks most needed for healthy oceans is hitting a critical point. “National and international policy must focus on actions that rebuild populations and restore sharksʻ functional roles,” said Mike Heithaus, study co-author and FIU marine ecologist. “That requires action to increase both spatial measures like Marine Protected Areas and fisheries management measures like catch/size limits and gear limitations. If people want healthy oceans, we need healthy shark populations.”

Read also on UH News.

The marine tubeworm Hydroides elegans is a major problem for the shipping industry, as it coats the hulls and propellers of ships, as well as piers, nets of mariculture facilities, and the pipes that bring cooling sea water to electrical and industrial facilities. But what causes this marine invertebrate—that starts as a tiny, swimming larva—to settle onto a surface and transform?

A recent study, led by Marnie Freckelton, a postdoctoral researcher at the Kewalo Marine Lab, a unit of the Pacific Biosciences Research Center (PBRC) in the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST), revealed that the carbohydrate portion of a complex molecule, called lipopolysaccharide, produced by specific bacteria is a signal to the tubeworms that they have found the “right spot,” when settling on ships or marine facilities.

The bacterial communities that first and rapidly coat newly submerged surfaces in the seas are key determinants of what chemicals are produced and therefore what chemical signals are received by marine larvae. The new research is groundbreaking in its analysis of the chemicals on the surfaces of specific biofilm bacterial species that interact with receptors on the surfaces of larvae of this globally distributed, warm-water tubeworm and induce them to settle and transform. 

“In this way, biofilm bacteria initially establish and then maintain communities of animals and plants on the ocean bottoms by recruiting their larvae and spores to the sites,” said Freckelton. “The research provides strong evidence for the bacterial-molecular basis of the formation and maintenance of all benthic marine communities in the world’s seas.”

Mysteries remain

The team of scientists, including Michael Hadfield, senior author on the paper and emeritus professor in PBRC, noted that many other—in fact, most—biofilm bacterial species do not induce settlement in the tubeworm larvae. And even among different strains of the same bacteria collected from different habitats, some will induce settling and others will not. The researchers found that extracts of the carbohydrate portion of the lipopolysaccharides retained the same inductive or non-inductive effect. Lipopolysaccharides are incredibly common but diverse bacterial molecules, which means that they are everywhere but specific and could readily explain how different organisms settle in different locations.

“Looking to the future, we are interested in an in-depth structural understanding of the parts of these molecules that induce settlement and metamorphosis in marine species and how they interact in the larvae,” said Freckelton.  “We also plan to test the larvae of other marine invertebrates, such as coral, for patterns in their settlement cues.”

Read also on UH News, Eurekalert and Phys.org.

The University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant College Program (Hawaiʻi Sea Grant) is leading a diverse group of organizations that has been awarded $68.5 million to build a more resilient future for Hawaiʻi.

The project, ʻĀina restoration through community governance to advance climate resilience in the Hawaiian Islands, will build long-term climate resilience by restoring forest, watershed, coastal and marine ecosystems and through improved co-management and community governance of resources.

“We are honored to have been entrusted with this award and opportunities for transformative work across the pae ʻāina,” said Darren T. Lerner, Hawaiʻi Sea Grant director and project lead. “We will work together with two co-leads, Kuaʻāina Ulu ʻAuamo and the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources, along with many other partners and communities, to build an enduring program and long-term partnerships in support of vital community governance and ʻāina stewardship for long beyond the five-year project.”

The collaborative of twelve partners spans local and national non-profit organizations, collectives of Indigenous and local stewards, state and county government agencies, and academia.

The funding from the Department of Commerce and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is through the Climate Resilience Regional Challenge, a historic $575 million investment from the Biden-Harris Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act. It is one of only eight awards across the nation and the only one led by a university.

Integrating Native Hawaiian stewardship

The award builds on the knowledge and practices of the moku system, a Hawaiian land tenure and resource stewardship system refined over generations. The moku system divides islands into large tracts of land containing forested landscapes, cultural resources and seascapes to maintain long-term abundance.

Project activities will focus on five moku selected because of their high potential to promote Native Hawaiian stewardship practices and revitalize the moku system in areas that have been underserved by climate adaptation investments: Kona, Kauaʻi; Waiʻanae, Oʻahu; Kona, Molokaʻi; Pūʻali Komohana, Maui and Kohala, Hawaiʻi.

“Reducing risks and advancing climate resilience often means focusing on community-based governance and stewardship,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad. “This funding will help build a more resilient future for the Hawaiian Islands through planning, protection, and restoration actions.”

In addition to making significant place-based investment in ʻāina restoration and conservation projects, the project will invest in community-centered governance, network building, knowledge exchange and capacity building in the five moku while connecting ongoing work across Hawaiʻi. Eighty percent of the $68.5 million will go beyond the university to directly support community partners and collaborators.

Project partners

• University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant College Program (Project Lead)
• Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources (co-lead)
• Kuaʻāina Ulu ʻAuamo (co-lead)
• Conservation International Hawaiʻi
• County of Maui
• Department of Hawaiian Home Lands
• Hawaiʻi Conservation Alliance Foundation
• Hawaiʻi Office of Planning and Sustainable Development
• Kaʻala Farm Inc.
• Kupu ʻĀina Corps
• Mālama Learning Center
• The Nature Conservancy

Moving forward, the project team will be working to expand the list of partners to include additional community organizations in the five moku, with the goal of long-term partnerships that will support vital community governance and ʻāina stewardship.

Read more at the KITV, Kaua’i Now, NOAA release and UH News.

The thriving of our communities and ecosystems in Hawai‘i is intricately linked to our connection to, knowledge of, and care for the natural world. The world-class research and innovation at SOEST is intended to be informed by people and place, and accessible and beneficial to all. To honor those who reach beyond academia, we are highlighting members of SOEST who are committed to connecting and engaging with communities and students of all ages in Hawai‘i.

When Blake Stoner-Osborne was in elementary school, a classroom visit from marine biologists working at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) taught him that a career focused on learning about our oceans was both possible and rewarding. Now a doctoral student in the Deep-Sea Fish Ecology Lab in the Department of Oceanography, Stoner-Osborne balances his time between connecting with students and community members and conducting research to understand how islands alter the structure and function of open ocean food webs.

“Looking back, that first classroom visit was what set me on my path to a career in marine science,” said Stoner-Osborne. “It was incredibly impactful for me to connect with those visiting scientists over shared passion for the ocean, [and for them to] share their knowledge with me and guide me towards opportunities I never knew existed. Following their suggestions, I later interned at the Birch Aquarium at UCSD which taught me that connecting with people from all walks of life about shared interests and learning from each other is such a valuable and meaningful experience.”

Now, Stoner-Osborne analyzes DNA and isotopes in specific amino acids to identify differences in the community composition of zooplankton (copepods and krill, for example) between coral reefs and open ocean habitats, and the potential these animals have for connecting the two habitats.

Outreach and communications trainee program

Recently, Stoner-Osborne was selected for the semester-long SOEST outreach and communications trainee program, through which he shared his knowledge, curiosity, and passion for deep-sea zooplankton, fishes, and general ecology with hundreds of teachers and students. He offered workshops, hands-on activities, and presentations at the Hawai‘i STEM Conference, O‘ahu high schools, and the Waikiki Aquarium’s Mauka to Makai community event. 

“My experiences with outreach this semester enhanced my communication skills with a broader age range of participants,” said Stoner-Osborne. “Most of my previous outreach had been with middle and high school-aged students, but I now feel much more comfortable talking with younger age groups as well as a wide age range of adults including parents and grandparents.” 

Improving access to scientific information

Stoner-Osborne continues to be motivated to connect with others and share the joy that comes from understanding the natural world. “Science is a continuously evolving field and there’s constantly more being learned about our oceans and earth systems. Facilitating connections between researchers and the general public remains one of my passions,” he said. “I think it’s massively important that everyone has access to scientific information that invites them to connect with and understand natural systems, ask new and pressing questions, and utilize information to make informed decisions.”  

Funding for the SOEST Outreach and Communications Trainee program was provided by the National Science Foundation (NSF/GEO #2304691) through a Catalyst Award for Science Advancement (CASA).

Read also on UH News.

Two graduate students and a postdoctoral researcher with the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa’s School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) were selected to be National Microbiome Data Collective (NMDC) Ambassadors of 2024.

A highly competitive selection through the Department of Energy’s National Microbiome Data Collaborative program, the Ambassador Program utilizes a cohort-based learning approach to train and support early career researchers who are familiar with the challenges of discovering, accessing, or reusing microbiome data; are committed to working with the NMDC to make microbiome data findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable (FAIR); and are committed to inclusion, diversity, equity, and accountability.

Andrian Gajigan

Andrian (Adi) Gajigan, who is pursuing this doctoral degree in oceanography with advisor and professor Grieg Steward, is investigating the interactions and dynamics between phytoplankton and giant viruses in the ocean. To do this, Gajigan is developing and observing lab-based model systems as well as field investigations, specifically, the role of giant viruses in algal bloom demise and phytoplankton succession.

“I am deeply fascinated with microbes because of their often underappreciated importance,” Gajigan said. “The world would cease to exist if we were to remove microbes on the planet. They are the chemists and sentinels of Earth’s climate. They produce and regulate the important chemicals on the planet, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen to name a few. They also form the base of the marine food web. They hold so many biological innovations that they perfected for millions of years.”

As a microbiology researcher, Gajigan has found it difficult to search and utilize microbiome-related data and metadata despite the availability of large datasets.

“This ambassador program also allows me to network with fellow researchers and share good practices, and potentially collaborate for future projects,” Gajigan said.

Kacie Kajihara

Kacie Kajihara recently graduated from UH Mānoa with a Master’s degree in botany with advisor Nicole Hynson, who is a professor in the Pacific Biosciences Research Center (PBRC) in SOEST. For her Master’s thesis research, Kajihara used a microbiome census from ridge to reef of the Waimea Valley watershed to better understand the building blocks of microbiome stability using co-occurrence networks of fungi and bacteria. She will soon start the Marine Biology Graduate Program to pursue a doctoral degree with Michael Rappé, professor at the Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology, where she will study the genomics and ecology of SAR86, a globally prevalent group of marine bacteria.

“It always fascinates me that the health and function of all life on Earth hinges on the activities of such tiny creatures, and that there is still so much to learn about them!” Kajihara said. “I am especially interested in how what we find in the lab and in our data can inform the preservation of ʻāina both here and elsewhere.”

“Through the Ambassador Program, I’ve been able to receive training on FAIR data and other data standards that put equitable science at the forefront, and I look forward to sharing this information with the UH community,” said Kajihara.

Nicola Kriefall

Nicola Kriefall is a postdoctoral researcher in PBRC co-advised by Matthew Medeiros and Hynson. Her research focuses on the roles that microorganisms play in shaping food webs, specifically looking at small pools of water where mosquitoes begin their life cycle. Specific microbes may be able to help or harm larger organisms in these types of aquatic food webs. Exploring these questions using the early life stages of mosquitoes holds additional potential for information to combat their disastrous ecosystem and human health impacts–especially in Hawai‘i, where they are invasive. 

“It’s endlessly fascinating to me that single-celled microorganisms we can’t even see with the bare eye are able to take us down or prop us up,” Kriefall said. “For instance, they can be pathogenic and make us ill or reside in our gut and help us digest things we otherwise wouldn’t be able to.” 

“I’m glad I get to work with Kacie and Adi and our local microbiome-interested community through the help of the NMDC program,” said Kriefall. “I’m looking forward to meeting new people at the upcoming events and continuing work with the people I’ve already met.” 

Read also on UH News.

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are having a positive spillover effect, producing more “trophy-size” fish just outside of the fully protected areas, and the effect is growing stronger over time. That’s according to research led by University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa scientists at the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) published in Science Advances. The research provides the first global assessment of the benefits of MPAs. “Trophy-size” refers to fish that are exceptionally long or heavy and are considered a rare, prized catch.

“This standardized global assessment illustrates the benefits that MPAs provide for recreational anglers, confirming the effectiveness of MPAs in enhancing fish biomass and local fisheries,” shared Simone Franceschini, principal investigator of the study and a postdoctoral researcher at HIMB. “Our study found that MPAs may take more than 20 years to show tangible spillover effects in the adjacent areas, which helps to set realistic expectations about the timeframe over which a marine reserve can be expected to have this type of effect on surrounding fisheries.”

The Hawaiian archipelago has 13 state and federal Marine Protected Areas (complete list below). The state protected areas, called Marine Life Conservation Districts, are managed by the State of Hawaiʻi Division of Aquatic Resources.

Long-term expectations for MPAs

MPAs have been identified as one of the most effective tools for securing marine biodiversity, but until now the global impact of MPAs on local, recreational fisheries has been unclear. This study provides globally relevant guidance for what management agencies, conservation practitioners, and, importantly, recreational fishers can expect over the long term from the establishment of MPAs.

The research builds on the work by scientists who conducted a study in Florida 20 years ago and discovered that the cumulative number of trophy fish caught near an MPA (within 100km of its boundary) rises rapidly between 12–30 years after MPA establishment.

“In this paper, we test whether the results of one of the most well-known studies of MPA impacts on recreational fishers can be replicated at a global scale,” explains Elizabeth Madin, co-author of the paper and associate professor at HIMB. “We show that, on average, highly-protected marine ecosystems produce tangible, real-world, long-term benefits for recreational fishers, resulting in a win-win situation for nature and people alike. Nonetheless, it’s important to realize that not every MPA will have the same spillover effects, and that successful MPAs have been shown to depend on community support, enforcement, and effective fisheries management.”

The findings of this study hold important implications for the future of MPAs and the global “30×30” marine conservation initiative, which aims to protect 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030.

“These results provide evidence-based guidance that can help ensure the successful implementation and long-term support of MPAs worldwide,” said co-author John Lynham, who is a UH Mānoa professor of economics. “It’s intriguing to note that various MPAs around the world, despite their differing sizes and characteristics, have demonstrated a similar positive spillover effect and a similar ‘wait time:’ roughly 20 years.”

The study also underscores the importance of setting practical expectations about the benefits of marine reserves for local fisheries. While MPAs can lead to substantial increases in the abundance of large fish, these benefits often require decades to materialize. This requires patience and long-term commitment from policymakers and local communities to maintain support for conservation efforts. Nonetheless, as Callum Roberts, lead author of the original 2001 study upon which the current study was built, points out, “Local fishers will see benefits to their catches from spillover of smaller fish long before that spillover becomes detectable in the form of large trophy fish, which take longer to reach record breaking sizes. So, well protected MPAs can help support local livelihoods within a decade of creation.”

Read also on Honolulu Civil Beat, Science Daily, UH News and Eurekalert.

As a child, Miss Hawaiʻi Volunteer 2024 Makenna Kinsler first became aware of the hardships in her island home when she walked through Kakaʻako with her mom to help the homeless. Now a double major at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Kinsler is still impacted by that experience.

“Seeing those vulnerable parts of our community that needed upliftment was really eye-opening,” Kinsler recalls. “I always remember to be grateful and give back where I can because recognizing what I have made me want to help others.”

Driven by her dedication to serve, Kinsler participated in Miss Hawaiʻi Volunteer, a scholarship program that promotes community service, academic excellence and leadership. Raised in Mānoa Valley and educated at La Pietra School for Girls, she remains closely connected to her community, from working knee-deep in loʻi kalo (taro patches) to mālama ʻāina (care for the land) to feeding the hungry.

Merging science with ʻike Hawaiʻi (Indigenous knowledge)

Kinsler is pursuing degrees in global environmental science and Hawaiian studies and is determined to merge both disciplines into her future career as an urban planner. Her vision is to create communities that are sustainable, resilient and rooted in Hawaiian values.

“In Hawaiʻi, we give a lot of importance to places and wahi (locations). I’m taking an ahupuaʻa (land division) class right now and it’s an interesting perspective of how we can model our communities today looking at the urban side of balancing nature and city as Hawaiʻi really rapidly grows our population,” said Kinsler.

Pioneer professors

Currently, Kinsler is immersed in researching climate change impacts for her global environmental science thesis. She finds inspiration from professors at UH Mānoa who are leading innovative projects addressing challenges such as sea level rise in the islands.

“It’s really cool to be in the same room as the pioneers of Hawaiʻi’s future and just seeing firsthand all the cool projects that they’re working on,” Kinsler said.

Hula is life

Kinsler said she is grateful for the opportunity to have stayed in Hawaiʻi for college, not only because it’s just blocks from her home, but it ensures she can continue another long-standing passion, hula.

The trained ʻōlapa (dancer) has studied under kumu hula Hiwa Vaughan and Hālau Hula Ka Lehua Tuahine since she was five. Kinsler has competed in the Merrie Monarch Festival two times, and she performed a hula for the talent portion of the Miss Volunteer America pageant in Tennessee this summer.

“Hula is such a big pillar of my life,” Kinsler said. “I really just wanted to transport people to Hawaiʻi and show my love.”

This fall at UH Mānoa, Kinsler plans to apply for the Combined Bachelor’s & Master’s Degree Pathway or BAM program, which enables students to start on their master’s during their senior year.

Read also on UH News.