Richard Turner, professor emeritus of biological sciences, attended a workshop on the taxonomy of amphipods at the University of Tampa Marine Science Field Station in October.
Amphipods are small crustaceans with shrimp-like bodies who generally live on seafloors or beaches. They are not Turner’s primary focus as a scientist and researcher – that would be echinoderms such as sea stars and sea urchins – but he is eager to deepen his knowledge.
“I have worked with a former student, Dawn Sierer (now Dawn Sierer Finn) on marine mites that live on the legs of a beach hopper (amphipod) from our beaches,” he said. “I have, therefore, a strong interest in learning more about them.”
And that is what transpired.
Workshop leader Kristine White from Georgia State College and University provided an overview of the biology of amphipods, their anatomy, techniques for examining them, and characters critical for their identification. The group also spent a morning collecting amphipods during a low tide in Tampa Bay. In the lab, attendees spent time identifying amphipods from the live specimens collected and of preserved specimens that participants brought from their past collections.
Among the participants were two multi-degreed Panther alumni: two-time graduate David Karlen ’91, ’93 M.S., Ph.D., who organized the workshop for the Florida Association of Aquatic Benthologists, and three-time graduate Matthew Scripter ’01, ’06 M.S., ’15 Ph.D., senior scientist at Ecological Associates, Inc. in Jensen Beach.
“In addition to learning about amphipods, I enjoyed working with colleagues both new and old,” Turner said.
