Maxi Eckes
Position: PhD Candidate (Commenced 2006)
Education:
Research Interests: Sunscreen protection in the mucus of reef fish, Cleaner-client interactions, coral reef ecology.
Awards and Grants:
Research Project: Maxi has just completed her honours project under the supervision of Lexa Grutter, Ulrike Siebeck and Sophie Dove on the characteristics of sunscreens in the mucus of two reef fish species: Labroides dimidiatus and Thalasoma lunare. Maxi did her undergraduate studies in Marine Biology at Eckerd College in Tampa Bay Florida. During her degree in the US she worked at Mote Marine Laboratory in the Sea Turtle Conservation and Research department documenting and monitoring loggerhead turtle nesting, tagging, and hatch success for Sarasota County. She was also responsible for the animal care of adult turtles in the education exhibits as well as in the rehabilitation of hatchlings. Before coming to Australia, Maxi worked at the Institute for Tropical Marine Ecology in Dominica, West Indies where she established a management plan for a new marine reserve on the Island.
Honours Project: "Ultraviolet Sunscreens in Reef Fish Mucus"
Recently, fish were discovered to have mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs) in their mucus. These compounds serve as sunscreens to block solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Maxi will test whether the cleaner fish Labroides dimidiatus obtains sunscreens in its mucus by ingesting the mucus of its clients. Using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) she will determine the identity and quantity of MAAs in the mucus of cleaner fish across different geographic locations along the coast of Queensland (Lizard Island, Heron Island, and North Stradbroke Island)
PhD Project:
Recent depletion of stratospheric ozone has resulted in an increase in the amount of harmful short-wavelength ultraviolet radiation (UVR) reaching the sea surface. Increased UVR protection will be particularly vital in coral reef ecosystems, as the amount of UVR reaching the surface of the ocean increases with decreasing latitudes. Prolonged exposure to UVR causes damage to DNA, proteins and lipids. As the amount of UV radiation increases in marine surface waters, solar UV-induced DNA damage in reef organisms will become more prevalent. Coral reefs are threatened, and it is unclear how and if they will cope with predicted dramatic climatic changes associated with an increase in radiation in the future.. An important step in predicting effects of future increases in UVR is to evaluate the defence mechanisms that organisms use to minimize DNA damage. For my PhD I will further investigate chemical ultraviolet (UV) - screening pigments, known as mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs), in the external body mucus of coral reef fish. Additionally, fix-it mechanisms have been described in some commercially important fish species, which repair the UV-induced damage to DNA after it has occurred. Both mechanisms for UV protection in fish will be investigated, chemical MAA protection and DNA fix-it mechanism.
Publications:
Cheney, K.L., Eckes M.J. (2008) Cleaners clean cleaner mimics. Coral Reefs 27(3): 527.
Eckes, M., Siebeck, U., Dove, S., Grutter, A.S. (2008) Ultravioloet suncreens in reef fish mucus. Marine Ecology Progress Series 353: 203-211.
Eckes M., Siebeck, U., Dove, S., Grutter, A. S., (2015). Fish mucus versus parasitic gnathiid isopods as sources of energy and sunscreens for a cleaner fish. Coral Reefs. 34: 823-833. DOI: 10.1007/s00338-015-1313-z.
Education:
- 2005 Honours, "Ultraviolet Sunscreens in Reef Fish Mucus" Supervisors: Dr Lexa Grutter Dr Sophie Dove, & Dr Ulrike Siebeck
- 2000-2004 Bachelor of Science, Major in Marine Sciences; and Bachelor of Arts, Major in French, Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, Florida
Research Interests: Sunscreen protection in the mucus of reef fish, Cleaner-client interactions, coral reef ecology.
Awards and Grants:
- 2007 Joint Research Scholarship - The University of Queensland
- 2007-2009 Sea World Research and Rescue Foundation Inc. Grant
- 2006 Undersea Explorer Research Award
Research Project: Maxi has just completed her honours project under the supervision of Lexa Grutter, Ulrike Siebeck and Sophie Dove on the characteristics of sunscreens in the mucus of two reef fish species: Labroides dimidiatus and Thalasoma lunare. Maxi did her undergraduate studies in Marine Biology at Eckerd College in Tampa Bay Florida. During her degree in the US she worked at Mote Marine Laboratory in the Sea Turtle Conservation and Research department documenting and monitoring loggerhead turtle nesting, tagging, and hatch success for Sarasota County. She was also responsible for the animal care of adult turtles in the education exhibits as well as in the rehabilitation of hatchlings. Before coming to Australia, Maxi worked at the Institute for Tropical Marine Ecology in Dominica, West Indies where she established a management plan for a new marine reserve on the Island.
Honours Project: "Ultraviolet Sunscreens in Reef Fish Mucus"
Recently, fish were discovered to have mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs) in their mucus. These compounds serve as sunscreens to block solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Maxi will test whether the cleaner fish Labroides dimidiatus obtains sunscreens in its mucus by ingesting the mucus of its clients. Using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) she will determine the identity and quantity of MAAs in the mucus of cleaner fish across different geographic locations along the coast of Queensland (Lizard Island, Heron Island, and North Stradbroke Island)
PhD Project:
Recent depletion of stratospheric ozone has resulted in an increase in the amount of harmful short-wavelength ultraviolet radiation (UVR) reaching the sea surface. Increased UVR protection will be particularly vital in coral reef ecosystems, as the amount of UVR reaching the surface of the ocean increases with decreasing latitudes. Prolonged exposure to UVR causes damage to DNA, proteins and lipids. As the amount of UV radiation increases in marine surface waters, solar UV-induced DNA damage in reef organisms will become more prevalent. Coral reefs are threatened, and it is unclear how and if they will cope with predicted dramatic climatic changes associated with an increase in radiation in the future.. An important step in predicting effects of future increases in UVR is to evaluate the defence mechanisms that organisms use to minimize DNA damage. For my PhD I will further investigate chemical ultraviolet (UV) - screening pigments, known as mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs), in the external body mucus of coral reef fish. Additionally, fix-it mechanisms have been described in some commercially important fish species, which repair the UV-induced damage to DNA after it has occurred. Both mechanisms for UV protection in fish will be investigated, chemical MAA protection and DNA fix-it mechanism.
Publications:
Cheney, K.L., Eckes M.J. (2008) Cleaners clean cleaner mimics. Coral Reefs 27(3): 527.
Eckes, M., Siebeck, U., Dove, S., Grutter, A.S. (2008) Ultravioloet suncreens in reef fish mucus. Marine Ecology Progress Series 353: 203-211.
Eckes M., Siebeck, U., Dove, S., Grutter, A. S., (2015). Fish mucus versus parasitic gnathiid isopods as sources of energy and sunscreens for a cleaner fish. Coral Reefs. 34: 823-833. DOI: 10.1007/s00338-015-1313-z.
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