ECR Spotlight is a series of interviews with early-career authors from a selection of papers published in Journal of Experimental Biology and aims to promote not only the diversity of early-career researchers (ECRs) working in experimental biology but also the huge variety of animals and physiological systems that are essential for the ‘comparative’ approach. Kristian Maar is an author on ‘ The fluid dynamics of barnacle feeding’, published in JEB. Kristian is a PhD student in the lab of Professor Thomas Kiørboe at Centre for Ocean Life, DTU Aqua, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark, investigating microscale ocean biophysics and experimental fluid mechanics of marine organisms.
Kristian Maar
How did you become interested in biology?
Even as a small child I would spend much of my time simply observing nature and marveling at the beauty and diversity of life on Earth. Life in the ocean particularly fascinated me, and putting on a mask and diving in was like visiting a different world. Learning how complex every organism is and how fierce their struggles for survival are gave me a profound sense of admiration for how life forms in all their diversity overcome the challenges they face, in their own way. Learning about these organisms and discovering their unique place and role in the world is simply an irresistible urge that has followed me my whole life.
Describe your scientific journey and your current research focus
My scientific journey has just begun but has already taken me so far. I started in classical biology, but have since moved on to biophysics and fluid mechanics. I believe that many tools which are common among physicists and engineers are not widely adopted by biologists. In this sense, the partitioning of scientific disciplines has been largely unhelpful, and I feel fortunate that my journey has taken me through several fields, each of which has given me new tools and challenged my beliefs. My current research focus is on the biophysics of marine organisms – and in particular, how experimental fluid mechanics can help us better understand how aquatic animals function.
How would you explain the main findings/message of your paper to a member of the public?
Capturing particles is an incredibly common way of acquiring food in the ocean, and is used by organisms spanning from microscopic unicellular organisms to the blue whale. Among these are barnacles, and they are among the most common and abundant animals found on rocky shores all around the world. While they eat a variety of things, we know that copepods are part of their diet, which is surprising given that copepods are among the fastest and most evasive zooplankton we know of. We discovered that barnacles move their legs in a particular way as they feed, which generates a feeding flow that is invisible to copepods. This enables them to forage on some of the most abundant and nutritious zooplankton, and this likely contributes to their success in the coastal ecosystem.
Using particle image velocimetry requires high-powered lasers and high-speed cameras. Here is an image from the lab, where two experiments are running concurrently using both green and red lasers.
Using particle image velocimetry requires high-powered lasers and high-speed cameras. Here is an image from the lab, where two experiments are running concurrently using both green and red lasers.
What do you enjoy most about research, and why?
I thoroughly enjoy the journey of discovery where simply carefully examining the observations may lead to new insights which nobody has had before. This examination of life feels like a genuine journey of exploration, and the diversity and complexity on offer enables everyone to take a first look at some part of it.
What is the hardest challenge you have faced in the course of your research and how did you overcome it?
Performing experiments in the lab and gathering observations of natural behavior of animals requires not only that the technical side of things are working properly, but also that the behavior occurs, and the measurements are taken. Having success under these circumstances requires a lot of patience and some measure of luck. In my case, overcoming it was a lesson in perseverance and discipline. Practicing makes perfect, and having the patience to keep trying eventually pays off.
What is your favourite animal, and why?
I do not have a particular favorite animal; however, I have a lot of appreciation for the mallard (Anas platyrhynchos). I am not the first to notice that it is not the fastest or most agile in the air, not the fastest swimmer, nor very good at running. Yet, it is good enough at all those things to be successful, and much more so than many faster or more agile animals. It teaches us that every specialization has its trade-off and that being good enough at many things rather than the best at one thing is also a winning strategy.
What is the most important lesson that you have learned from your career so far?
During my relatively short scientific career I have first and foremost learned humility and respect for the scientific method and the work done by all the brilliant researchers before me. I have learned how little I know and begun to grasp how much there is yet to learn. I have been inspired by my colleagues and teachers and they have taught me by example that rigorous effort and never giving up is the key to advancing our knowledge.
Kristian Maar's contact details: Centre for Ocean Life, National Institute of Aquatic Resources, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark.
E-mail: [email protected]
