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. Benjamin Glass is an author on ‘Hypoxia disrupts metabolism in coral and sea anemone larvae’, published in JEB. Benjamin conducted the research described in this article while a graduate student in Katie Barott's lab at the University of Pennsylvania, USA. He is now a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Sarah Davies at Boston University, USA, investigating how marine invertebrates, particularly cnidarians, are being impacted by anthropogenic climate change.
Benjamin Glass
How did you become interested in biology?
I grew up in Michigan surrounded by diverse ecosystems, from forests to lakes and beyond. Spending time in these beautiful and dynamic environments, I became curious about the workings of the natural world. As I grew older, I noticed changes in the environments around me, including less frequent sightings of fireflies and monarch butterflies in the small park across the street from my childhood home. I began to wonder what was happening in the environment to explain these changes, developing an interest in ecology without even knowing what the word meant. Upon discovering research and the field of ecology and evolutionary biology, I knew that these were paths I wanted to follow.
Describe your scientific journey and your current research focus
In college at the University of Michigan, I spent a summer at the University of Michigan Biological Station, where I was first exposed to field research in ecology and evolutionary biology. This experience inspired me to pursue a PhD, which would allow me to ask and answer exciting questions about the world around me. During the first year of my PhD at the University of Pennsylvania, I was a rotation student in Dr Katie Barott's coral reef ecology lab, where I immediately developed a passion for coral reef ecosystems and the fascinating animals that build and sustain them (reef-building corals). Spending time on reefs as a PhD student showed me first-hand the extent to which anthropogenic climate change is disrupting these vital ecosystems. Thus, my current research focuses on how corals and closely related species (including sea anemones) are being impacted by climate change, with an eye towards informing conservation and restoration efforts of global importance.
SCUBA diving among corals for research at Heron Reef, Heron Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Photo credit: Kristen T. Brown.
SCUBA diving among corals for research at Heron Reef, Heron Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Photo credit: Kristen T. Brown.
How would you explain the main findings of your paper to a member of the public?
Our planet's climate is changing at an unprecedent rate and scale due to human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels. One outcome of these activities is that the global ocean is losing its oxygen content, which could threaten the important organisms that live in the ocean and rely on oxygen to survive. In this research, we asked how the sensitive young of corals and sea anemones are affected by decreasing seawater oxygen levels. Specifically, we performed an experiment in which we exposed coral and sea anemone larvae (one of the youngest life stages) to low-oxygen seawater, then quantified numerous aspects of their health. We found that low seawater oxygen levels decreased the health of coral and sea anemone larvae, suggesting that human activities pose a threat to these important organisms. These results emphasize that curbing climate change will be essential to the continued health of coastal marine invertebrates and the ecosystems they support.
What do you enjoy most about research, and why?
My favorite part of my research is working in the field. Over the course of my PhD, I have performed field research in Rhode Island, Hawaii, Bermuda, Australia, the Cayman Islands and Panama. Each new place I visit, I learn more about the diversity of coastal marine ecosystems and their inhabitants. It is particularly exciting to return to field sites at which I have previously worked, as this allows me to see how these ecosystems change over time. I believe that there is no better way to understand a particular environment or site than to spend time in it and observe it closely with one's own eyes. Indeed, some interesting and/or unexpected observations, often unrelated to the purpose of the current trip, have led to numerous new research questions that I never would have thought to ask if not for the experience of working in the field.
What is the most important lesson that you have learned from your career so far?
One of the most important lessons I have learned in research so far is to not give up on passion projects even when methods do not work as planned, results are unexpected, or other challenges arise. For the paper associated with this interview, I ran into a roadblock on the very first step as I struggled to develop a method for the deoxygenation of seawater. It was discouraging that developing this method was taking so long and I found myself wanting to give up on the project, but I was encouraged by my advisor, Dr Katie Barott, and others to keep trying. This process, though arduous, made it even more rewarding when our method finally worked and we were able to proceed with experiments. This experience and others have taught me that while research can be full of unexpected challenges, hard work and persistence often pay off in the long run.
Benjamin Glass's contact details: 5 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
E-mail: [email protected]
