Sequencing the Sea: How GMGI is Discovering Biodiversity in MPAs

“The ocean touches you with every breath you take, every drop of water you drink, every bite you consume. Everyone, everywhere is inextricably connected to and utterly dependent upon the existence of the sea.”― Sylvia A. Earle

The oceans are home to an amazing diversity of life that sustains this planet, shapes climate and weather, and provides food and life-saving discoveries. But our oceans are under increasing threat from the impacts of pollution, habitat loss, overharvesting, and climate change.

A powerful approach to restore and maintain ocean biodiversity, enhance fisheries, and promote resilience is through the establishment of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). There are 15 National Marine Protected Areas within U.S. territorial waters, managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Our local Marine Protected Area right off the coast of Massachusetts is Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary (SBNMS), one of the world’s most productive marine ecosystems and home to historic fisheries and whale feeding grounds. GMGI scientists have been working in SBNMS since 2017, using modern genomic tools to uncover a wealth of unseen biodiversity, down to the smallest microbes. Working with NOAA managers, GMGI Scientists are developing a framework to integrate genetic diversity into conservation practices to preserve and protect SBNMS into the future.

With international efforts underway to protect 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030, GMGI is working to extend this work to promote sustainable and healthy oceans on a global scale. Using genomic tools provides a powerful approach to assess biodiversity, determine what areas to protect, and can measure the impact of these protective measures on fragile marine ecosystems.

Come learn how GMGI's work is vital to preserve biodiversity, promote healthy oceans, a healthy planet, and enable endless discoveries that impact humankind.

Doors open at 5:30pm, lecture starts at 6pm. Please join us after the talk in the lobby for drinks and hors d'oeuvres.

About the speaker:

Andrea Bodnar, Ph.D., is the Donald G. Comb Science Director at GMGI whose research interests lie at the intersect of marine biology and human health, with a particular focus on developing marine animal models for biomedical research. Prior to joining GMGI, she was a Senior Scientist at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences and focused her research on long-lived marine invertebrates in an effort to understand how these animals live such long and healthy lives. Since joining GMGI in 2017, she has continued to study sea urchins as models to identify the key genes and cellular pathways involved in long-term maintenance of tissues and resistance to cancer.

This is GMGI's inaugural Byrnes Lecture, honoring longtime GMGI and community supporter John Byrnes. As a resident of Cape Ann for over 20 years, he was an integral part of the community, providing advice and generous philanthropic support to GMGI and many other organizations.

Host or Publisher Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute