Friday, April 05, 2019

The research of a UNCW associate professor and lab have been immortalized with the naming of two new sea squirt species in their honor.

P. lopezlegentilae recognizes biology and marine biology associate professor Susanna López-Legentil for her work in ascidian genetics and systematics. P. imesa was named in honor of the iMESA lab (Integrated Molecular Ecology of Sponges and Ascidians) to acknowledge its contributions to ascidian molecular ecology. The lab is led by López-Legentil and assistant professor Patrick Erwin.

“There are no words to explain how I felt when I saw the publication and the beautiful two species named after the iMESA Lab and me,” said López-Legentil. “It is a rare honor for a scientist to have a species named after him or her. It is even rarer to have a species named after a particular lab within a university. I felt deeply honored and thankful that my colleagues would think so highly of me and my lab’s work.”
 
Sea squirts, also called ascidian, are marine animals with some primitive vertebrate features. They are primarily permanently fixed to a surface, found in all seas and commonly reside on pier pilings, ships’ hulls, rocks and large seashells. They are called sea squirts for the way they contract their bodies and eject streams of water.
 
López-Legentil began working with ascidians in 1999. To date, 45 of her 75 publications involve sea squirts. She was one of the first researchers using molecular techniques, namely DNA sequencing, to approach issues related to ascidian phylogenetics and population genetics.
 
López-Legentil’s current research focuses on identifying native and nonnative species in harbors and marinas of the United States. She and several members of the iMESA lab went to Puerto Rico in early March to collect sea squirts from several harbors and marinas. López-Legentil received more than $77,000 in federal funds by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Sea Grant program to help protect Puerto Rican marine ecosystems and habitats from invasive species. The collection of the sea squirts was within the framework of the grant.
 
“Many incredible people have significantly contributed to my work and ultimately my recognition – from my Ph.D. advisor Dr. Xavier Turon (University of Barcelona) to the many past and current wonderful students at the iMESA Lab,” said López-Legentil. “Significant advances in science are rarely achieved by a single person, and I am lucky to be surrounded by amazing colleagues and collaborators.”
 
-- Venita Jenkins
#CAS

P. lopezlegentilae recognizes biology and marine biology associate professor Susanna López-Legentil for her work in ascidian genetics and systematics.

P. imesa was named in honor of the iMESA (Integrated Molecular Ecology of Sponges and Ascidians) to acknowledge its contributions to ascidian molecular ecology.