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| Aroon Melwani
Graduate Student |
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I am a graduate
student at Moss Landing Marine Labs pursuing my master's degree in Marine
Science. I have spent the last ten months as a research assistant in the
benthic laboratory at MLML, during which time I have had the opportunity
to work on a variety of projects from lab work to remotely operated vehicle
(ROV) research cruises. Through this position, I have developed a great
interest in deep sea biology and enhanced my knowledge of benthic invertebrates.
My master's thesis will be to study the ecology of a cold seep site in
Monterey Bay, using ROV sampling techniques. Cold seeps are oases in the
deep sea that are powered by chemosynthesis of fluids seeping through
the sediments, rather than photosynthesis from the sun. Most of the deep
sea is food-poor, but the rich cold seep community is not consumed by
predators from elsewhere. I will be investigating the predatory interactions
amongst the inhabitants of a chemosynthetic community and the surrounding
deep sea. |
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Contact the Web Master: sperry@mlml.calstate.edu