Dave Caron

Astrid Schnetzer

		Astrid Schnetzer Research Assistant Professor Dept. of Biological Sciences University of Southern California Phone: (213) 82-1800 Fax: (213) 740-8123 Email: astrids@usc.edu Curriculum Vitae

Research Interests
Plankton food web dynamics, microbial ecology and biogeochemical cycling. The ecology of harmful algae blooms (HABs) and the identification of key factors that allow HAB species such as Pseudo-nitzschia spp. to dominate coastal waters is currently a main research focus. I also study protistan diversity in a variety of ecosystems including the Pacific coastal ocean, Antarctica and hydrothermal vent habitats. I am especially interested in how mesozooplankton feeding can impact protistan community structure and consequently biogeochemical cycling in these environments.

Educational Summary
2001	Ph.D. in Marine Biology, University of Vienna, Austria
1996	M.S. in Zoology / Ecology, University of Vienna, Austria

Employment History
2006-Present	Research Assistant Professor, University of Southern California
2002-2005	Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Southern California
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Publications
Schnetzer, A., Gast, R.J., Moorthi, S., Countway, P.D., Gilg, I.C. and Caron, D.A. (in prep) Depth matters: Microbial eukaryote diversity and community structure in the western North Pacific as indicated by environmental gene libraries Schnetzer, A. and Caron, D.A. (in prep) Copepod grazing impact on the microbial assemblage of the San Pedro Channel, California: Analyses of protistan community composition through gene sequences CaronDA., Countway PD., Savai P., Gast RJ., Schnetzer A., Moorthi S., Dennett, MR. Moran, DM. and Jones AC. Defining DNA-based operational taxonomic units for microbial eukaryote ecology. Schnetzer, A., Miller, P. E., Schaffner, R. A., Stauffer, B., Jones, B., Weisberg, S. B, DiGiacomo, P. M., Berelson, W. and Caron, D. A. (2007) Pseudo-nitzschia spp. and domoic acid in the San Pedro Channel and Los Angeles harbor areas of the Southern California Bight, 2003-2004 - Harmful Algae, 6 (3): 372-387 pdf Caron, D.A. and Schnetzer, A. Protistan community structure (2006). In: Hurst, C.J., Knudsen, G.R., McInerney, M.J., Stetzenbach, L.D. and M.V. Walter (eds.). Manual of Environmental Microbiology, Section IV, ASM Press, Washington, D.C. Schnetzer, A. and Caron, D.A. (2005) Copepod grazing impact on the Trophic Structure of the Microbial Assemblage of the San Pedro Channel, California – J Plankton Res, 27:959-972 - pdf Schnetzer A. and Steinberg D.K. (2002) Active Transport of particulate organic carbon and nitrogen by vertically migrating zooplankton in the Sargasso Sea. Mar Ecol Progr Ser, 234:71-84. pdf Schnetzer A. and Steinberg D.K. (2002) Natural Diets of Vertically Migrating Zooplankton in the Sargasso Sea. Mar Biol, 141(1):89-99. pdf

Invited Seminars and Talks
Schnetzer A, Caron DA and Fitzpatrick E. (2008) Seminar at Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center: Domoic Acid Poisoning in Birds. Huntington Beach, California, US Schnetzer A, Caron DA, Palmer L, Hunter M, Evans R and Fitzpatrick E. (2007) Pseudo-nitzschia bloom dynamics in coastal waters near Los Angeles and confirmed cases of domoic acid poisoning in marine mammals. Seminar at Symposium on Diseases and Maladies of Southern California Marine Mammals; Southern California Academy of Sciences, Fullerton, California, US Schnetzer A (2007) Pseudo-nitzschia blooms and Marine Mammal Strandings. Marine Mammal Care Center at Fort McArthur, San Pedro, US Schnetzer A (2006) Harmful Algae Blooms. Talk, Redondo Beach City Council and Water Quality Task Force, Redondo Beach, California, US Schnetzer A, Caron DA. (2006) Harmful Algae Blooms. Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, San Pedro, California, US Schnetzer A, Caron DA. (2006) Exploring Protistan diversity in Antarctic coastal waters. Oral presentation at the Census of Marine Antarctic Microbes Workshop, Innsbruck, Austria Schnetzer A (2006) Harmful and Toxic Algae in Southern California. Marine Mammal Care Center at Fort McArthur, San Pedro, California, US Schnetzer A (2002) The Big Vertical Migration. Open House, Department of Marine Biology, Vienna, Austria Schnetzer, A., Steinberg, D. K. (2002) Active Transport of Particulate Organic Carbon (POC) by Vertically Migrating Zooplankton. Seminar, University of Southern California, California, US Schnetzer, A., (2001) Vertical Migration in the Sargasso Sea: Implications on Export Flux and Resource Partitioning. Seminar, University of California at Davis, California, US

Conference Presentations and Published Abstracts
Professional Memberships
American Society of Limnology and Oceanography American Geophysical Union ProMare Austria The Oceanographic Society International Society for the Study of Harmful Algae
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Teaching
Instructor, University of Southern California; "Advanced Seminar in Plankton Biology" with Dave Caron, Karla Heidelberg, 2007 Instructor, Bermuda Biological Station for Research (BBSR) “Biological Oceanography" with Michael Lomas, 2001 Teaching Assistant, BBSR “Biological Oceanography”. Spring 1999 and 2000. Teaching Assistant, BBSR “Marine Microbial Ecology: Molecular Ecology and Biogeochemistry”. Summer 1999. Teaching Assistant, BBSR “Marine Microbial Ecology”. Spring 1999 Teaching Assistant, Rovinj (Croatia) “Field Course in Marine Ecology, 1994 - 1996"

Oceanic Cruise and Field Experience
Southern California Coast May 2006 – present Redondo Beach, King harbor. Investigating the development of algal blooms and their relationship to changes in environmental conditions - (see also NAMOS) Feb 2004 – present EcoHAB & MERHAB. Weekly & quaterly cruises sampling the Los Angeles harbor and San Pedro Channel area to correlate Pseudo-nitzschia abundances and domoic acid concentrations to environmental conditions. 2002 – 2005 Microbial Observatory at USC. Monthly cruises investigating biodiversity of protistan natural assemblages from the San Pedro Channel. Southern Ocean, Antarctica Jan-Feb 2007 7-week cruise to study mid-trophic food web dynamics, An Antarctic Expedition: Education & Outreach Oct-Dec 2005 7-week cruises to study protistan diversity in open water, slush and sea-ice communities. Oct/Nov 2003 Southern Ocean. Month long cruise to study feeding ecology of copepods and protistan diversity in open water and sea-ice communities. Hydrothermal Vents, Equatorial Pacific Nov/Dec 2004 Extreme 2004 participant. 6-week cruise to hydrothermal vents along the East Pacific Rise (9N and 13N). Investigating protistan diversity within hydrothermal plume and benthic communities; Alvin dive to 2600m at 13N site. Sargasso Sea, North Atlantic April 1998-2001 Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study (BATS). Numerous cruises investigating open ocean biogeochemistry and food web dynamics (zooplankton vertical migration, species-specific feeding preferences, biogeochemical cycling). Northern Adriatic, Mediterrenean 1992 – 1996 Benthic-pelagic coupling in the coastal Northern Adriatic Sea (Ruder Boskovich Institute in Rovinj, Croatia). Investigating episodic sedimentation of algae blooms (marine snow) involving deployment and recovery of sediment traps, open water sampling and measurement of sediment – water exchange processes using SCUBA diving.
Education and Outreach
Harmful Algae Research - Newspaper and Television Features: June 2007 - New York Times: ‘Sea Lions Hit By High Levels of Acid Poison in California’. May 2007 - CBS News: 'Sea Lions Sickened By Toxic Algae Left On Beaches'. - The Beach Reporter: 'Sea mammals along the coast dying'. - Los Angeles Times: 'Mass poisoning swamps marine animal rehab centers'. - Daily Pilot: 'Deadly ocean toxin at worst-ever level'. - Daily Breeze: 'Ocean toxin still takes toll as levels decline'. - Associated Press: 'Toxic acid blamed in deaths of seabirds'. - International Bird Rescue Research Center - Press Release:' Crises of Our Coast'. - NOAA / Center for Coastal Sponsored Ocean Research: 'Harmful Algal Bloom in California: Pseudo-nitzschia Spreads Along Coast Causing Massive Mortalities of Marine Life'. April 2007 - Science Daily, 'Algae Bloom Kills Sea Birds, Other Sea Life In Southern California In Record Numbers'. - Los Angeles Times, 'Marine deaths linked to toxin'. - Daily Breeze, 'Demonic Domoic'. - The Log ‘Cause of Marine Bird Deaths Still a Mystery'. February 2007 - National CBS Evening News ‘Sea Creatures in Trouble’ and ‘The Spread of Toxic Algae’. July 2006 - Los Angeles Times: Series on ‘Altered Oceans Part I: A Primeval Tide of Toxins’. June 2006 - The Daily Breeze ‘Tackling A Toxic Tide’ Other Outreach 2007 Documentary ‘Men and the Sea’ on toxic algal blooms and their impact on sea lions produced by Amy Tenowich, ‘Impact’ series by USC Annenberg School of Communication 2006 - 2007 Documentary ‘In Harm’s Way’ on toxic algal blooms and their impact on coastal marine life. Producers: D. Caron & A. Schnetzer in association with the USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Sciences; directed by Lauren Farrar June 2005 Ocean Literacy Workshop participant, Consortium for Oceanographic Research and Education (CORE). 2004-present Participation in Center for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence (COSEE), Multiple lectures and workshops; 2002-present Participation in yearly Ocean Science Bowl at USC; Ocean-focused academic competition for high school students. 1998 - 2001 Guest Lecturer for Elderhostel and high school programs, BBSR

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