Anju joins 2-days research cruise on FF-Helmer Hansen
Nymphon gracile collected during the cruise, Foto: AnjuThe 18th and 19th of March was indeed a weekend well spent for the Fromm lab PhD student Anju Angelina Hembrom. The cruise on FF-Helmer Hansen was in the protected waters with some freshwater influence in Berg, Rystraumen, and Balsfjord region, and more oceanic water influenced areas of Malangen. She collected half a dozen of Brachiopods - Hemithiris psittacea, multiple individuals of Pycnogonida species - Nymphon gracile, Nymphon hirtum and another Nymphon sp., colonies of Bryozoan species – Crisisa eburnea and Securiflustra securifrons. What is even more interesting to know is that we only have limited information about the genomics of these groups and there are no sequence data publicly available for any of these species. Now that we have these specimens, we are really looking forward to sequencing the genomes and microRNAs of these individuals.Some we take for food! Anju making fillet with the students.
The research cruise was a part of Bachelor´s degree program offered by the Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics Faculty, supervised by Dr. Kim Præbel for which Anju and Vanessa will also be leading a practical session. During the cruise they also collected different flora and fauna which were identified by the students to estimate the biodiversity of the fjords. The students also sampled from freshwater and migratory Cod which will be used later during the practical sessions. This opportunity allowed Anju to collect samples for her PhD project and also assist the students which was a great learning experience.
