Dr. Jane Williamson

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  www.skynews.com.au/eco/article.aspx?id=260682 - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 8/22/2008    Last Visited: 8/22/2008  

  Australian scientist, Jane Williamson has said that the reproduction amongst marine species is likely to plummet, after completing a study on the effects of global warming.
  
  Dr Williamson, a Macquarie University marine ecologist, made the prediction after discovering that climate change is likely to take a dramatic toll on the ability of sperm from many marine creatures to swim to and fertilise eggs shed in the water.
  
  Even if sperm can find and fertilise the eggs, the probability of their surviving long enough to grow into larvae is likely to plunge.
  
  Dr Williamson says that if the results found in laboratories is mirrored in nature, 'it could be enough to tip an ecosystem shift.Whole communities of marine animals could disappear.'
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  In the laboratory, Dr Williamson's team exposed several species of sea urchins to water with an acidity of 7.7 - the same level that climate-change scientists have predicted the world's oceans will reach by 2100.

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  www.southsydney.nsw.greens.org.au/PagEd-index-topic_id- - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 9/2/2007    Last Visited: 9/15/2008  

  Jane Williamson, a Macquarie University lecturer in biological sciences, is concerned about the effect the pipeline might have on the rich diversity of marine animal and plant life.
  
  "People think of Botany Bay as a bit of a wasteland but it really isn't," Dr Williamson said.
  
  Juvenile nurseries of fish and associated fauna live in remnant patches of seagrass, she said."Two types of seagrass occur around there - one that recovers quickly and one that takes a long time to recover.This will be fairly impacted."
  
  Dr Williamson said the area around the plant's outlet tunnel, which would be used to deposit waste water after the desalination process, could also be affected.

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  www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/08/15/2336774.htm - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 8/15/2008    Last Visited: 8/15/2008  

  "If you look at projected rates (of acidity) for the year 2100, we are finding a 25 per cent reduction in fertilisation," Macquarie University lead scientist Jane Williamson said.
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  "It is widely believed that seawater is chemically well-buffered, but these results show that the acidification process is already well underway and may threaten the viability of many marine species," Dr Williamson said.
  
  She said acidity levels of 7.7 were already occurring in patches of ocean off the west coast of the United States.
  
  She said that when acidification rose to 7.4, which is projected by 2300, sea urchins failed to fertilise eggs and died.
  
  "The paper has looked at the projected rates within the next 80 years, but we have actually looked at higher acidification values and we have had mortality of the animals," she said.

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  boorowa.yourguide.com.au/news/national/national/general - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 8/13/2008    Last Visited: 8/14/2008  

  Jane Williamson, a Macquarie University marine ecologist, made the prediction after discovering that climate change is likely to take a dramatic toll on the ability of sperm from many marine creatures to swim to and fertilise eggs shed in the water.
  
  Even if sperm can find and fertilise the eggs, the probability of their surviving long enough to grow into larvae is likely to plunge.
  
  If the decline in reproduction observed in the laboratory is repeated in nature, Dr Williamson said, 'it could be enough to tip an ecosystem shift.Whole communities of marine animals could disappear.'
  
  As global temperatures rise the oceans are absorbing more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, triggering chemical reactions increasing water acidity.
  
  Scientists have found evidence that increasing ocean acidity is eating into the shells of many marine animals, making them thinner and more fragile.But the new fertility research shows that rising acidity will pose a second serious threat to sea life.
  
  In the laboratory, Dr Williamson's team exposed several species of sea urchins to water with an acidity of 7.7 - the same level that climate-change scientists have predicted the world's oceans will reach by 2100.
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  Dr Williamson and her collaborators, Professor Jon Havenhand and Professor Michael Thorndyke, from Gothenburg University, are testing mussels, sea stars and oysters and finding similar results.

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  www.bio.mq.edu.au/Marine_Ecology/people.htm - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 3/12/2007    Last Visited: 3/12/2007  

  Jane Williamson
  
  Lecturer in Marine Biology

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  www.researchactive.mq.edu.au/showitem.asp?ItemID=441 - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 7/29/2007    Last Visited: 7/29/2007  

  Dr Jane Williamson holds a sea urchin in the new seawater facility
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  "The seawater facility is like a laboratory for marine biologists, it allows us to do controlled experiments before testing in the field," says Dr Jane Williamson.
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  "Once the water leaves the storage tanks it never goes back, but instead is recirculated within these two separate systems," says Williamson.
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  One of the upcoming projects to be undertaken in the facility by Williamson is research into whether Australia could establish a viable aquaculture industry in sea urchins.Such an industry would not only provide valuable export dollars but would also offer protection to our fragile marine environment.
  
  Sea urchin roe is considered a delicacy throughout Asia, particularly in Japan, where it fetches high prices.While a global sea urchin aquaculture industry has sprung up to meet increasing demand, there is as yet no equivalent industry in Australia, which is surprising given that Australian sea urchin roe is rated very highly.
  
  "Although we have a small industry in natural harvesting of sea urchins in Australia, we don't have any sea urchin aquaculture," says Williamson.
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  To discover how our sea urchins produce top quality roe, Williamson will study three local varieties, fed on three different diets - two artificial sea urchin diets from overseas, and a mixed algal diet resembling what the urchins would naturally eat in the wild.
  
  "We'll be monitoring them for growth over a set period of time and after about three months we'll harvest the animals," she says."Some of the animals will have their roe tested for quality by official testers to see how they would sell on the Japanese market; we'll do histological sampling on others to assess their reproductive status; and a third group will be used for spawning larvae.The larvae will produce the next generation of urchins, which will be raised entirely on the chosen diets.The final step will be to pick a species that works best and a diet of choice and then refine the process."
  
  For more information contact Dr Jane Williamson at jane.williamson@mq.edu.au

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  online.mq.edu.au/pub/ELS303/staff.htm - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 12/11/2007    Last Visited: 12/11/2007  

  Dr Jane Williamson
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  Jane WilliamsonBiological Sciences (BIOL)Email: williamson@bio.mq.edu.au Phone: +61 2 9850 8167Fax: +61 2 9850 8245

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