Science Atlantic Aquaculture & Fisheries and Biology Conference 2017

St. Francis Xavier University

March 10- March 12, 2017

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE Friday March 10 5:00-8:00 Registration and put up posters

Schwartz Gallery and Lounge 7:30-8:00 Aquaculture & Fisheries and Biology Joint Dinner McKenna Board Room 8:00-9:30 Biology Meeting Schwartz Boardroom

Aquaculture & Fisheries Meeting Schwartz 183

9:00-late Pool Competition Dooley's

Saturday March 11 8:00 – 8:30 Registration and last poster setup

Schwartz Gallery and Lounge 8:30 – 8:45 Welcome Address

Schwartz Auditorium 8:45-9:45 Keynote Speaker Ken Lukowiak \ Professor, Hotchkiss Brain Institute

University of Calgary Title: How ecologically relevant stressors alter adaptive behaviours in the fresh water pond snail, Lymnaea Schwartz Auditorium

9:45-10:15 Break and Poster Viewing

Schwartz Gallery and Lounge 10:15-12:00 Presentations- Session 1

(A/F Schwartz 205 and Biology Schwartz Auditorium) 12:00-1:00 Lunch

Keating Millennium Center Conference Room

1:00-2:00 Aquaculture & Fisheries Keynote Speaker Bruce Hancock Director, Aquaculture Division

Nova Scotia Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture Title: Sustainable Aquaculture: The way forward for Nova Scotians Schwartz Auditorium

2:00-3:30 Presentations- Session 2 (A/F Schwartz 205 and Biology Schwartz Auditorium)

3:30-4:00 Break and Poster Viewing

Schwartz Gallery and Lounge 3:45-5:15 Aquaculture & Fisheries Presentations- Session 3

A/F Schwartz 205

4:00-5:15 Poster Viewing (Posters will be judged at this time) 6:30-7:00 Banquet Cocktail Hour

Keating Millennium Center Conference Room 7:00-9:00 Banquet

Keating Millennium Center Conference Room 9:00-late Social

The Inn (Bloomfield Center) Sunday March 12: 9:00-10:15 Presentations- Session 4

(A/F Schwartz 205 and Biology Schwartz Auditorium) 10:15-10:45 Break and Poster Viewing

Schwartz Gallery and Lounge 10:15-11:15 Poster Viewing (posters may be judged at this time) 11:15-12:15 Biology Presentation- Session 5 Schwartz Auditorium 10:45-12:30 Aquaculture & Fisheries Presentations- Session 5

Schwartz 205 12:30-2:00 Lunch and Awards Ceremony

Keating Millennium Center Conference Room

Reminders -The presenter practice room is Schwartz 289. All presenters should check their presentations prior to their session. -You must upload your presentation in your presentation room (Schwartz Auditorium for Biology and Schwartz 205 for A&F) at least 15 minutes before your session starts. -Each talk will be a maximum of 12 minutes with 3 minutes of questions. Moderators will strictly enforce the time limit.

ORAL PRESENTATIONS- BIOLOGY Sessions 1-2 are on Saturday and sessions 4-5 are on Sunday.

Session Time Presenter University Title 1 10:15-10:30 Emily Allen SMU The effects of body size and

previous experience on sexual selection in Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes)

1 10:30-10:45 Zachery Sherker St. FX Predator-induced shell plasticity in mussels hinders predation by drilling snails

1 10:45-11:00 Kaitlin Burek Dal Recruitment and survival of kelp on turf-forming algae in Nova Scotia

1 11:00-11:15 Madalon Burnett Mount A Sociality and heat stress in the mangrove rivulus, Kryptolebias marmoratus

1 11:15-11:30 Brianne Cruickshank

SMU Finding indicators to predict how breast cancer will respond to decitabine treatment based on the drug's mode-of-action

1 11:30-11:45 Emily Evans Acadia Mixed mating and its ecological impact on an endangered plant

1 11:45-12:00 Emma Finlayson-Trick

Dal Interaction between RACK1 and the 26S Proteasome

2 2:00-2:15 Stephanie

Graham MUN Transmission of Aleutian mink

disease virus (AMDV) in farmed and wild American mink (Neovison vison) in Newfoundland

2 2:15-2:30 Alyson Hasson UNB Phylogeography of Slimy Sculpin (Cottus cognatus) in Atlantic Canada and Maine to assess dispersal and colonization post glacial retreat

2 2:30-2:45 Emil Jurga St. FX Sequencing and analysis of the mitochondrial genome of Oophila amblystomatis

2 2:45-3:00 Kyle LeFort UNB Long term changes in Atlantic Puffin Fratercula arctica egg size in Eastern Canada

2 3:00-3:15 Leah MacLean Acadia Exploring the genetic basis of autoimmune disease through the differential expression of FOXP3 in zebrafish (Danio rebio) following an increase in dietary sodium

2 3:15-3:30 Rowan Murphy St. FX Testing the horizontal transmission hypothesis in a green alga - spotted salamander symbiosis

4 9:00-9:15 Andree-Ann

Marks UNB Assessing generation lengths of

male and female polar bears (Ursus maritimus) in Gulf of Boothia, Davis Strait, South Beaufort Bay and Barents Sea subpopulations

4 9:15-9:30 Kelsey McIntyre Mount A The identification of European and hybrid tick species in New Brunswick

4 9:30-9:45 Kira More Dal The cellular identity, phylogenetic placement, and autecology of marine vampyrellid amoebae from cultured isolates

4 9:45-10:00 Robyn Novorolsky

CBU Examining the diversity of digenean trematodes in Blacketts Lake using molecular techniques and phylogenetic analysis

4 10:00-10:15 Rosalie O’Hara UPEI Comparative analysis of BrdU, EdU, and PCNA methods of in situ quantification of cell proliferation in embryonic mouse kidneys

5 11:15-11:30 Alyse Reimer UNB Survival and movement of the

common salt marsh snail Melampus bidentatus in Cape Jourimain, New Brunswick

5 11:30-11:45 Daniel Andrews Mount St. Vincent

Assessing a novel in vitro culturing technique for embryonic chick eyes

5 11:45-12:00 Justine Trask CBU Influence of chito-oligosaccharide supplementation in zebrafish (Danio rerio) diet

5 12:00-12:15 Nathaniel Winsor Dal Assessing the Role of IL-10 in Homeostasis and 5-Flurouracil Induced Mucositis in a Mouse Enteroid Model

ORAL PRESENTATIONS- AQUACULTURE & FISHERIES Sessions 1-3 are on Saturday and sessions 4-5 are on Sunday.

Session Time Presenter University Title 1 10:00-10:30 David Malloy Dal Effects of 17β-estradiol on feed

consumption and conversion in American eels, Anguilla rostrata, in recirculating

1 10:30-10:45 Madison Philipp

Dal Injury Assessments in Sockeye Salmon (Onchorynchus nerka) Across Different Migratory Phases: Implications for Predicting Fate of Wild Fish

1 10:45-11:00 Christine Gilroy

Mount A Spermatozoa kinematics of wild and captive shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum)

1 11:00-11:15 Margaret Whitemore

Mount A Seasonal movement and distribution of juvenile Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) in the lower Saint John River Basin, Canada

1 11:15-11:30 Nicholas Strowbridge

Dal Temperature, depth and three-dimensional position distribution of juvenile female blue shark (Prionace glauca) off the coast of Nova Scotia University

1 11:30-11:45 Hilary MacLean

UNB Evaluating the presence and abundance of freshwater mussels in the Saint John River, New Brunswick

1 11:45-12:00 Cassia Tremblay

St. FX Modelling the Impact of Ascophyllum nodosum harvest in the Canadian Maritime Context

2 2:00-2:15 Donika Shala Dal Assessing the effects of lighting

regimes on the productivity of a microalgae reactor

2 2:15-2:30 Frank Sinclair

CBU Ecosystem elements mediating the transmission of the parasite Haplosporidium nelsoni to the Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea)

2 2:30-2:45 Krista Latimer

UNB Effect of temperature on the aerobic scope of triploid brook charr (Salvelinus fontinalis)

2 2:45-3:00 Mark Billard Acadia Age and size selectivity of the Gaspereau River Alewife Fishery: implications for the assessment of this stock

2 3:00-3:15 Laura Carvalho

UPEI Characterizing infection dynamics and host response in simultaneous infections of Lepeophtheirus salmonis and Moritella viscosa in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)

2 3:15-3:30 Patrick Belliveau

Dal Effect of oocyte over-ripening on the survival rate of diploid and pressure shocked Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) eggs

3 3:45-4:00 Kamryn Findlay

Dal The trophodynamics of early life stages of striped bass (Morone saxatilis) in the Shubenacadie River Estuary

3 4:00-4:15 Ryland Murphy

Dal Use of chloroform-methanol Irish moss (Chondrus crispus) extract for Saprolegnia control in salmonid aquaculture

3 4:15-4:30 Shanwei Qui Dal Effect of body size and energy reserves on overwinter mortality of underyearling striped bass (Morone saxatilis)

3 4:30-4:45 Krista Ransier

Dal Resident and migratory Atlantic halibut may occur on the scotian shelf and southern grand banks

3 4:45-5:00 Libby Morrison

CBU An in vitro assessment of algal oligosaccharide prebiotic potential for aquaculture applications.

3 5:00-5:15 Dyland Michaud

UPEI Sex-biased genes and their rates of evolution in salmon lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis)

4 9:00-9:15 Tyler Lynn UNB Observations on the life history of

Argulus canadensis, a common ectoparasite infecting Atlantic salmon in the St. John River, New Brunswick.

4 9:15-9:30 Carter VanIderstine

UPEI Salmon lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) responses to hydrogen peroxide

4 9:30-9:45 Ethan Armstrong

MUN Mapping spatio-temporal changes in organic enrichment indicators at Newfoundland aquaculture sites

4 9:45-10:00 Ghaith ZamZam

UNB Inter-strain physiological variation in zebrafish (Danio rerio)

4 10:00-10:15 Elizabeth Nagel

Dal The effects of fisheries closures on groundfish communities of the Scotian Shelf

4 10:15-10:30 Keyvan Balazadeh

Mount A Determination of sex in shortnose sturgeon, Acipenser brevirostrum, using geometric morphometrics

5 10:45-11:00 Hannah

Wallace UNB Cool and salty sturgeon (Acipenser

brevirostrum): The effects of salinity on survivability and blood chemistry at 5 ºC

5 11:00-11:15 Claire Neufeld

Mount A Diel thermal cycling and schooling affect metabolic performance in juvenile Atlantic salmon

5 11:15-11:30 Hayden Breau

Dal Toxicity of a hypersaline solution on early life stages of striped bass (Morone saxatilis)

5 11:30-11:45 Nicole Daigle UNB Comparing postprandial metabolism of diploid and triploid brook charr, Salvelinus fontinalis

5 11:45-12:00 Bella Stein Mount A Using sex hormones and vitellogenin to predict sex and reproductive stage in shortnose sturgeon

5 12:00-12:15 Alyson Brown

UPEI Vaccine-induced protection against bacterial infections in arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus)

5 12:15-12:30 Donnie Sonier

Dal Effect of low temperature and salinity on growth and daily feed consumption of striped bass (Morone saxatilis) from the Bay of Fundy, NS

POSTER PRESENTATION-BIOLOGY Poster Number

Presenter University Title

1 Moyinoluwa Adesanya

MUN ER Stress in Drosophila

2 Katie Bonner UNB Heterologous activation of mammalian MMP-7 in zebrafish

3 Melanie Campbell CBU Evaluating the efficacy of iron binding chelation polymers for the inhibition of biofilm growth

4 Hannah Corney SMU Do parents listen to their children?: Begging does not go unanswered in European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris)

5 Clarice Diebold Dal Comparative analysis of putative rem behaviour in the neotropical bats Trachops cirrhosus and Artibeus jamaicensis

6 Ellen Doohan St. FX Oocyte maturity and halocline salinity selection in the mummichog

7 Luke Duffley UNB Branched-chain ketoacid dehydrogenase kinase: A novel target for inducing chemosensitivity to doxorubicin in breast cancer

8 Obinna Esomchukwu

UPEI Effects of single-strain probiotic bacteria on blueberry polyphenols

9 Jessica Fahey Acadia The identification of surface proteins of the thermotolerant Camplyobacter species recognized by Mab M1169

10 Yayra Gbotsyo SMU Effect of cold-shock on heat shock proteins (HSPs) in nauplii of Artemia franciscana, brine shrimp

11 Rielle Hoeg Acadia House Hunters: Petrel Edition

12 Theora Holden St. FX Habitat, pollinators, and dispersal agents of Triosteum aurantiacum

13 Curtis Hoyt Crandall Synergistic antibacterial efficacy of essential oil combinations

14 Isabelle Jubinville Dal Aerobic performance during migration indicates a physiological trade-Off with reproduction in female macaroni penguins

15 Megan Lawson Mount St. Vincent

An investigation of the extracellular matrix in the development of the scleral ossicle system

16 Keri Martin Mount A Plasticity in the skin of the amphibious mangrove rivulus (Kryptolebias marmoratus)

17 Jane Northrup UPEI A comparison of the effectiveness of positive and negative reinforcement for behaviour modification of horses with aversion to administration of oral medications

18 Adam Palayew Mount A The use of ITS2 secondary structure to recognize diatom species

19 Kathleen Parrish MUN Effect of fucoxanthin, a functional feed ingredient, on Atlantic salmon macrophage gene expression and physiological responses to lipopolysaccharide

20 Matthew Penny CBU Towards an understanding of the shallow water marine hydroids of Cape Breton's coastlines

21 Crystal Prieur UNB The soundscape of weddell seals: sealing the deal.

22 Rho Woojong UNB Examination of alternative splicing in the regulation of CDF1 in potato maturity and tuberization

23 Kenneth Williams Mount A The effect of diel hypoxia cycling on the physiology and biochemistry of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

24 Thomas Baker Dal Sequencing the genome of the MSX oyster parasite

25 Conner Booker Dal Spatiotemporal variability of effective population size and structure in brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) populations along the Bay of Fundy coast

26 Emma Brown, Nicole MacLeod, Brooke McPhail

CBU Shifts in the distribution of winter bird species in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia in association with climate change.

27 Jordan Brown UNB Identifying potentially toxic cyanobacteria in Lake Utopia, NB

28 Kiera Chang SMU Network analysis as a potential method detecting population structure

29 Tyler d’Entremont Acadia Examing arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in Spartina Patens and Spartina Alterniflora in the Minas Basin, Nova Scotia

30 Alysha Dupuis SMU Assessing the individual movement of Sable Island horses over time

31 Paige Fleet SMU Examining gene expression responses to colchicine chromosome doubling in Dactylis smithii

32 Allie Flinn Acadia Investigation of Varroa destructor mite’s preference of odorants for alternative mite management

33 Ersa Gjelaj Acadia Female autodetection and plasticity of pheromone response in Helicoverpa zea

34 Gillian Johnstone Acadia Exploring stress biomarkers in an avian model

35 Edouard McIntyre Dal Life history strategies and the genetic basis of seed weight in Avena barbata ecotypes

36 Chelsea McKenna SMU If Bones Could Talk: Estimating sex from the glenoid cavity

37 Kathleen Miller Dal Improving Immune Responses in Individuals with Chronic Hepatitis C

38 Garret O’Connell UNB Investigation of the function of a type 3 secretion system in the plant growth-promoting bacterium Pseudomonas syringae GR12-2

39 Anik Obomsawin Acadia Habitat features affecting nest-site selection by tree swallows

40 Katherina Radan SMU Analysis of the relationship between functional divergence and the propensity of duplicated genes to be involved in human Mendelian Diseases

41 Mackenzie Thornbury

Dal Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress modulates herpes simplex virus type 1 gene expression and replication

Many Thanks to our generous sponsors St. FX Dean of Science Science Atlantic St. FX Associate Vice-President Research Clean Annapolis River Project Atlantic Society of Fish and Wildlife Biologist Elanco

Canadian Botanical Association Atlantic Elvers

Valox