A senior in public heath and biology at Agnes Scott College, Cierra Lockhart (LITS Call Center) recently completed an exciting internship at the Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies on Catalina Island in Two Harbors, CA. Her team researched the blue-banded goby, a small fish that has the unique ability to change its sex when it needs to socially, not just for reproduction.
Found in very large social ecosystems, the goby typically has one male for every thousand females and if the male dies, the largest female will change sex to take his place. If a new, more aggressive male enters the group, the female that had assumed the male role can turn back into female.
Cierra’s team observed hormone-injected fish to examine the affect of changing hormones within the ecosystem. One observation the team made was that if a hormonal imbalance causes the male to be less aggressive, the largest female will simply change sex and take over his responsibilities of being the aggressive leader of the school.
In a small ecosystem, Cierra learned that fish actually have very purposeful actions as opposed to the randomness of watching fish in a large ecosystem. In this way, it becomes easier for the research team to understand how the fish are being affected by the hormone changes.
The team observed the fish in tanks and also by snorkeling in their natural environment. Having never snorkeled in the ocean, Cierra overcame a fear of swimming with sharks when her lab mates tossed her into the ocean against her wishes. Once in the sea, however, she loved the work.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better summer,” said Cierra.
To qualify for the internship, Cierra, who is a recipient of the Agnes Advantage Scholarship, maintains a high GPA and was one of three students selected from many applicants for this internship. It was her first time visiting California.
Cierra graduates in 2015 and plans to go to graduate school to become a physician’s assistant (PA) and work in family planning.
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