Emily’s tough little mussel strengthens Lake Connewarre
You’ve got to admire Emily Cornwell’s dedication. Straight off the plane after arriving in Australia, the 22-year-old from Kalamazoo College cut through the fog of jetlag by visiting the waters of Lake Connewarre.
“It was a pretty quick baptism,” said the Fulbright scholar who is about two thirds of the way through a 10-month stay on Deakin’s Geelong Campus at Waurn Ponds, and the much larger pond, the broader estuarine lake just south west of Geelong.
“I was taken to a number of saline measuring stations by one of my supervisors, Dr Janet Gwyther, who has been studying the ecology of the Lake for a number of years.”
Emily’s other supervisor is the woman to whom she is grateful for first making her aware of Lake Connewarre, Dr Tes Toop.
As well as having a deep interest in the science of the lake, Dr Toop also lives on the edge of it.
“Yes, I have been to Tes’s house a few times,” smiles Emily. “I was looking around for a project I might do as part of my Fulbright and I was given Tes’s name at Deakin University and the rest is history, here I am!”
Through her study, Ecophysiological Characteristics of a Molluscan Population in Lake Connewarre, Emily is gaining a better understanding of how a tiny mollusc Xenostrobus securis is able to cope with rapid changes of salinity in the lake.
“Lake Connewarre presents an unique situation where extreme variations of salinity occur rapidly and seasonally and yet a wide range of flora and fauna persist through these variable conditions,” Emily says.
“Through this study, we are beginning to discover how the mussel tolerates these changes. In November for instance, after heavy rain in the catchment of the Barwon River, which flows into the lake, it was full of fresh water virtually overnight.
“As summer progressed and the rainfall was reduced the lake has returned to a highly saline state.
“What we’re seeing is that in times of stress, either too much freshwater or too much salt, the mollusc greatly reduces it metabolic rate and its oxygen intake.
“It then goes into an anaerobic metabolic state which is a really efficient way of getting energy without oxygen, far more efficiently than occurs in humans.”
Emily’s work has enormous potential in a number of areas.
“High salinity levels adversely affect agricultural production as well as local biodiversity,” she says.
“Through learning more about the ecology and physiology of the organisms in the lake, we are taking the steps to help the agricultural industry to deal with climate change and also to ensure the future of the lake.
“Lake Connewarre is a beautiful spot, being out there collecting the mussels is the best part of my work here,” she says.
“It is a privilege to be able to be doing something that will help ensure future generations can enjoy this and other similar lakes in Victoria.”
During her time in Australia, Emily has managed to see a bit more of Australia than the back roads between Deakin Uni and the lake.
“I do miss the snow from back in Oregon, I must say that,” she says.
“But I have done the Great Ocean Road, you have to do that,” she said.
“I have been to Sydney, Perth, Uluru, and the Great Barrier Reef.
“I really like Australia, the people are very friendly, very laid back.
“At Deakin, it has been excellent in the School of Life and Environmental Sciences to be working in a room full of other students who are interested in your research and exchange ideas with you.”
Emily says she would encourage Australian students to apply for a Fulbright Scholarship.
“I don’t think a lot of people here realise that they go the other way, that Australians can use them to go overseas and study,” she said.
“It’s a great way to see more of the world, and to also do meaningful research.”
On her return to the United States, Emily is leaving Kalamazoo College for Cornell University’s veterinary school where she will be working on both a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine and a PhD.
And occasionally, as the snow falls outside her window in Ithaca and into a wintry Cayuga Lake, wondering how her little mollusc friends on beautiful Lake Connewarre are coping with another fierce Australian summer.
For information about Fulbright Scholarship opportunities in the United States, visit: http://www.fulbright.com.au/awards/australian_applicants/awards_available.htm