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    • Rebecca Marfurt '05


    Poster presented at the North American Benthological Society - May 2005
    Apple snail Chapter (Howells et al. 2006)

    Dr. Burks also says that sometimes she loves me and sometimes she wants to kill me. I'm the one responsible for all of this apple snail craziness!

    My research on apple snails began while working as an intern at Armand Bayou Nature Center. At that time, apple snails had recently become established in the bayou, and were already causing a noticeable impact on the vegetation. Upon returning to Southwestern, I mentioned this problem to Dr. Burks and began a two year long undergraduate research project. At the time, the scientific literature included almost nothing about apple snails, so my research focused on basic ecology and life history.

    I addressed the following questions:

    1. Does salinity level have an impact on food consumption in adult and hatchling apple snails?
    2. Do hatchling apple snails react differently to the chemical cues produced by predators?
    3. Do redear sunfish (Lepomis microlophus) equally prey on juvenile apple snails and native ramshorn snails? How effectively can the fish hunt apple snails in areas containing plants?
    4. Does the presence of plants (Eichhornia crassipies) have an impact on sunfish predation on juvenile apple snails?

    Where I have been and where I am going:

    I am very thankful to have had the chance to do undergraduate research with Dr. Burks. Being able to design my own experiments and think independently has opened many doors for me in my academic career. My undergraduate research also sparked my interest for aquatic biology.

    In 2008, I finished my MS in Aquatic Biology at Texas State University at San Marcos where Dr. Burks also served on my committee. My M.S. research focused on the spatial and temporal distributions of macroinvertebrates in the Rio Grande. I then moved to D.C. and worked for an educational non-profit (The Alice Ferguson Foundation).

    I have now re-located to Oklahoma where I have just started a job as a biomonitoring coordinator for the Water Quality Division of the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality in Oklahoma City, I ensure that effluent from wastewater treatment plants is not toxic to fish and invertebrates living in the waterways of Oklahoma. My job involves a deep understanding of experimental design and statistics, so I am very thankful to have had experience in the apple snail lab. I'm always interested in applesnails so drop me a line if you want. Email me!

    Rebecca Marfurt, Biomonitoring Coordinator, Municipal Permits Section, Water Quality Division Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality p. 405.702.8190 | f. 405.702.8101 rebecca.fordham@deq.ok.gov

    Southwestern University Dot 1001 E University Ave. Dot Georgetown, Tex. 78626 Dot Tel. 512/ 863-6511