The researchers conducted their work using experimental enclosures called mesocosms. Mesocosms are meant to mimic a large aquatic ecosystem, but on a smaller, more experimentally approachable scale.
Sarah Princiotta, right, assistant professor of biology at Penn State Schuylkill, collects microbial samples from the Bothnian Bay in Sweden, with assistance from a colleague.
Sarah Princiotta, pictured in red and black, sets up one of the experimental enclosures she and her colleagues used to analyze microbes at the Umeå Marine Science Center in Sweden.
Sophia Bates, left, is a third-year corporate communication major with minors in biology and communication arts and sciences, and Michael Russell, right, is a fourth-year biology student. Both will earn their degrees from Penn State Schuylkill and are the only two students at any University College Campus serving as Undergraduate Research Ambassadors.
