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Linda Cole

Tuesday, 08 December 2009

Linda Cole has been known to dance at the sight of tunicates—one the most fascinating animals in the entire ocean! She is a specialist at the Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C. and is currently working on what will be the largest listing of tunicates ever from the Tobago area!

What is a tunicate and what makes it special?
Tunicates are marine invertebrate animals. Invertebrate animals do not have a backbone. But one of the things that make these animals special is the fact that they are considered vertebrates in their larval or developmental stage. This is because they have a notochord (similar to our backbone) that they use for swimming to find a good habitat where they will develop into adults. The notochord shrinks down to a tiny bump when they become adults. The fact that they have a backbone in their development makes them the highest of the invertebrates. They are a part of the same phylum as you and me, the Phylum Chordata – animals with backbones. The name “tunicate” comes from their outer covering called the tunic, which comes in various beautiful colors. Some individuals share the tunic, and are called colonial tunicates. Others have their own tunic and are solitary tunicates.

Wow! Not many people know how interesting these animals are. In what ways are tunicates useful to humans?
There is a substance found in the tunic of some species of tunicates that is being tested for medicine to be used to fight cancer. Scientists are especially looking at the tunics of what we call “Didemnid” tunicates. Tunicates are also good metal detectors of oceans because some of them absorb metals. A scientist can examine the ones that absorb metals to find out which metals are found in our oceans. Some tunicates are even used as food. Yes, some countries consider them delicacies!

How do tunicates feed and reproduce?
Tunicates are filter feeders, meaning that they rely on water current for their food. They feed on bacteria and other tiny organisms brought to them by the currents of the oceans and seas. The nutrient rich current comes into one opening called the “branchial” siphon and is discharged through another opening called the “atrial” siphon. They have a digestive system pretty much the same as you and me. They have an esophagus, a stomach and intestines. They have a little heart that beats in one direction and then changes and beats in the opposite direction. Some species even have kidneys.

Tunicates reproduce both sexually and asexually.
They are “hermaphrodites” meaning that each individual has both male and female reproductive organs; an ovary and testes. Some species can even self fertilize. Asexual reproduction is called budding. This means that one individual is produced or “splits” from another individual.

That’s amazing! Who knew these little creatures were so complex! As a museum specialist what part do you play in discovering more about these animals?
I often go on collecting expeditions affiliated with the museum, and collect animals for study. I then properly preserve the animals and store them in proper museum containers. Tunicates are collected to better understand what they are, how they live and how we can keep them from being destroyed.

I also catalog the data from the collections into our advanced electronic cataloging system. This data is made public to everyone who is interested through our departmental website. Other aspects of my job include describing new species of tunicates and publishing my descriptions in different scientific journals and identifying species of tunicates for institutions and schools.

What projects are you currently working on?
I am currently working on a listing of species of tunicates from Tobago with some notes on their habitats. I made three trips to Tobago (Island in the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago) and observed the species living there. This will be the largest listing ever of tunicate species from the area. I am also developing tunicate websites that will include beautiful images of tunicates to introduce people to these “not so spineless animals” invertebrates.

Biography:
Linda Cole is a tunicate specialist at the Smithsonian Institute, National Museum of Natural History. She specializes in the taxonomy of tunicates particularly from the Caribbean, the North Atlantic coast of the USA, the Gulf of Mexico and the Arctic region. She has been a scientist at the National Museum of Natural History since 1975, and has published papers about tunicates in scientific journals. She is currently working on a listing of species that she collected in the island of Tobago, along with developing tunicate websites aimed at introducing tunicates to everyone interested and teaching biology students.