Shedd Aquarium Society

SHEDD-NOAA PARTNERSHIP FOR STUDENT, TEACHER AND PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT

SHEDD AQUARIUM, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CHICAGO PARK DISTRICT, TO ADDRESS DEFERRED HABITAT RESTORATION AND CONSERVATION NEEDS IN THE POLLUTED ECOSYSTEM ON THE SOUTH BRANCH OF THE CHICAGO RIVER.

SHEDD AQUARIUM INVASIVE SPECIES PROGRAM

THE JOHN G. SHEDD AQUARIUM WILL CONDUCT RESEARCH TO ADDRESS THE COMPLEX AND OFTEN OPAQUE SUPPLY CHAINS THAT MAKE IT CHALLENGING FOR AQUARIA AND ZOOS TO FEEL CONFIDENT THAT THEY ARE MAKING SUSTAINABLE CHOICES WHEN ACQUIRING LIVING COLLECTIONS. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE ASSOCIATION OF ZOOS AND AQUARIUMS, THE CORAL REEF AQUARIUM FISHERIES CAMPAIGN, AND INDONESIAN PARTNERS LINI AND RARE, THE PROJECT ACTIVITIES WILL ADDRESS THREE PILLARS OF ETHICAL ACQUISITIONS: THAT IT CONSERVES ECOLOGICAL WELL-BEING, SUPPORTS HUMAN WELL-BEING, AND OPERATES WITHIN A ROBUST PARADIGM OF INFORMED GOVERNANCE. ONCE DEVELOPED, THE MODEL OF ETHICAL SOURCING WILL BE INCORPORATED INTO THE MUSEUM’S INSTITUTIONAL COLLECTION PLAN AND PRESENTED AND DISSEMINATED THROUGHOUT THE PUBLIC AQUARIUM AND ZOO COMMUNITY. AS A RESULT, THE MODEL OF ETHICAL SOURCING WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC AQUARIA AND ZOOS AROUND THE WORLD TO REPLICATE, SCALE, AND INCLUDE IN COLLECTIONS PLANS IGNITING A CULTURE SHIFT TOWARD ETHICAL COLLECTING THAT REACH TO THE SOURCE.

AS GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY IS DISAPPEARING AT ALARMING RATES, CONSERVATION PROGRAMS SUCH AS CAPTIVE BREEDING AND PROPAGATION HAVE BECOME COMMON PRACTICES IN SPECIES CONSERVATION. CAPTIVE REARED INDIVIDUALS ARE TYPICALLY RELEASED TO AUGMENT EXISTING POPULATIONS, REINTRODUCED TO THEIR HISTORICALLY OCCUPIED HABITATS, OR INTRODUCED TO LOCATIONS OUTSIDE OF THEIR HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHIC BOUNDARIES. FRESHWATER MUSSELS ARE AMONG THE MOST ENDANGERED ORGANISMS IN THE WORLD DUE TO HISTORIC AND ONGOING THREATS TO THEIR POPULATIONS INCLUDING HABITAT LOSS AND DEGRADATION, WATER POLLUTION, AND CLIMATE CHANGE. A GOAL OF CONSERVATION PROGRAMS IS TO PRESERVE NATURALLY OCCURRING GENETIC VARIABILITY WITHIN SPECIES, SO THAT THE SPECIES WOULD HAVE THE ABILITY TO ADAPT TO ONGOING AND FUTURE ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES. HOWEVER, GENETIC ASSESSMENTS ARE LARGELY MISSING IN MUSSEL PROPAGATION AND RELEASE PROGRAMS. AS A BROADCAST SPAWNER, FEMALE MUSSELS CAN FERTILIZE THEIR EGGS WITH AVAILABLE SPERM IN THE ENVIRONMENT. AS A RESULT, MULTIPLE PATERNITY WITHIN A SINGLE BROOD IS EXPECTED TO BE COMMON. HOWEVER, TO DATE, A LIMITED NUMBER OF STUDIES HAVE INVESTIGATED MULTIPLE PATERNITY IN FRESHWATER MUSSELS, AND THE ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN MULTIPLE PATERNITY AND GENETIC VARIABILITY WITHIN BROODS ARE NOT WELL UNDERSTOOD. FURTHERMORE, CURRENT CAPTIVE PROPAGATION PROGRAMS FOR FRESHWATER MUSSELS OFTEN FAILED TO ADDRESS GENETIC STATUS OF BROODSTOCK FEMALES, CAPTIVE REARED STOCKS, AND BOTH SOURCE AND RECIPIENT POPULATIONS. WITHOUT PROPER UNDERSTANDING OF GENETIC VARIABILITY AND POTENTIAL IMPACTS, CAPTIVE PROPAGATION AND SUBSEQUENT RELEASE WOULD NOT ONLY WASTE LIMITED RESOURCES BUT ALSO HARM THE EXISTING POPULATIONS AND ECOSYSTEMS. GIVEN A GROWING NUMBER OF CAPTIVE PROPAGATION EFFORTS, GENETIC MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES BASED ON SCIENCE ARE URGENTLY NEEDED TO MAINTAIN GENETIC VARIABILITY WITHIN PROPAGATED JUVENILES WHILE MINIMIZING POTENTIAL NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES, SUCH AS INBREEDING, ARTIFICIAL SELECTION DURING CAPTIVITY, AND DOMESTICATION. THE GOALS OF THIS STUDY ARE TO ASSESS GENETIC DIVERSITY AND STRUCTURE OF NATURAL POPULATIONS, AND CAPTIVE REARED JUVENILES, ACROSS MULTIPLE ENDANGERED FRESHWATER MUSSEL SPECIES IN THE MIDWESTERN U.S. THESE ASSESSMENTS ARE AIMED TO UNDERSTAND GENETIC VARIABILITY WITHIN PROPAGATED JUVENILES AND POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF CAPTIVE PROPAGATION AND SUBSEQUENT RELEASE ON NATURAL POPULATIONS. WE WILL THEN DEVELOP GENETIC MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES FOR CAPTIVE PROPAGATION AND RELEASE PROGRAMS. THE GUIDELINES WILL INCLUDE RECOMMENDATIONS SUCH AS THE MINIMUM NUMBER OF BROODSTOCK FEMALES NEEDED TO BE COLLECTED AND MINIMUM NUMBER OF PROPAGATED JUVENILES TO BE RELEASED. THIS WILL BE PROVIDED TO PROPAGATION PRACTITIONERS TO FACILITATE SUCCESSFUL CONSERVATION OF FRESHWATER MUSSELS. INITIALLY, WE WILL CONDUCT A RANGE WIDE POPULATION GENOMIC ANALYSES TO ASSESS THE PATTERN OF NATURALLY OCCURRING GENETIC DIVERSITY AND STRUCTURE ACROSS MULTIPLE POPULATIONS OF AT LEAST 2 3 MUSSEL SPECIES. SECOND, WE WILL QUANTIFY GENETIC VARIABILITY AND STRUCTURE OF BROODSTOCK FEMALES, DERIVED GLOCHIDIA, AND CAPTIVE PROPAGATED JUVENILES TO COMPARE WITH NATURAL POPULATIONS. POPULATION GENOMIC DATA DERIVED FROM THIS PROJECT WILL BE ROBUST AND INCREASE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF GENETIC VARIABILITY IN THE REPRODUCTIVE AND EARLY LIFE STAGES OF FRESHWATER MUSSELS, WHICH ARE CURRENTLY MISSING.

SHEDD AQUARIUM AT-RISK YOUTH INITIATIVE

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (USDA), THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS, AND COLLABORATING ZOOS AND AQUARIUMS, THE SHEDD AQUARIUM WILL CONDUCT COMPREHENSIVE RESEARCH AND DATA ANALYSIS TO IMPROVE UNDERSTANDING OF THE CRITICAL ROLE PLAYED BY BENEFICIAL MICROBES IN ANIMAL ENVIRONMENTS. BY CHALLENGING STANDARD APPROACHES TO DISINFECTION AND FILTRATION IN FISH HABITATS, THE PROJECT WILL TEST A NOVEL APPROACH TO EVALUATE WHETHER CERTAIN GROUPS OF MICROBES CAN IMPROVE THE FITNESS OF COLLECTION ANIMALS. THE PROJECT WILL BENEFIT ALL CETACEANS IN HUMAN CARE BY ADDRESSING A GAP IN SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE TO INFORM USDA REGULATIONS WHICH MANDATE INTENSIVE DISINFECTION OF POOL WATERS. CURRENT COLLECTION MANAGEMENT GOALS INCLUDE WATER CLARITY AND PATHOGEN MITIGATION, YET NO GUIDELINES EXIST THAT ACKNOWLEDGE THE CRITICAL ROLE PLAYED BY BENEFICIAL MICROBES IN ANIMAL ENVIRONMENTS. A NINE-MEMBER ADVISORY PANEL OF STAKEHOLDERS FROM PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS WILL VALIDATE STUDY PLANS AT THE START OF THE PROJECT, AND WILL MEET AGAIN TO REVIEW RESULTS, AND ADVISE ON ANALYSIS.

GREAT LAKES CONSERVATION INITIATIVE

"THE SHEDD AQUARIUM WILL UNDERTAKE A TWO-YEAR PROJECT TO BUILD THE CAPACITY OF MUSEUM STAFF TO SUCCESSFULLY ENGAGE DIVERSE COMMUNITIES THROUGH INCREASED CULTURAL COMPETENCIES. THROUGH A MULTI-DEPARTMENTAL AND INTEGRATED SUITE OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES, THE PROJECT WILL ENSURE THAT THE INSTITUTION'S COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION IS EFFECTIVE AND SUSTAINABLE. PROJECT ACTIVITIES WILL INCLUDE LAUNCHING THE AQUARIUM'S DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION ROADMAP FOR CREATING A WELCOMING ENVIRONMENT BY FOCUSING ON STAFF, VOLUNTEERS, AND EXPERIENCES; FOSTERING CULTURALLY SENSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS IN THE CHICAGO COMMUNITY THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS, ACCESS PROGRAMS, AND LOCAL STEWARDSHIP; AND USING INCLUSIVE PRACTICES IN THE DIGITAL AND VIRTUAL WORLDS THROUGH WEBSITE, PUBLIC RELATIONS, AND SOCIAL MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS."

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: ASSESSING THE CHANGING SYMBIOTIC MILIEU ON CARIBBEAN CORAL REEFS UNDER CLIMATE CHANGE: MAGNITUDE, TRADEOFFS, INTERVENTIONS, AND IMPLICATIONS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: UROL : EPIGENETICS 2: PREDICTING PHENOTYPIC AND ECO-EVOLUTIONARY CONSEQUENCES OF ENVIRONMENTAL-ENERGETIC-EPIGENETIC LINKAGES

MUSEUMS FOR AMERICA

CONG. SETASIDES, MUSEUMS

MUSEUMS FOR AMERICA

MUSEUMS FOR AMERICA

MUSEUMS FOR AMERICA

CHICAGO-AREA RESTAURANTS TACKLE PLASTIC POLLUTION

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: VARIATION IN LIFE HISTORY AND CONNECTIVITY AS DRIVERS OF PATHOGEN-HOST DYNAMICS AND GENETIC STRUCTURE IN A TRANS-HEMISPHERIC PATHOSYSTEM

THIS PROJECT SUPPORTS THE GREAT LAKES RESTORATION INITIATIVE AND THE GREAT LAKES WATER QUALITY AGREEMENT, PURSUANT TO PUBLIC LAW 11210. THE SHEDD A