Does it poop? An exploration of bêche-de-mer/sea cucumber gut biome

Introduction

Although most individuals don’t associate sea cucumbers with coral reef health, they play an important role in maintaining reef ecosystems. These echinoderms are found on the sea-bed worldwide and live on filtering detritus and organic matter. Sea cucumber microbiomes can offer insight into the health and diversity of a coral reef- particularly in regards to the various cryptic species and microorganisms that reside within other organisms.

Project Goals (objectives)

The primary objective of this project is to conduct a feasibility study. Particularly to identify the feasibility of participation in a scientific experiment among elementary school students (9–11 years old), in collecting sea cucumbers and their feces. In other words, the main objective of this study is to ensure that elementary-aged students are able to meaningfully engage with scientific projects taking place in their communities. The project is a collaboration between Biocode 2.0 and Two Frontiers Project, the primary spearhead of this program, is an American NGO working towards bridging the gap between scientist and community with the hopes of inspiring the world’s next generation of scientists.

• Data sampling

• Environmental education

• Cultural education

• Eventually to be passed onto scientific researchers for microbiome sampling

• Promotion of citizen science

Methods

We will collect 5 species of sea cucumbers: Holothuria atra, Stichopus horrens, Holothuria impatiens, Polypectana kefersteinii, Cystipus rigidaI. Collection will occur within the reef along the shore of Gump Research Station. Cucumbers within the targeted species will be collected and placed in a plastic bucket with water for observation. As soon as the cucumber is collected, a timer will begin to measure the length of time required before the sea cucumber excretes in the water. Once excretion has been observed, the timer will be stopped and the cucumber will be released where it was found.

If no excrement is observed within the first ten minutes, we will gently prod the cucumber to see if it stimulates a fear response that results in excretion.

Community Engagement

This project’s engagement plan emphasizes environmental education and awareness in elementary school children along with a collaborative network between students and researchers. The FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) and CARE (Collective Benefit, Authority to Control, Responsibility, Ethics) principles regarding data sovereignty and transparency are critical parts of this objective.

This project’s engagement plan emphasizes environmental education and local capacity building

• Environmental Education

• Local Capacity Building

Outreach Activities

This project will help local researchers study the gut biomes of sea cucumbers from the surrounding environment, along with giving way as to the procedures in which elementary school children will be able to collect the target species. Data on the locations and times for collected sea cucumbers will be shared with administrators for the elementary schools, giving approximate locations and times for the target species to be collected.

Project Expected Results

The study aims to determine the feasibility of rori excrement collection as a tool to engage with local elementary school children to promote environmental education. In addition to environmental education, sampling of rori excrement is expected to give us key information about the microbiome of the animal. The microbiome of sea cucumbers is expected to provide vital information about the composition of the community to further understanding of the health of the lagoon.

Expected Outputs & Management Plan

Expected outputs:

• Unidentified Rori Data: time for rori to excrete (min:sec.ms), geographic locations of rori in Gump Reef (longitude and latitude via GaiaGPS), and time that the rori was photographed

Data management plan: Data will be recorded in a google sheets document, recording the identified species for each sample, the time of photographed samples, geographic location (longitude and latitude), and general location (i.e. Gump Reef).

What are the societal benefits this project contributes?

Upon implementation, this project utilizes a hands-on approach to involve local school children in scientific practice. It acknowledges the cultural significance of sea cucumbers within the Polynesian culture and fosters connections between traditional ecological knowledge and scientific experimentation. Additionally, the educational approach is expected to serve as an example of the benefits of co-creation between local schools and scientific researchers, two parties often working independently.