Electron microscope used in marine studies

The electron microscope will be used by a team at the Institut des Sciences de la Mer de Rimouski, led by Dr Emilien Pelletier.

Pelletier is the Canada research chair in marine ecotoxicology.

The overall objective of the chair is to understand the impact of natural and anthropological stresses on the short- and long-term high-latitude coastal ecosystems to contribute to the conservation and protection of coastal cold and sustainable development marine resources.

One of the key focuses of the laboratory is to study nanotoxicology as it applies to cold coastal environments.

This is an emerging discipline that incorporates studies on the environmental fate and toxic effects of nano-materials on human and marine species such as phytoplankton, bivalves and echinoderms.

The researchers are using the LVEM5 in TEM, SEM and STEM modes to examine marine animals that have been exposed to various nano-materials to better understand how these materials are being absorbed and incorporated into their shells.