Checking nets with Uncle Mac in 2019
RESEARCH OVERVIEW
I want to help inspire our connection with and responsibility towards the ocean and inform our understanding of mental health.
Together with local collaborators we are studying hallucinogens from the Weke Pueo fish and Sonoran Desert Toad to learn how these animals contain and accumulate their toxins, and how the molecules interact with human neural function to produce altered mental states. We hope to better understand the psychological effects of these molecules by framing them in their ecological context. I am also proud to be part of a team of lawa'ia (fisher-steward) spearheaded by Uncle Mac Poepoe to study Moi (Polydactylus Sexfilis) to inform conservation efforts across Hawai'i.
PAPERS
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Luccioni, M.D., Wyman, J.T., Espinoza, E.O., O'Connell, L.A. (in review). Diet and Chemical Defenses of the Sonoran Desert Toads. Journal of Ichthyology and Herpetology.
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Luccioni, M.D., Wyman, J.T., (2022). Incilius Alvarius (Sonoran Desert Toad). Ingestion of Bullet Casing. Herpetological Review, 52, 4.
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Perez, R., Luccioni, M., Kamakaka, R., Clamons, S., Gaut, N., Stirling, F., ... & Endy, D. (2020). Enabling community-based metrology for wood-degrading fungi. Fungal biology and biotechnology, 7(1), 1-15.
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Luccioni, M.D., Ellington, C. T., Hayden, A. J., LaGrange, Z. B., Osman, M. A., Ramlan, L. I., ... & O'Connell, L. A. (2020). The plant terpenoid carvone is a chemotaxis repellent for C. elegans. microPublication biology, 2020.
MOI (POLYDACTYLUS SEXFILIS)
Co-authors: Uncle Mac Poepoe, Moi Collective
We aim to relate Hawaiian traditional practice and Western science to show what many fishers, including master Lawaiʻa Uncle Mac Poepoe, have observed for years: Moi are spawning for more months of the year than is currently recorded. We will support findings and measurement from traditional practice with western scientific methods to determine the age and spawning time of Moi. These findings, in addition to other data and input from fishers and stakeholders, can contribute to necessary information required to revise current fishing regulations to better protect Moi populations during their (shifted) key spawning times.
This collaborative research project is centered on Hawaiian traditional practices and marine stewardship and how these can be used alongside western scientific methods to deepen our understanding of Moi populations. The results from this project will be used to inform future conservation and management practices of this culturally and ecologically important species and provide a foundation for future work investigating Moi survivability and adaptation to climate change.
Support: Kuaʻāina Ulu ʻAuamo, Laboratory of Organismal Biology, Rooker Lab at Texas A&M
Learn more about Moi in Hawaii from this excellent podcast episode interviewing Uncle Mac Poepoe and Hi'ilei Kawelo, and from our slideshow below, originally presented to Waiakea High School in February 2022.
WEKE PUEO
Co-authors: Kelson Poepoe and Lauren O'Connell
Marine molecules are reported to cause hallucinations, but little is known about them.
We are researching (1) what those molecules are (2) where they come from, and (3) how they impact the human nervous system.
Hawaiian mo'olelo (history) dated to the 1400s speak of “nightmare fish” that induce severe hallucinations, nightmares, and dizziness, especially in summer months. This seasonal difference suggests that the toxins come from the environment, possibly created by dinoflagellates or diatoms. Respect for traditional ecological knowledge is crucial to my research process. Fieldwork involves collaboration with fishing communities, researchers and schools on Moloka’i, Hawai’i Island and ‘Oahu. Kelson Poepoe leads all fieldwork strategy and data collection efforts with Robert Bobby Alcain’s logistical support. Moloka’i high school students learn about the experimental methods and processes through class presentations and sampling field trips.
In the lab I use DNA barcoding techniques to learn what the fish are eating, alongside chemical analyses to isolate the hallucinogenic molecule(s).
Support: Laboratory of Organismal Biology, Molokai High School, Rafe Sagarin Fund for Innovative Ecology, Stanford Biology Summer Research Program, American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (Cashner Student Award)
SONORAN DESERT TOAD
Co-authors: Jules Wyman, Ed Espinoza and Lauren O'Connell
Are the psychoactive molecule (5-Meo-DMT) and derivatives produced by the Sonoran Desert toad linked to diet or skin microbial composition, or the presence of a unique enzyme?
Incillius alvarius has an apparently unique venom profile containing 5-MeO-DMT and derivatives, which bind to serotonin receptors and cause marked behavioral and psychological effects. The toads are also in need of protection from recreational trends where people "smoke the toad" to induce an altered-state experience.
We are performing chemical analyses to create a toad toxin profile, then using a combination of microscopy and DNA barcoding to create matched diet and skin microbe profiles. We will compare toxin load to diet and microbe communities, looking at Sonoran Desert Toads alongside “control” non-toxic species that live in the same areas.
Some preliminary dietary observations are published on BioRXiv [1] and in Herpetological review [2].
Support: Laboratory of Organismal Biology
PAST PROJECTS
I worked in the Endy Lab at Stanford studying fungal growth
and with the Rutz lab at University of St Andrews exploring tool use in New Caledonian Crows.
FUNGAL GROWTH FOR BIOENGINEERING
Collaborators: Rolando Perez and Drew Endy
Within ecosystems fungi are primary decomposers which means that they degrade organic matter and promote nutrient cycling. Certain species of fungi are adapted to degrade wood and have highly specialized machinery to break down lignin and cellulose. This extraordinary capability means that fungi are specifically adapted to take advantage of materials that we currently do not use because it is locked away as wood biomass. Mycelium, the vegetative tissue of fungi, has also been used in construction and to manufacture biomaterials such as packaging and textiles. These “myco-materials” are biodegradable alternatives to plastic, styrofoam and construction, among other materials that are difficult to recycle.
Given the growing interest and future uses of fungi and mycelium-based materials in particular, there is a need to better understand the characteristics of different fungi. To this end, we created a set of fungal growth standards for use as a baseline across research and industry. We conducted a comparative growth assay across ten strains of wood-degrading fungi and five media types, in both solid and liquid form, to determine growth profiles for each fungus strain in the different media conditions. We found that, of our sample of wood degrading fungi, no one fungus grows unequivocally faster than the rest; each strain is uniquely adapted to taking advantage of different substrates. This data is important as it contributes to a foundational database characterizing different fungi strains.
This work contributed to a larger experiment, which became our 2020 paper in the journal Fungal Biology and Biotechnology [2].
Support: Endy Lab
LATERALITY "HANDED-NESS" IN TOOL USE OF NEW CALEDONIAN CROWS
Collaborators: Barbara Klutz and Christian Rutz
New Caledonian crows are studied to understand animal cognition in the laboratory and in the wild. I analyzed videos of wild New Caledonian Crow tool-making behavior to investigate whether individual crows prefer to use the left or right side of their beaks to hold tools; perhaps analogous to ‘handedness’ in humans.
Here is a link to the BBC article which first inspired me to contact the Rutz lab: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-37024393
Support: Rutz Lab, SPGS Alice Wellborne Award, SPGS Environmental Contribution Award