Research on the high energetic cost of color change in octopuses, conducted by Kirt Onthank, professor of biology at Walla Walla University, and WWU graduate Sofie Sonner, has been published in one of the world’s most prestigious and cited scientific journals, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
Onthank’s and Sonner’s findings have sparked interest in the scientific community, and within hours of the initial PNAS publication, Popular Science and ScienceAlert also published stories about the research.
Sonner, partnered with Onthank on this research as part of her master’s in biology theses at Walla Walla University. “Sofie is really excited,” said Onthank, “To be honest, I don't know of another master student's thesis that has been published in a journal on the level of PNAS. Usually they're publishing a Ph.D. student's work or a professor's work.”
In the study, Sonner and Onthank estimated the metabolic demand associated with color-changing chromatophore organs in ruby octopuses (Octopus rubescens). The results, released in an article titled “High energetic cost of color change in octopuses” in PNAS on Nov. 18, 2024, suggested that the energy required to simultaneously activate all a ruby octopus’s chromatophores was almost as high as the resting metabolic rate associated with all other physiological processes. “Though octopuses make color change look effortless, it isn’t for them,” said Onthank. The high energetic costs associated with the chromatophore system would likely put pressure on octopuses to minimize such costs, potentially contributing to the use of dens or nocturnal lifestyles in some octopus species and reductions in chromatophore systems among deep-sea species.
Onthank, himself a graduate of Walla Walla University, has long been fascinated by cephalopods and has published numerous peer-reviewed articles on octopuses’ energy budgeting, burrowing activity of octopuses, eye lenses of squid and a deep-sea octopus species, and the impacts of ocean acidification on octopus physiology. He was featured as an octopus expert for NBC National News in April.
Undergraduate and master’s students at the university are invited to join Onthank in his research if they are interested. Much of this research is conducted at Walla Walla University’s Rosario Beach Marine Laboratory, located near Anacortes, Wash. “I typically have an octopus or two in my lab during the school year that students work with, and generally have many octopuses at Rosario during the summer that students get to work with and study,” he said.
Immediately adjacent to Deception Pass State Park in the northwest corner of Washington state, Rosario Beach Marine Laboratory is a powerhouse biological research center. There, students have participated in important research on harmful algae blooms and detecting their presence quickly, seagrass wasting disease, oxygen consumption of nudibranchs, the development of motion-detecting underwater cameras, and hibernation and organ regeneration in sea cucumbers.
Intentional collaboration between professors, students, and academic departments, makes exciting discoveries like this possible, Onthank says. In recent years, students from Walla Walla University’s Edward F. Cross School of Engineering have contributed to serious biological research. “Our engineers collaborate with marine biologists to develop tools for ocean research and exploration. This is essential for cutting-edge marine biology.”
Cutting-edge research like this not only contributes to the scientific community, but it helps to train student scientists interested in a variety of professions. The university’s Department of Biological Sciences offers undergraduate degrees in biology, biochemistry, bioengineering, biophysics, and marine biology. In addition, Walla Walla University is the only private university in the Pacific Northwest to offer a master’s degree in biology.
Rosario Beach Marine Laboratory has been owned and operated by Walla Walla University since 1954 and exists primarily for the training of undergraduate and graduate students in marine, field, and experimental sciences in a Christian setting. Nearly 3,000 students have studied and conducted research at Rosario Beach Marine Laboratory, which includes more than 40 acres bordering the Salish Sea ecosystem including tide pools, mudflats, rocky shorelines, sandy beaches, and deep water. These varied environments provide excellent training for students.
Onthank is professor of biology at Walla Walla University and specializes in cephalopod research. He received a bachelor’s and master’s degree in biology from Walla Walla University, and earned a doctorate from Washington State University. He is known for his informational videos on TikTok, using the handle @theoctopusguy. He is also an active presenter with Walla Walla University’s Speakers Bureau.
Published Nov. 20, 2024.
