How do vertebrate embryos develop to form the adult organism? Coordinated cell movements during gastrulation are key to laying down the early embryonic body plan. The cells migrate by two distinct mechanisms that I will describe. They can migrate on extracellular matrix or on their neighboring cells. In zebrafish embryos, endoderm cells migrate on the yolk extracellular matrix to form the organs of the gut.

Osmoregulation and ion regulation are essential features for normal physiological functions in animals. Using integrative approaches to describe coordinated cellular and organ-level mechanisms with physiological traits, my research broadly examines fundamental features that allow invertebrate animals to adapt to fluctuating environmental conditions. My talk will focus on work examining the interplay of anthropogenic disturbances and ion regulation in two different arthropod groups, amphipods and mosquitoes.

Molluscs are familiar invertebrates, from the humble garden slug, to the colorful shells picked up on the beach, to the mercurial shell-less octopus. Being one of the largest, most diverse, and beautiful groups of marine animals, molluscs have been cultivated by humans for centuries for the valuable materials they make (think pearls) and for the nutritious food they provide (menu items such as pulpo, escargot, moules).

Nekton community composition in a mosaic of seagrass and oyster-culture habitats
By: Fiona Boardman (Ruesink Lab)

Eco-morphology of phragmocone-bearing cephalopods: Using stable isotopes analyses to look into the differences in metabolism and trophic ecology between extinct and extant sepiids and nautiloids
By: Job Veloso (Ward Lab)

Climate change refugia in managed forests
By: Kavya Pradhan
(Hille Ris Lambers Lab)

Ascidian Invasion in the
Salish Sea
By: Megan Powers (Swalla Lab)