research projects
my career thus far
Population-level differences in S. purpuratus eggs across their biogeographic distribution on the Pacific Coast
To investigate the effects of parental origin on the fertilization kinetics and egg quality of Santa Barbara, Bodega Bay, and Oregon populations of S. purpuratus. Urchins were collected and spawned to collect eggs from females. Egg quality was assessed through protein concentration, total lipid content, and size. Fertilization kinetics were assessed through scoring for successful fertilization at a range of temperatures (15 - 30C) for Santa Barbara and Bodega Bay urchins.
Role of adult thermal history on egg quality, larval stage physiology, and fertilization of S. purpuratus
Building upon work done by a lab colleague, I have acclimated S. purpuratus adults to a simulated marine heatwave. The acclimation temperatures resembled the fluctuating heatwave patterns of the 2018 marine heatwave off the Santa Barbara coast. Once spawned, we collected egg samples to analyze lipid content, protein concentration, size, and protein carbonylation. We fertilized eggs from each treatment (MHW vs. control) and raised them at a control temperature of 15C. We raised them to gastrula and early prism and then collected aliquots of the larvae to assess lipid content, protein concentration, size, metabolic rate, hsp70 expression, and protein carbonylation.
Exposure to a prolonged marine heatwave during gametogenesis impacts offspring physiology
In collaboration with a fellow lab member, we exposed adult S. purpuratus to a prolonged heatwave in the lab, mimicking temperatures of 'the Blob.' We acclimated them during their gametogenesis to evaluate transgenerational plasticity, and specifically, maternal provisioning. To do this, we spawned and raised the larvae in either a control or MHW treatment and then assessed their biochemical properties, size, and thermal tolerance.
