This laboratory is dedicated to the study of the invertebrate metazoa, i.e., all multicellular animals without back bones. While research on any group of invertebrates is welcome, the laboratory is focused on the systematics and functional morphology of the microscopic and often cryptic fauna of interstitial and planktonic environments. These micrometazoans are some of the smallest and most abundant animals on the planet, yet are surprisingly understudied and largely unknown relative to the more familiar macrofauna. Many animals are less than 1 mm in body length, and some are even as small as 0.08 mm or less! Consequently, these invertebrates are often overlooked in most studies of local, regional and global biodiversity. With this in mind, the primary role of this laboratory is to promote a greater understanding of these Lilliputian animals beyond their recognition as anatomical oddities and ecological curiosities – to overlook such wonderful animals would be to ignore some of the most diverse metazoans on the planet, not to mention the peculiarities of body plan organization that exist only among the microscopic fauna, and are therefore entirely absent from the larger benthic, nectic and terrestrial invertebratesCurrent Research
Current research is focused on the ecology, functional morphology, neurobiology, and systematics of three meiofaunal taxa – Gastrotricha, Platyhelminthes, and Rotifera – with a dabble into Annelida, Mollusca (interstitial Aplacophora and Opisthobranchia), Cnidaria, and other phyla. The miniscule size of these meiofaunal and zooplanktonic animals generally means that microtomy and advanced microscopical techniques are required to observe their behavior, dissect their anatomy, and interpret their functional roles in the environment. Current methods and technologies employed in my laboratory (and associated laboratories) include the following: cyto- and immunohistochemistry, widefield epifluorescence and confocal laser scanning microscopy, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, and digital imaging (still and video imaging, 3D visualization, deconvolution).
Because these animals are some of the smallest on the planet, they may provide us unique insights into the limitations that size plays in the structure and function of cells, tissues and organ systems. Relevant questions about size constraints that interest me include: 1) What are the lowers limits to muscle size and function? Does small muscle size impose specific constraints on muscle cell physiology, i.e., do tiny muscles function identical to larger muscles, or have they changed in some unique way (e.g., sarcomere ultrastructure, modifications of synaptic input) that alters their function? 2) Do extremely small neurons have the same chemical diversity as larger neurons? Have changes in cell size placed contraints on the amount or type of machinery that is available for synthesizing structural proteins and neurotransmitters? 3) Does smaller body size place constraints on the diversity of sensory devices, or do individual neurons in tiny animals have a greater range of sensory modalities relative to larger animals with more neurons?
