Dr. Rick Hochberg, Assistant Professor of Biology
Research Interests
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 anatomy 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 and regional 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 invertebrates.
Contact Information
Mailing Address: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell MA 01854 USA
Campus Address (for walk-in): Office: Olsen Hall 413A - Laboratory: Olsen Hall 609
Tel: 01.978.934.2885, Fax: 01.978.934.3044, Email: rick_hochberg(at)uml.edu
Current 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?
Academic History
My academic career began in 1989 at Humboldt State University where I majored in Marine Biology. HSU is a wonderful university in one of the most beautiful environments on the planet - redwood forests, white water rapids, and gorgeous high-energy beaches abound in Humboldt county and are a biologist's dream landscape. After graduation, I worked for an environmental toxicology lab (Ogden Environmental) in San Diego before returning to HSU to obtain my M.A. in Biology. During this time (1995-1998), I focused my research on the marine meiofauna, especially marine Gastrotricha. In 1998, I was accepted into the Ph.D. program at the University of New Hampshire and focused exclusively on the Gastrotricha. My dissertation was titled, The Comparative Morphology and Evolution of the Gastrotrich Muscular System. This research was a natural extension of my earlier studies at HSU and broadened my experience in taxonomy, functional morphology and evolution - my advisor, Dr. Marian Litvaitis, was an invaluable resource during this time. One year prior to receiving my Ph.D., I was awarded a postdoctoral position at the Queensland Museum in Brisbane, Australia where I worked for Dr. Lester RG Cannon. Under Dr. Cannon's guidance, I explored the alpha taxonomy of free-living, interstitial flatworms of eastern Australia, both marine and freshwater, from northern Queensland to southern New South Wales. My time in Australia (2001-2003) provided me valuable experience in flatworm taxonomy ("Typhloplanoids", Dalyellioids) and further diversified my interest in interstitial invertebrates. From there, I received a postdoctoral fellowship at the Smithsonian Marine Station in Fort Pierce, Florida, where I focused on the functional morphology and evolution of several different invertebrates including gastrotrichs, rotifers, flatworms, and molluscs. The staff and facilities at the Smithsonian Marine Station were wonderful and one of the highlights of my postdoctoral career. I encourage all graduate students to consider applying for a fellowship at SMS, or any of the laboratories associated with the Smithsonian Institution. The scientists, staff and facilities are in my opinion the best in the world. In 2005, I was offered a position as Assistant Professor of Biology at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, MA. Here, I continue my research on a wide variety of invertebrates, and educate and train students about invertebrate ecology and diversity using the latest techniques and technologies. I also retain my ties with the Smithsonian Institution as a Research Associate, which affords me the opportunity to work at the Smithsonian Marine Station in Fort Pierce, Florida and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Bocas del Toro, Panama.
STRI Group Photo - 2007 - Photo by Chip Clark (Smithsonian Institution)
