Chitons and their iron-clad teeth
Chitons (Polyplacophora) are molluscs with IRON-CLAD teeth. They coat their teeth with iron in the form of magnetite, allowing them to scrape up algae from the rocky shore with minimal damage. But how do chitons survive using so much iron? Future work combines transcriptomes and proteomes with enzyme assays and microscopy to better understand how chitons wrangle this stress-laden, toxic metal. We are also currently pursuing ancestral state reconstruction to better understand the first chiton radula.
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Sulfuric hot spring? Sounds cozy!
Ostracods are aquatic crustaceans known for appearing pretty much any waterway, but this one seems extreme even for them. Somehow this species survives at >50 degrees Celsius AND with 10x higher sulfur levels than any vertebrate can withstand. How do they thrive here? We are working on a new genome, which will pave the way for 'omic and epigenetic analyses to better understand the pathways in use to combat their toxic pond.
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Just add water, instant ostracod!
Podocopid ostracods invaded freshwater multiple times, but the extreme among them invaded vernal pool environments. Vernal pools are ephemeral puddles that dry out seasonally. Several lineages of these tiny crustaceans evolved anhydrobiosis (life without water) independently. By studying the convergence of this ability, we will learn what is necessary for molecular stability against a background of extreme stress.
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Museum specimens empower eDNA samplingVernal pools are imperiled habitats that can house endangered species, so they present a conundrum for conservation. If we sample the taxa in the pools, we disturb the ponds with nets and shovels and likely disrupt the animals who live there. If we don't sample the pools, we cannot make strong arguments to protect them. eDNA offers a powerful alternative wherein we can use non-disruptive methods to characterize the taxa in a pool. But to do this, we first must know whose DNA is whose! In collaboration with the Los Angeles Museum of Natural History, I was granted permission to sample vernal pool taxa of varying species. Now, we are working to use the resulting genome skims to empower eDNA analyses of ephemeral waters.
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