My laboratory is pursuing research under two main themes: (1) the biochemical and physiological mechanisms by which marine organisms adapt to environmental changes; (2) the environmental features controlling survival, genetic structure and dispersal in populations of marine organisms with pelagic life history stages. We work with both fish and invertebrates.
In the first theme, we are examining adaptation to both natural and man-made environmental changes. For example, we are studying how natural stress exerts its effects on nitrogen metabolism and excretion in toadfish. We study this problem on levels ranging from field observations to DNA analysis. In a toxicological setting, we are also examining the effects of sub-lethal effects of ammonia on metabolism, acid-base balance, and CNS function in toadfish. In the second theme, we are using biochemical methods (enzyme activity indices, PCR and rDNA analyses, etc.) to examine where species originate and what influences the physiological state of pelagic larvae. Besides addressing basic hypotheses in biological oceanography, this information is of vital importance to fisheries and to hatchery-based operations. For example, we are conducting genetic studies on hatchery reared individuals of Aplysia californica.