RESEARCH

My research interests lie at the intersection of ecology and evolution. Primarily, I study the evolution of life histories and the larval ecology of marine invertebrate animals. Invertebrates comprise more than 98% of all known animal species and exhibit a wide variety of reproductive modes and strategies. Most marine invertebrate species possess a complex life cycle that is made up of a benthic adult stage and a planktonic larval stage. There is wide variation in both the form and function of the adult and larval stages of marine invertebrates and often the two stages of the life cycle are extraordinarily dissimilar in their morphology. My research is focused on explaining the diversity of strategies that organisms use as they switch between habitats and morphologies during their life cycle. In particular, I am interested in investigating how changes in maternal investment affect larval and juvenile development, survival and growth.