The larvae of unionoid mussels are briefly parasitic on fish, and much of our research is directed at understanding the fish host relationships of endangered mussels as well as the environmental requirements of the juveniles. Mussels have amazing strategies for attracting host fish- have a look at the Unio Gallery . These small crustaceans are significant components of freshwater ecosystems. We have studied the tolerance of one species, Gammarus pseudolimnaeus , for conditions below hydropower dams, particularly hypoxia and fluctuating water levels. Like freshwater mussels, amphipods also have fascinating reproductive habits, including brooding of the eggs and young in a marsupium.
Females carrying young are particularly sensitive to environmental stresses.
We are presently investigating the mechanisms that provide oxygen and food to the developing brood. Frogs and salamanders reproduce in small ponds where oxygen levels fluctuate dramatically. In some species development is slowed and hatching is delayed by low oxygen, while in others hatching is accelerated, and the embryos emerge from the eggs at a very early stage of development. Biology 121 is the first half of a two-semester biology sequence. Biology 121 introduces molecular and cellular biology, genetics, and evolution.