I am interested in fertilization and early embryogenesis, and I study these processes both in the laboratory and in the field. As a marine ecologist, I focus on understanding the physical and biological factors that affect fertilization success in nature and post-settlement survival of embryos in the intertidal zone.
Marine ecologists know very little about either stage in the life histories of marine organisms.
My research includes studies of herbivores, the distance over which dispersal of zygotes occurs, desiccation-tolerance of embryos in the intertidal zone, and the timing of fertilization during a tidal cycle. The techniques used in this work range from laboratory studies to understand the mechanistic basis of survival, to collecting zygotes underwater and doing manipulative outplant and caging experiments in the intertidal zone. M y laboratory studies of fertilization and early embryogenesis concentrate on understanding the ionic and molecular basis of these processes. I am investigating various aspects of sperm binding to the egg surface and the processes by which only one sperm enters an egg by using biochemical, cytological, and electrophysiological techniques. I am also interested in the signal transduction mechanisms involved in metabolic activation of the egg following fertilization, especially those related to calcium and calcium-binding proteins.