Nemerteans are common and important predatory worms occupying a wide range of aquatic habitats.
Their biological attributes are of general and pharmacological interest, and they appear to be an important link in the evolution of animals. Yet they are wid ely ignored because identification is extremely difficult. This is because there are few biologists trained in the variety of techniques needed to accurately study these organisms. With funds from the PEET award we will train two students in modern theor y and practice of systematics and in morphological and macromolecular techniques that will be used to study and answer fundamental questions about the kinds, distribution and evolution of these remarkable animals. Although the spectacular diversity of spider silks and web architectures is of obvious interest to material scientists, fewer than a dozen species in one or two closely related families have been well-studied.