Systematics, Phylogeny and Historical Biology of the Bioluminescent Ostracode Genus Vargula in the Western Caribbean

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The ancestor-descendant relationships of a group of minute Caribbean crustaceans of the ostracode genus Vargula will be studied using morphological characters on the carapace and patterns of bioluminescent display behavior. The geographic distribution of the Caribbean species will also be established, allowing unique insight into how the evolution of form and behavior might affect or be affected by geographic dispersal. Underwater video recordings of bioluminescent displays will be used as a data source, along with light and electron microscopy of morphology. The wider implications of the proposed work lie in the use of multiple datasets for constructing and testing phylogenetic hypotheses. Comparisons between the behavioral and morphological branching patterns may illuminate the complex relationship between the evolution of form, behavior, and geographic distribution.