Collaborative Research: Larva-environment interactions: How settlement of marine larvae depends on their responses to varying water flow and surfaces

生长在海洋表面的动物群落是靠动物产生的微小幼虫稳定地补充而产生和维持的。 海绵、蛤、蜗牛、蠕虫等的幼虫，它们在海里游了不同的时间，然后必须在正确的地方定居，以生存，生长和繁殖。 以这种方式，所需的海洋动物，如对海洋养殖重要的动物（例如，蛤、牡蛎、虾和龙虾）和不希望的，例如那些构成船只、码头和发电厂管道上的污垢群落的（例如，海绵、藤壶、贻贝和管蠕虫）建立并维持。 这项研究将集中在污损社区的成员，并询问有关微小的幼虫如何识别特定的表面要求，并在所有海洋栖息地的特征非常活跃的水运动中定居。

Communities of animals that grow on surfaces in the sea originate and maintain themselves by the steady recruitment of minute larvae produced by animals. The larvae of sponges, clams, snails, worms, etc., swim in the sea for various periods of time and then must settle in the right places to survive, grow and reproduce. In this way, both desired marine animals, such as those important to marine farming (e.g., clams, oysters, shrimp and lobsters) and undesirable ones, such as those that make up the fouling communities on boats, piers, and power plant pipes (e.g., sponges, barnacles, mussels and tube worms) become established and are maintained. This research will focus on members of the fouling community and ask questions about how tiny larvae can recognize specific surface requirements and settle onto them in the kinds of very active water movement that characterize all marine habitats.