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

生长在海面上的动物群落的起源和维持是通过不断吸收动物产生的微小幼虫来实现的。海绵、蛤蜊、蜗牛、蠕虫等的幼虫在海中游动不同时期，然后必须在合适的地方安顿下来生存、生长和繁殖。通过这种方式，需要的海洋动物，如那些对海洋养殖很重要的动物（如蛤蜊、牡蛎、虾和龙虾）和不需要的海洋动物，如那些在船上、码头和发电厂管道上构成污染群落的动物（如海绵、藤壶、贻贝和管虫）都得以建立和维持。这项研究将重点关注污染群落的成员，并提出有关微小的幼虫如何在所有海洋栖息地特征的非常活跃的水中运动中识别特定的表面需求并定居在它们身上的问题。

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.