Ocean and Earth Science, National Oceanography Centre Southampton, University of Southampton

I graduated from Southampton University in 2008 with a Master of Marine Biology and I am now a NERC funded PhD student with CASE funding from the British Antarctic Survey. My research interests are Antarctic marine invertebrate ecology, reproduction and evolution.

Antarctic marine invertebrate ecology, reproduction and evolution

Postgraduate research

The Antarctic is often referred to as having long term environmental stability that has potentially driven evolution in its isolation. The plasticity of morphology, growth and reproduction between populations of bivalves in the Southern Ocean may be important for past and future radiation and diversification. My PhD aims to investigate this plasticity in selected species of shallow and deep-water Southern Ocean bivalves by:

• Investigating the reproductive biology and ecology of selected brooding and larval protecting bivalves of High Antarctic and sub-Antarctic distribution.
• Investigating intraspecific morphological, reproductive and growth differences in populations from different depths and locations aiming to discover if distinct geographical locations may indicate the existence of isolated populations (and the presence of cryptic species).
• Investigating plasticity in reproduction, growth and morphology within species to different environmental conditions in areas often referred to having long term environmental stability.

This research is conducted within the Deepseas Pressure Lab

PhD: Antarctic bivalves - the significance and evolutionary implications of morphological and reproductive plasticity in a cold stenothermal environment

Supervisor: Dr Sven Thatje (Ocean and Earth Science), Dr Katrin Linse (British Antarctic Survey)

Funding: NERC, British Antarctic Survey CASE.

Primary research group:  Ocean Biogeochemistry and Ecosystems

Research project