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The egg cell links the adult and larval life stages of marine invertebrates. Acquisition of a large egg appears to have been a crucial preadaptive trait for the shift to direct development in many marine invertebrates. This project investigates evolution of oogenesis in echinoderms and how maternal provisioning differs in species with small and large eggs. Evolution of lecithotrophy involved multiple, independent alterations of oogenesis and these have been fine tuned with respect to egg buoyancy and location (benthic, pelagic) of fertilisation and development. It appears that most of the extra reserves are set aside for the early benthic juvenile.
The nutritive profile of echinoderm eggs in species with different modes of development, the pattern of nutrient utilisation by embryos and the affinities of the yolk protein are being investigated using molecular, Iatraoscan and Proteomic techniques. We have the ability to characterize the details of the lipid classes and the protein profile of individual eggs and trace how these provisions are utilized by embryos and larvae. Egg nutritive composition in closely related species is being compared to identify trends in egg size evolution and phylogenetic hypotheses are used to assess the pathway of change. |
- Evolution of Maternal Provisioning in Echinoderms |
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Integrative Biology and Evolution of Marine and Freshwater Invertebrates |
Evo-Devo and Echinoderm Development |