Eric Darvish Crandall
Ph.D Candidate - Boston University Marine Program
Stepping-Stones (News)
6/16/07 - 6/20/07
Presented "How do atoll stepping stones affect gene flow in Neritid snails?" at Evolution 2007 in Christchurch, New Zealand
4/30/07 - 5/4/07
BIOBUGS Outreach Lab
"Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy" reaches > 130 High School Students
1/9/07 - 1/13/07
Poster: "Concordant Phylogeny with Discordant Phylogeography" presented at International Biogeography Society on Tenerife in the Canary Islands
12/11/06 - 12/15/06
BIOBUGS Outreach Lab
"Genetics of Behavior"
Reaches > 200 High School Students
12/5/06
Awarded travel grant to attend 2007 International Biogeography Society Meeting
8/06
Barber Lab moves to Boston University Main Campus
6/23/06 - 6/27/06
Presented "Concordant Phylogeny with Discordant Phylogeography: Contrasting Responses of Two Highly Dispersive Gastropods" at Evolution 2006 in Stony Brook, NY
2/25/06 - 4/15/06
Collecting expedition to Fiji, Vanuatu, Samoa funded by NSF Dissertation Improvement Grant.
3/03/06
Awarded a Palmer-Mcleod Fellowship from BU Marine Program!
2/23/06
"Contrasting phylogeographic patterns in two highly dispersive marine gastropods" presented at Ocean Sciences 2006
2/16/06
Moved from Woods Hole to BU Main Campus
12/05
Popular science article about my research published in American Conchologist
11/05/06
Presentation at NEMEB 2005
11/06
Teaching Fellow for Molecular Ecology Class
7/24/05 - 8/12/05
Taking "Workshop in Molecular Evolution" at MBL
7/06/05
NSF Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant awarded!
3/11/05 - 4/2305
Collecting trip to Indonesia
4/05
Awarded Outstanding Teaching Fellow for BU Marine Program
10/04
Teaching Fellow for Molecular Ecology Class
8/18/04 - 9/18/04
Collecting trip to French Polynesia funded by Conchologists of America and American Natural History Museum
I am interested in understanding how populations of marine species are genetically and demographically connected by the dispersal of planktonic larvae:
Most marine organisms are very different from terrestrial organisms in that they cast their numerous offspring into the currents as tiny larvae to disperse across the ocean and find a suitable place to live. Because these larvae are so numerous and virtually impossible to track, marine biologists have had to assume that they were theoretically able to disperse and recruit anywhere, or at least within the species range.
Recently, there has been a shift in the way marine biologists think about the "black box" of larval dispersal. Genetic, elemental and even artificial markers have revealed that larvae do not disperse nearly as far as previously thought, and that many seem to be retained near their natal population (see Bulletin of Marine Science volume 70). In evolutionary terms, this makes sense if the larva is regarded not so much as a long-distance disperser but as a temporary migrant into the plankton which is more likely to return to an area close to its origin.
Mean dispersal distance is between 0-200 km for most marine organisms. Species ranges, on the other hand, can be many thousands of kilometers in diameter. Therefore, reproductive connectivity across these ranges must rely to some degree on "stepping-stones" - intermediately spaced regions of habitat that can support breeding populations. However, there has been no empirical work done to evaluate the relative importance and scale of stepping-stone populations. I am addressing this problem as my graduate thesis topic.
A better understanding of how larval dispersal works is enormously important to marine conservation. Marine biologists are now advocating the use of marine reserves as a major part of resource and biodiversity management. Our understanding of marine reserves is rudimentary but it seems that they are just as effective as effort management, and more easily enforced. However, in order to adequately design a network of marine reserves, we need to know much more about stepping-stone dynamics in marine populations so that we can create networks with the proper size and spacing to conserve as many species as possible. A well-designed network of stepping-stone reserves may be the marine equivalent of terrestrial wildlife corridors.
Communication of research is an
important and often
neglected part of a scientist's job. Prior to graduate school I
spent as much time in education and outreach jobs as I did in research
related jobs, and I would like to keep outreach and education as a
vital part of my career.
I have discovered that explaining
scientific
concepts to high school and primary school children is a very good way
for me to solidify my own understanding. I also feel that the only way to begin to reverse various
disturbing environmental trends is to increase public awareness of
them. The best way to accomplish this is through genuinely
interesting environmental education targeted to a broad, diverse
audience. In order for education to be interesting it is
important for the instructor to be enthusiastic about his topic,
willing to entertain a bit, and for him to expose his audience to the
wonder of the unknown that drives the scientific process.
Recently, Timery Deboer and I developed BIOBUGS - Biology Inquiry and Outreach with Boston University Graduate Students. We designed inquiry-based labs to stimulate interest in biology: "Genetics of Behavior" in the Fall Semester and "Comparative Anatomy of Vertebrates" in the Spring. Teaming up with Cynthia Brossman at LERNET, we then invited high school classes from around the Boston area to take advantage of unused undergraduate laboratory space and equipment, and the knowledge and energy of many graduate student volunteers. So far we've reached more than 350 high school students!
If you're interested, I've written an accessible description of my
research as a popular
science article.
I'm available to speak to high school students in the Boston area about
topics in marine biology, zoology, ecology and evolution. I've
also created a webpage
of curriculum resources for Chelsea High
School. Contact me via email (click the veliger above).