Eesha Ravi RanganiI got the amazing opportunity to join the Scripps community and the Rouse lab as a Master's student in 2021. I am extremely fascinated by communities of the deep sea and extremophiles. My research is focused on annelids from chemosynthetic communities. Particularly deep sea sand worms, or Nereids.
My intermediate goal is to expand my knowledge in the field of the evolutionary history of extremophiles using computational methods to reconstruct the phylogeny of these organisms. With a particular interest in chemosynthetic ecosystems and the evolution of microbial fauna within these hostile environments. My long-term goal is to be a scientist in the field of astrobiology. I believe understanding models of extreme life will not only broaden our understanding of the divergence of life but also may help us find solutions to the emerging change in our environment.
|
Research
My research focuses on deep sea Nereid worms who occur in a variety of habitats, including the deep sea. Many deep-sea specimens from the eastern Pacific have been collected with the potential of being new species. The new samples show similarities with both genera Nereis and Neanthes. Our project will be focused on resolving the phylogenetic position of these deep nereidids using mitogenome data and morphology.