Nicole Yen
Phylogenetics and Biogeography of deep sea dorvilleidae polychaetes
Graduate Student
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
University of California, San Diego
B.S. in Biology: Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution with Minor in Marine Science
University of California, San Diego
Graduate Student
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
University of California, San Diego
B.S. in Biology: Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution with Minor in Marine Science
University of California, San Diego
Interests
In deep-sea ecosystems, organic particles and detritus often fall as marine snow, including intact whale carcasses which provide a significant local food source for benthic fauna. Remarkably, the deposition of whale-fall generates sulfur-based chemoautotrophic communities that feed on the lipid-rich skeletons, analogous to cold seeps and hydrothermal vents.
I am currently interested in using phylogenetic tools to investigate the evolution and biogeography of dorvilleid polychaetes found in Eastern Pacific hydrothermal vents, seeps, and whale-falls. I am also interested in the mapping of life-history characters and patterns of larval dispersal for conservation and management goals.
In deep-sea ecosystems, organic particles and detritus often fall as marine snow, including intact whale carcasses which provide a significant local food source for benthic fauna. Remarkably, the deposition of whale-fall generates sulfur-based chemoautotrophic communities that feed on the lipid-rich skeletons, analogous to cold seeps and hydrothermal vents.
I am currently interested in using phylogenetic tools to investigate the evolution and biogeography of dorvilleid polychaetes found in Eastern Pacific hydrothermal vents, seeps, and whale-falls. I am also interested in the mapping of life-history characters and patterns of larval dispersal for conservation and management goals.