SPINELESS: MARINE ANIMALS, BIODIVERSITY AND EVOLUTION
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Paul Proctor

I became a part of the Rouse lab as a Master's student in 2019. Currently, I study deep-sea pelagic annelids. The group I study is Acrocirridae with a particular focus on the pelagic members exhibiting fascinating swimming behavior and bioluminescent "bombs."
 My interest in deep-sea biology, evolution, and systematics was fostered through my experiences as an undergraduate in a tropical biology field course. My other passions include teaching and outreach, and I continue to grow in these areas through my experiences as a Teaching Assistant and as a member of Scripps Community Outreach for Public Education (SCOPE) and the Scripps Student Symposium (S^3).
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Research

​My research focuses on understanding the evolution, biodiversity, and biogeography of swimming acrocirrids through morphology, molecular data, and phylogenetic inference. These worms share recent common ancestry with benthic deposit feeders revealing a riveting evolutionary story from seafloor to the ocean deep. Members of this group possess a bioluminescent structure that can be dropped, seemingly an adaptation for predator avoidance. 

Contact 

Graduate Student
​Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego
Marine Biology Research Division
Hubbs Hall
8750 Biological Grade, La Jolla, CA, 92093

pproctor@ucsd.edu

Publications



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