This is an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology, under the program Research Using Biological Collections. The fellow, Jessica Goodheart, is conducting research and receiving training that utilizes biological collections in innovative ways, and is being mentored by Dr. Todd Oakley at the University of California, Santa Barbara. The fellow's research focuses on the use of bioluminescence during courtship, in crustaceans called ostracods. In the animal kingdom, courtship displays using bioluminescence are relatively rare, yet occur in many types of organisms, including mollusks, arthropods, polychaetes and fish. Evidence suggests that the evolutionary origin of these displays is associated with an increase in biodiversity, within all of these different groups. This increase suggests that bioluminescent courtship behavior is an important character for speciation and evolution. The fellow seeks to determine the differences in body shape and form that may be associated with the origin of bioluminescence in ostracods and its use in this behavior. This research has the potential to provide important information regarding speciation and evolution as a general process. Finally, the fellow will be participating in multiple outreach activities, including K-12 teacher professional development and public interaction at the Marine Science Institute at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Ostracod crustaceans of the family Cypridinidae exhibit some of the most complex courtship displays in the marine realm, which incorporate bioluminescent pulses. It is clear that there is variation in the use of luminescence during these courtship displays (e.g. peak timing of courtship and intensity of the luminescence). However, little is known about the evolution of morphological characters that may be associated with the displays. To address these gaps, this research includes two objectives: 1) generate a well-supported phylogeny of Cypridinidae, and 2) determine the differences in morphology that may be associated with the origin of bioluminescence and its use in courtship within this family. A robust phylogeny will be generated using targeted sequence capture, followed by the collection of morphological data using nano-CT technology. These data will be compared among species in the new phylogenetic framework. The fellow will be trained in targeted sequence capture and nano-CT techniques, as well as several phylogenetic comparative methods necessary for this work. In addition, the fellow will train undergraduates from groups underrepresented in the biological sciences and will lead a workshop with K-12 teachers to develop a teaching exercise on evolution based on this research.
