This work will focus on defining the biological and hydrodynamical constraints to sediment selection by invertebrate animals living in muddy, estuarine sediments -- specifically polychaetes and clams. Our understanding of the way in which invertebrate larvae are affected during the settlement and metamorphosis process now reveals the importance of physical forces on the ability to recruit to adult populations. Dr. Cheryl Ann Butman, in collaboration with Dr. Judith Grassle, will define the physical and biological limits on the ability of the larvae to select settlement sites. This will provide predictive insights into the adaptive significance of invertebrate larval types and the ability of larvae to respond to perturbations to there natural environments. The wealth of invertebrate species of commercial importance (e.g., clams, oysters and scallops) and the ever-increasing impacts upon both natural and cultured populations will make this fundamental research on recruitment timely.
