Melissa is studying factors controlling the expression of alternative larval morphs in Alderia willowi, the only known marine animal in which an individual can switch between planktotrophy (production of many feeding larvae) and lecithotrophy (few, non-feeding larvae). This shift in development occurs seasonally in the field; slugs produce non-feeding larvae in summer and fall, when southern Californian estuaries were historically closed by sand berms, and switch to dispersing larvae in winter/spring when freshwater runoff washes open the mouths of estuaries and permits larval transport along the coast.Melissa is testing possible physical cues to determine what environmental factor triggers this seasonal polyphenism in Alderia.
Melissa previously worked on larval ecology with Danielle Zacherl at Cal State Fullerton, where she became the first person ever to culture the larvae of the snail Kelletia kelletii through to metamorphosis -- an 8-week process! She plans to pursue a Ph.D. following completion of her M.S. degree.