Title: Effects of Larval Energy Availability on Juvenile Quality in Clypeaster rosaceus

(Research Advisor: Dr. Robert Podolsky, Mentor: Jon Allen)

Christina Zakas

The developmental strategy of many animal species is a reflection of the challenges they face in reproduction and dispersal. A species’ developmental mechanism can have broader implications, specifically on its rate of speciation and extinction. In echinoid echinoderms, two main developmental strategies exist: larvae that feed and have a longer planktonic development time, and direct developers with an abbreviated planktonic stage. However, a rare intermediate strategy also exists in the sea biscuit Clypeaster rosaceus that allows feeding larvae to develop even in the absence of food. The possible benefits of this developmental mode are generally unclear, but may have significant consequences for future survival.  Specifically, the effects of food availability and egg size can influence the quality and survivorship of Clypeaster individuals in the juvenile stage. By assessing the possible trade-offs in this intermediate species’ developmental strategy, pressures that drive evolutionary selection and influence biodiversity may be better understood.