Benthic Processes
Molecular ecology of marine and aquatic organisms
Project Manager: Joe Jones
Lead Scientist: Robert Vrijenhoek
Researchers will continue to monitor the progression of species that feast on whale falls at various depths in Monterey Canyon. Molecular probes for Osedax larvae are being developed to help understand the recruitment strategy of this organism endemic to whale falls.
The group is also developing probes to detect the larvae of green crabs, an invasive species in Elkhorn Slough and Monterey Bay.