Project no.2
Rhizarian biology
The Rhizaria are a eukaryotic supergroup that contains a diverse and marvelous set of organisms that range in size from 10's of microns single cells through 10's of centimetres colonies. They are abundant in a variety of ecosystems, including bogs, soils, and the ocean. Rhizarians are important mediators of carbon flux, are key species in climate reconstructions, host a variety of symbionts, and come in out of this world forms. Our goal is to get a better understanding of Rhizarian molecular biology and build links between their genomes and their wondrous forms. To do so we will build new technologies to study single cells, and will work on model rhizarian species to build genetically tractable systems for the study of rhizarian morphology and biomineralization.
 Clathrocanium sp. collected in the Solomon IslandsIt looks like a spaceship and has one of the most marvelous single cell forms I've encountered. |  A Phaodarian radiolarian collected off the coast of CaliforniaVisible through the glass test is the golden central capsule and the brown clumpy phaeodium waste particles. |  A Phaodarian radiolarian collected off the coast of CaliforniaVisible through the glass test is the golden central capsule and the brown clumpy phaeodium waste particles. The characteristic hollow spines of phaeodarians is apparent in this image. |
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 An unknown radiolarian collected in the Solomon Islands |  An Acantharian cell from the Solomon IslandsAcantharians make their spines and tests from strontium sulfate, a remarkable type of biomineralization. |  A pelagic foraminiferan collected in the Solomon Islands.Forams build their tests from calcium carbonate. |
 A phaeodarian radiolarian collected off the coast of Northern CaliforniaThe four phaodarians on this page illustrate some of the diversity of forms in this group. The cells are all quite large, around 500 microns each. |  A phaeodarian radiolarian collected off the coast of Northern CaliforniaThe four phaodarians on this page illustrate some of the diversity of forms in this group. The cells are all quite large, around 500 microns each. |