Biosciences Research Seminar Series - Neuroendocrine signalling guiding marine larval settlement

The talk will focus on the following: Many marine invertebrates have a life cycle with a free-swimming larval phase that ends with settlement onto the ocean floor and metamorphosis into the adult form. Larval settlement is strongly linked to the environment in that larvae must detect specific cues that determine the time and place of settlement. This process is mediated by neuroendocrine signalling in the larva’s nervous system, but exactly how environmental cues and endocrine signals combine to regulate larval settlement is still unclear. A better understanding of this developmental transition could have practical applications in marine aquaculture, biofouling and conservation. I use the polychaete worm Platynereis dumerilii as a model for studying marine larval settlement. In this talk, I will discuss a conserved neuropeptide that induces larval settlement and my recent identification of an environmental settlement cue for Platynereis larvae, plus how I will use these findings to further explore the link between external environment and internal neuroendocrine signalling. My research combines elements of neurobiology, molecular biology and marine ecology.