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[updated August 19, 2002]
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It's OK if they
steal your heart,
just don't let them
steal your food.
Kleptoparasitism
is out there!
I am interested in the behavioral evolutionary ecology of marine invertebrates. My Ph.D. thesis research investigated the feeding ecology of the marine snail Trichotropis cancellata. This snail ranges from Oregon northwards to the Bering Sea and is usually found subtidally but is occasionally intertidal (especially in the more northern parts of its range).
So what is so interesting about Trichotropis? It is a snail that is a facultative kleptoparasite: it can feed independently by suspension feeding, but it can also steal food from hosts. Its most common hosts are tube-dwelling polychaete worms. When parasitizing, the snail sits next to the tube opening of these worms, extends its long lower lip (its pseudoproboscis) into the mouth of the worm, and uses ciliary action to set up a counter current and steal the worm's food. Pretty devious.
My studies have investigated the proximate questions of: How many Trichotropis in nature are using parasitism rather than stealing independently? Is there a seasonal variation to this proportion? Do all snails steal, or is it restricted to some size classes? How much of a growth benefit (if any) does a parasite receive compared to suspension feeding snails? How much of a detriment is parasitism to the host? How many host species are used? Does the snail grow at different rates on different hosts and does it prefer certain hosts over others?
The overarching, ultimate question that I am interested in is: Why are there so few suspension feeding snails? Marine snails show a wide range of feeding modes, they are very evolutionarily plastic in regards to this trait. Suspension feeding is a common feeding mode in a wide range of marine taxa. So why is suspension feeding, a way of feeding that has arisen many times in the prosobranchs, still rare in marine snails?
Most of my field work has been done near the Friday Harbor Laboratories in San Juan Island, Washington, USA. This is a fabulous place to do field work and the SCUBA diving is phenomenal (although cold) as the fast currents bring in a lot of food for suspension feeding animals. I have also performed field transect studies in Alaska and British Columbia.
I have a number of papers that are about to be submitted, as well as a few that have already been published. For these citations, click here, to see my c.v. click here. I will try to keep this list of publications and c.v. current, but this will not always be possible. If you are interested in my list of publications or would like reprints, please e-mail me at: eiyengar@wooster.edu.
To see pictures of my research animals, click here.
To see pictures I have taken of other marine invertebrates, click here.
Now I have relocated from Ithaca, New York to Wooster, Ohio. In addition to continuing my research on Trichotropis, I am looking into study systems in freshwater streams and lakes as well.
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