Abstract

Echinoderms (such as sea stars and sea urchins) are a marine phylum that play an important ecological role in many ocean habitats. They are also a group that have been well studied in determining responses of marine species to important changes in the ocean such altered ocean productivity, acidification and warming. In this talk, I discuss what we have learnt from the group in terms of developmental, life-history and population responses to environmental change. This includes research on echinoderms in tropical reef CO2 vents in Papua New Guinea, temperate ecosystems and polar regions, as well as long-term inter-generation laboratory experiments. I discuss broader questions around the ability of the group to adapt through physiological plasticity and inter-generational adaption. Lastly, I briefly discuss research we are currently undertaken as part of my visit to Cambridge and the Natural History Museum (London).