Dr. Lisa Kirkendale, Post-Doc
My post-doc at UVic with the Juniper lab draws on two traditionally exclusive fields, the study of typically chem
osymbiotic deep-sea invertebrates and research into photosymbiotic organisms from shallow, usually tropical waters. I will examine processes, such as mode of inheritance (vertical or horizontal transmission of symbionts) as possible explanations for fine scale structuring (within-host symbiont diversity and turnover) and broad scale structuring (potential coevolutionary patterns between host and symbiont) in symbiotic systems. Laboratory tests of the underlying hypotheses will use marine bivalves and their bacterial and zooxanthellae symbionts as a model marine invertebrate system. 
One of my most recent research collaborations, funded by National Geographic, is to delve into past and present marine diversity patterns in the Lau Group, Fiji Islands.
Contact me at lkirkend@uvic.ca
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