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Published: January 16, 2011

The Bivalve Tree of Life

Stephanie Ware, Manager, Morphology Labs, SEM

HANNAH WIRTSHAFTER

Junior Biological Sciences major at Carnegie Mellon University

REU Mentors: Dr. Rüdiger Bieler (Curator, Zoology, Invertebrates) and Dr. Sid Staubach (Postdoctoral Fellow, Zoology, Invertebrates)

Symposium Presentation Title: Flexing our Mussels: Comparative Bivalve Gill Morphology

Symposium Presentation Abstract: The dual-shelled bivalves are arguably the most widely used class of mollusks: their organs are used for food, their pearls for jewelry, and their shells for decoration. Despite their many uses, detailed morphological analysis using modern techniques has not been thoroughly carried out on the majority of known species. The aim of the NSF funded BivAToL project is to assemble the bivalve tree of life, using morphological and molecular data. Within our study, I used scanning electron microscopy to analyze the gills and labial palps of 25 species of bivalves, with a focus on the superorders Pteriomorphia and Palaeoheterodonta. The gills and labial palps, which are essential for feeding, reproduction, and respiration, are an important character complex for determining phylogeniesdue to their high complexity and variability. Gill and labial palp novel character states were then identified and the species morphology was analyzed and specific characters were traced on recent phylogenies. The comparative analysis was then used to reconstruct a morphological phylogeny and to postulate a hypothesis on the evolutionary history of the gill and labial palp complex, which was then compared with evolutionary trees obtained through DNA sequence data.

Original Project Description: This project (see also www.BivAToL.org) is a part of the Assembling the Tree of Life initiative, a large research effort sponsored by the National Science Foundation to reconstruct the evolutionary origins of all living things. The BivAToL effort uses hundreds of selected target species from around the world and studies their morphology, anatomy, ultrastructure, and genetic makeup.

Research methods and techniques: REU participants in the project will receive an introduction to bivalve morphology and systematics. Participants will dissect and prepare specimens for microscopy, document diagnostic characters with optical and scanning microscopy, and gain experience with relevant literature research and collection management techniques. Time permitting, various histological techniques (in Field Museum’s histology laboratory) and 3-D computer reconstruction will become part of the training experience.

Stephanie Ware
Manager, Morphology Labs

Stephanie started volunteering at the Field Museum in 1998, working with Curator John Bates in the Bird Division. In 1999, John Bates hired her as a research assistant. After that project finished in 2007, she went to work for Carl Dick in the Division of Insects helping him to complete his work on the museum's Bat Fly collection. She spent a great deal of time generating images for the Bat Fly portion of theDiptera Taxonomy Database. When Carl left for University of Kentucky in 2009, she continued her imaging work in the Insect Division. In the intervening years, she has imaged hundreds specimens, mostly types, from the rove beetle (Staphylinidae), ant and myriapoda collections.

Stephanie began working with the Chicago Peregrine Program in 2006.  Initially, she monitored the Metropolitan Correctional Center nest in downtown Chicago.  Over time, her duties have expanded to include other nests in the metro region, emphasizing the identification of nesting adults.  In March of 2007, Stephanie created a group called Midwest Peregrine Falcons on the photo sharing website Flickr with the goal of providing a place for photographers across the country to submit their photographs of peregrine sightings in the Midwestern United States. She also has many of her own peregrine photos on Flickr as well.

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