Vicki Martin
Area(s) of Expertise
- Developmental Neurobiology of Jellyfish
- Structure, Function, and Development of Jellyfish Eyes
- Neural Networks
- Marine Ecology & Conservation
- Marine Science Education
Research Summary
My work examines two parameters of cubozoan (box jellyfish) biology: their eyes and their husbandry. Eye studies include a comparative examination of the structure and development of eyes of cubomedusae (basal metazoans) from around the world to determine if they are built on a common architectural plan: cornea, lens, retina of ciliated photoreceptors, presence of rhodopsin/opsin proteins, presence of visual neurotransmitters, and expression of genes known to be involved in sensory organ development in members of the Bilateria.
Publications
- Eye development in the box jellyfish Carybdea marsupialis , Developmental Biology (2011)
- Photoreceptors of cubozoan jellyfish , Coelenterate Biology (2007)
- Photoreceptors of cubozoan jellyfish , Hydrobiologia (2004)