Invertebrate Biodiversity Research
An appreciation for the bone-less things in life (including spicy Buffalo wings!)
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Overview
The Hochberg lab is dedicated to the study of invertebrate biodiversity, and so our primary goal is to better understand all animals without backbones. That being said, we do have our favorite invertebrates including gastrotrichs, rotifers, whipscorpions and a variety of ectoparasitic arthropods. The students in this lab are dedicated to their favorite taxon, and as P.I., it is my job to ensure that we have all the tools and funding necessary to study these animals to the best of our abilities. Below is a list of some of the major projects currently active in the lab and some of the funding bodies that have helped to support student research. The award abstracts link you to the individual grants.
Examples of Past Student Projects
1. Cryptic speciation and the evolution of asexuality in Gastrotricha - Dissertation: Sarah Atherton
2. Characterization of extracorporeal tubes in Rotifera (Gnesiotrocha): origins, ultrastructure and chemistry - Dissertation: Hui Yang
3. Fine structure of the integument of the social parasite Acyclus inquietus and its colonial hosts Sinantherina (Rotifera) - Project: Sarah Dhimitri
2. Comparative myoanatomy of the Tardigrada and the description of a new tardigrade from the southeastern United States - MS Thesis: Vladimir Gross
3. 3-D reconstruction of the myoanatomy of Ctenochelaris armata (Crustacea: Mystacocarrida) - Project: Laura Igoe
4. An anatomical and histological analysis of Alloteuthis (Mollusca: Cephalopoda) morphology - Honors Thesis: Meghan Burke
5. Elemental enrichment of the arachnid cuticle: examples from Pseudoscorpiones and Thelyphonida (Arachnida) - MS Thesis: James Gallant
6. Comparative myoanatomy of collothecid rotifers (Rotifera: Gnesiotrocha: Collothecidae) with details on larval metamorphosis and development of the infundibulum in species of Stephanoceros - MS Thesis: Adele Hochberg
7. A study of the histological structure and function of vinegaroon pygidial glands (Arachnida: Thelyphonida) - MS Thesis: John Freeman
8. Histology and elemental enrichment in the exoskeleton of Schizomida (Arachnida) - Project: Thomas King
9. Elemental characterization of the whip spider cuticle (Arachnida: Amblypygi) - MS Thesis: Dragoslav Radosavljevich
10. An elemental characterization of the tick exoskeleton (Arachnida: Acari: Ixodida): examples from the deer tick, American dog tick, and lone star tick - MS Thesis: Jessica Cote
11. An elemental analysis of the proboscis of vector mosquitoes (Insecta: Diptera: Culicinae)- Project: Michaela Burns & Vickram Manoharam
Sponsored Research Activity
1. National Science Foundation: An International Approach to the Biodiversity, Biogeography and Evolution of Caribbean Gastotricha. 2009-2013. PI: R. Hochberg. Award Abstract #0918499
2. National Science Foundation: Collaborative Research: Integrating genetics, life history and morphology into understanding the diversification of an enigmatic metazoan lineage. 2013-2018. Co-PI: R. Hochberg. Award Abstract #1257110
3. National Science Foundation: MRI: Acquisition of a Next Generation Sequencing System for Genomics Research and Training at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. 2014-2017. co-PI: R. Hochberg. Award Abstract #1429212
4. Experiment.com: Xenomorphs of the Arachnida: Whipscorpions and their acid defense. co-PI: R. Hochberg. Abstract.
The Hochberg lab is dedicated to the study of invertebrate biodiversity, and so our primary goal is to better understand all animals without backbones. That being said, we do have our favorite invertebrates including gastrotrichs, rotifers, whipscorpions and a variety of ectoparasitic arthropods. The students in this lab are dedicated to their favorite taxon, and as P.I., it is my job to ensure that we have all the tools and funding necessary to study these animals to the best of our abilities. Below is a list of some of the major projects currently active in the lab and some of the funding bodies that have helped to support student research. The award abstracts link you to the individual grants.
Examples of Past Student Projects
1. Cryptic speciation and the evolution of asexuality in Gastrotricha - Dissertation: Sarah Atherton
2. Characterization of extracorporeal tubes in Rotifera (Gnesiotrocha): origins, ultrastructure and chemistry - Dissertation: Hui Yang
3. Fine structure of the integument of the social parasite Acyclus inquietus and its colonial hosts Sinantherina (Rotifera) - Project: Sarah Dhimitri
2. Comparative myoanatomy of the Tardigrada and the description of a new tardigrade from the southeastern United States - MS Thesis: Vladimir Gross
3. 3-D reconstruction of the myoanatomy of Ctenochelaris armata (Crustacea: Mystacocarrida) - Project: Laura Igoe
4. An anatomical and histological analysis of Alloteuthis (Mollusca: Cephalopoda) morphology - Honors Thesis: Meghan Burke
5. Elemental enrichment of the arachnid cuticle: examples from Pseudoscorpiones and Thelyphonida (Arachnida) - MS Thesis: James Gallant
6. Comparative myoanatomy of collothecid rotifers (Rotifera: Gnesiotrocha: Collothecidae) with details on larval metamorphosis and development of the infundibulum in species of Stephanoceros - MS Thesis: Adele Hochberg
7. A study of the histological structure and function of vinegaroon pygidial glands (Arachnida: Thelyphonida) - MS Thesis: John Freeman
8. Histology and elemental enrichment in the exoskeleton of Schizomida (Arachnida) - Project: Thomas King
9. Elemental characterization of the whip spider cuticle (Arachnida: Amblypygi) - MS Thesis: Dragoslav Radosavljevich
10. An elemental characterization of the tick exoskeleton (Arachnida: Acari: Ixodida): examples from the deer tick, American dog tick, and lone star tick - MS Thesis: Jessica Cote
11. An elemental analysis of the proboscis of vector mosquitoes (Insecta: Diptera: Culicinae)- Project: Michaela Burns & Vickram Manoharam
Sponsored Research Activity
1. National Science Foundation: An International Approach to the Biodiversity, Biogeography and Evolution of Caribbean Gastotricha. 2009-2013. PI: R. Hochberg. Award Abstract #0918499
2. National Science Foundation: Collaborative Research: Integrating genetics, life history and morphology into understanding the diversification of an enigmatic metazoan lineage. 2013-2018. Co-PI: R. Hochberg. Award Abstract #1257110
3. National Science Foundation: MRI: Acquisition of a Next Generation Sequencing System for Genomics Research and Training at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. 2014-2017. co-PI: R. Hochberg. Award Abstract #1429212
4. Experiment.com: Xenomorphs of the Arachnida: Whipscorpions and their acid defense. co-PI: R. Hochberg. Abstract.
