Allison Rugila (Ph.D. Candidate) – I am a Ph.D. candidate in the Ecology and Evolution Department and am co-advised by Dr. Bob Thacker (https://thackerlab.weebly.com/). I am broadly interested in the effects of coastal acidification, thermal stress, and hypoxia on marine invertebrates, and the potential for adaptation through acclimatization. My dissertation research focuses on tolerance to these stressors during the most vulnerable life stages of the northern quahog (Mercenaria mercenaria), and how larval exposure influences host energetics and their microbiome over ontogeny. I received a BA in Biology at St. Mary’s College of Maryland and a MA in Applied Ecology at Stony Brook University. When I’m not in the lab or on a boat, I enjoy hiking with my pup, knitting, and reading fiction with a bold cup of espresso in-hand.
Current project:
Allison’s latest research assesses how larval exposure of hard clams (Mercenaria mercenaria) to hypoxia and acidification can have latent effects on juvenile biochemistry (lipid, carbohydrate, and protein content), survivorship, and shell growth. Allison is currently investigating whether these lasting differences are due to variation in energy budgeting strategies and turnover in the host’s core microbial community.