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Les
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Biology of Deep-sea Octocorals and Their Associates I am interested in the taxonomy, biogeography, ecology, and reproduction of deep-sea octocorals. For the most part my samples have come from seamounts in the North Atlantic Ocean but my research is expanding to cover seamounts and island slopes in the Hawaiian and nearby areas. My colleagues and I are particularly interested in the modes of dispersal of these animals, their long-term evolutionary history, and their relationships to deep ocean water masses. Deep-sea octocorals are also home to a variety of smaller invertebrates. I am interested in how these relationships develop and are maintained. Because these animals live at depths that are accessible only by submersible or remotely operated vehicles, much of what is known has to be gained by inference. We examine closely the bodies of the commensals for clues to their roles in these relationships. Biology of Crustacea I have spent most of my career studying marine crustaceans, especially those in the Superorder Peracarida. I am especially interested in the phylogeny of this group, its relationship to other malacostracans, and in finding molecular and morphological evidence that can be used to determine whether this old superorder is a taxonomic artifact or is monophyletic. Additional studies are ongoing on functional morphology of a variety of crustaceans including one deep-sea shrimp that uses a novel mode of pleopod locomotion. And lastly, I have described many new crustacean species and am actively working on the small order Cumacea with a view to producing a modern revision of all the known genera. Conservation Studies I have
been involved for about a decade in activities that are specifically
related to reduction of human impacts on the marine environment.
Most of this work has focused on limiting bottom trawling on continental
shelves and banning it altogether in the deep sea. I work with non-governmental
organizations (NGO), providing them with information they can use
in their campaigns. I believe that scientists can play an important
role in marine conservation by providing NGOs with the best and
latest scientific information, and by occasionally providing information
or testimony directly to government regulators. Since arriving in
Hawaii I have not yet become directly involved in conservation issues
here but am willing to support a student whose research is of interest
to local regulatory agencies. Simpson, A. &
L. Watling, in press. An investigation of the cumulative impacts
of shrimp trawling on mud bottom fishing grounds in the Gulf of
Maine: Effects on habitat and macrofaunal community structure. ICES
Journal of Marine Science. Watling, L. in
press. Cumacea. In: J. Carlton (ed.) Light's Manual to the Invertebrates
of the Central California Coast. University of California Press. Watling, L. in
press. Caprellid Amphipods. In: J. Carlton (ed.) Light's Manual
to the Invertebrates of the Central California Coast. University
of California Press. Watling, L. in
press, Amphipods, Isopods, and Other Small Crustaceans. In: M.Denny
& S. Gaines (eds.) Encyclopedia of Intertidal Rocky Shores.
University of California Press. Lehnert, H., Les
Watling & R. Stone. 2005. Cladorhiza corona sp. nov.
(Porifera: Demospongiae: Cladorhizidae) from the Aleutian Islands
(Alaska). Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United
Kingdom 85: 1359-1366. Eckelbarger, K.J.,
L. Watling & H. Fournier. 2005. Reproductive biology of the
deep-sea polychaete, Gorgoniapolynoe caeciliae (Polynoidae),
a commensal species associated with octocorals. Journal of the Marine
Biological Association of the United Kingdom 85: 1425-1433. Watling, L. &
P.J. Auster. 2005. Distribution of deep-water Alcyonacea off the
Northeast coast of the United States. Pp. 259-276. In: Freiwald,
A. & J.M. Roberts (eds.) Cold-Water Corals and Ecosystems. Springer-Verlag. Auster, P.J., J.
Moore, K.B. Heinonen & L. Watling. 2005. A habitat classification
scheme for seamount landscapes: assessing the functional role of
deep-water corals as fish habitat. In: Freiwald, A. & J.M. Roberts
(eds.) Cold-Water Corals and Ecosystems. Springer-Verlag. Watling, L. 2005.
Chapter 12: The Global Destruction of Bottom Habitats by Mobile
Fishing Gear. In: L. Crowder & E.A. Norse (eds.) Marine Conservation
Biology. Island Press. Watling, L. &
S. Gerken. 2005. The Cumacea of the Faroes Islands region: water
mass relationships and North Atlantic biogeography. Frodskaparrit
Biofar symposium. Haye, P., I. Kornfield
& L. Watling. 2004. Molecular insights into cumacean family
relationships (Crustacea, Cumacea). Molecular Phylogenetics and
Evolution 30: 798-804. Gonzalez, E. &
L. Watling. 2003. Two new species of Hyalella from Lake Titicaca
and redescriptions of four others in the genus (Crustacea: Amphipoda).
Hydrobiologia 497: 181-204. |
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