Why did I choose NACS as my graduate training program?
I am a NACS student in Dr. Poppers Lab of Aquatic Bioacoustics (http://www.life.umd.edu/biology/popperlab/index.htm). I came from China in 2003 with a MS in Marine Biology. I love NACS in that it is such a multicultural multidiscipline program that you can always extend what you have learned and help you find a way to achieve more!
What are my current research projects?
I am interested in the ear structure of deep-sea fishes. My current research project is a comparative study of the inner ear morphology and ultrastructure in deep-sea gadiform fishes, specifically the families Macrouridae and Moridae. These fishes are the most abundant species in the benthopelagic fauna between 1,000 and 5,000 m. At these depths, there is little or no light, food is scarce, and there are considerable distances between individual animals. Thus, we hypothesize that these fishes have evolved acoustic communication and possibly auditory specializations to enhance detection of communication sounds.
The main purpose of my study is to find out the structural relationships between the otolith, otolithic membrane and sensory epithelia in the saccule and lagena of these deep-sea fishes. By analyzing the difference in the inner ear structure of fishes from different depths and habitats, we may get some insight into the evolution and adaptations of these deep-sea fish auditory systems.
