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Some
of my most significant contributions have centered on the reproductive
biology and chemical ecology of marine invertebrates. I am particularly
interested in the interactive/complementary roles played by environmental
factors and endogenous processes during gamete maturation, spawning,
settlement and post-metamorphic migrations.
I typically like to combine laboratory and field
experiments, and to focus my research objectives toward interdisciplinary
paths, mixing investigations at the behavioural level with microscopic and
molecular analyses as well as larger oceanographic studies.
I also have a special
interest in deep-sea invertebrates, (i.e. corals, echinoderms,
molluscs). Besides studying preserved specimens from bathyal depths, I am
investigating the biology and reproductive ecology of live animals
maintained in the laboratory. See the story we wrote on our deep-sea
adventure in the April 08 issue of
Canadian Geographic.
It was
while pursuing fundamental research on the reproductive strategies of
cold-water echinoderms that I was approached by teams involved in sea
cucumber fishery and aquaculture programs. In the midst of the worldwide overfishing
crisis, basic knowledge of holothurian ecology is sorely lacking for
numerous commercial species. Hence, I often assist in the development
of applied techniques, including spawning induction and larval rearing
methods, not to mention closing the life cycle of some species for the
first time.
Over the past 17
years, I have carried the best part of my work in collaboration with
my husband, Jean-François Hamel, in Canada, Solomon Islands, Micronesia and Ecuador.
Together we have founded the Society for the Exploration & Valuing of the
Environment (SEVE), which is dedicated to research and outreach.
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Fundamental and applied
aspects of benthic invertebrate ecology
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Chronobiology of reproduction with
emphasis on the role of exogenous and endogenous factors and
inter-individual chemical communication in the fine-tuning of
gametogenesis and spawning;
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Other aspects of the reproductive cycle in coastal and deep-sea
invertebrates: spawning, gamete dispersion,
larval development, settlement cues, juvenile growth and ecology;
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Interactions
such as pairing and aggregative patterns, prey-predator responses,
parasitism, symbiosis;
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Conservation, fisheries and aquaculture of marine invertebrates;
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Effects of disturbances on the reproduction and symbiotic relationships of
marine invertebrates.
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