Marine invertebrates go through a biphasic cycle in which a swimming larva turns into an attached and much less motile adult [1,2]. Many animals go through this type of development, including sea urchins, sea stars, corals and sea anemones. During this transition, the larva interprets mechanical and chemical cues to trigger this metamorphosis. For now, there is no clear mechanism linking sensory input to the start of the developmental program.
This project aims to identify a standardized mechanical cue by designing micropatterned substrates and running behavioral experiments. The project will start with a brief bibliographical review to propose designs for micropatterned substrates based on what is known from microswimmer studies [3]. In parallel, a culture of Nematostella vectensis (sea starlet anemone) will be set in the lab to obtain swimming larvae (planula) [4]. The micropatterned substrates will be produced in the lab using the MicroFab facility, and the behavioral experiments will consist of swimming assays in microfabricated chambers [5]. Swimming statistics will be extracted from the time-lapses with image analysis to identify potential biases introduced by the surface roughness.
Based on the results of these studies, the project can be further extended by investigating larval ciliary activity in the vicinity of the micropattern, to propose mechanisms for mechanosensory inputs.
[1] https://brunovellutini.com/posts/endless-larval-forms-most-beautiful-what-a-larva-is/
[2] Hadfield, M. G., Carpizo-Ituarte, E. J., Del Carmen, K., & Nedved, B. T. (2001). Metamorphic competence, a major adaptive convergence in marine invertebrate larvae. American Zoologist, 41(5), 1123-1131.
[3] Kurzthaler, C., & Stone, H. A. (2021). Microswimmers near corrugated, periodic surfaces. Soft matter, 17(12), 3322-3332.
[4] Carvalho, J. E., Burtin, M., Detournay, O., Amiel, A. R., & Röttinger, E. (2025). Optimized husbandry and targeted gene-editing for the cnidarian Nematostella vectensis. Development, 152(2), dev204387.
[5] Lønnum, M., Schuldt, M. M., Davila-Velderrain, J., & van Giesen, L. (2025). Developmentally timed sensory integration enables efficient larval dispersal. bioRxiv, 2025-10.
MasterNanosciences, nanotechnologies
