Settlement is a critical step in the life history of marine invertebrates with a planktonic larval stage, particularly for sessile organisms that have limited to no relocating ability. Settling larvae, therefore, screen their environment for cues that will indicate the suitability of a site for survival My PhD focuses on understanding how these cues interact to steer settlement of bivalves specifically the pacific oyster (Magallana gigas). This includes species interactions, substrate properties and/or environmental conditions, focusing specifically on effect of the interactions from multiple settlement cues.
