I am working on invertebrate marine population genetics, connectivity and phylogeography. My main interest stands in understanding the evolutionnary processes driving genetic diversity and speciation in coral reef associate bivalves. To answer these questions I combine field work, observation studies, molecular biology and genetic statistics.

Species Stacking, Sediment Removal, and Coral Symbionts

This project is part of collaboration with the University of Gainesville Florida and the CRIOBE, Moorea, through a PhD student exchange called FACE program. 
We examined the prevalence of co-occurrence and species stacking through surveys of exosymbiotic fauna on small backreef Pocillopora colonies in Moorea, French Polynesia. The role of two co-occurring exosymbiont species, Alpheus cf.  lottini ‘stripes’, and Trapezia serenei was tested to quantify the independent and combined effects of these shrimp and crabs on the removal of sediment from Pocillopora colonies.


sarah.lemer@gmail.com
sarahlemer@oeb.harvard.edu
Dept. of Prganismic and Evolutionary Biology
Museum of Comparative Zoology
Harvard University
26 Oxford St.
Cambridge MA, 02138
USA
Phone: 1 617 496-5308
Fax: 1 617 496-5854