About Daphnia
Daphnia is a genus of small crustaceans belonging to the family Daphniidae. These fascinating organisms typically range in size from 0.2 to 6.0 mm (0.01 to 0.24 inches) and are easily recognizable by their unique features: a single compound eye, two doubly branched antennae used for swimming, and a generally translucent carapace that offers a window into their internal processes. Daphnia play a crucial role in freshwater ecosystems as primary consumers, feeding on algae and serving as a key food source for fish and other aquatic organisms. Beyond their ecological importance, Daphnia are versatile models for ecology and evolution. Their sensitivity to environmental changes makes them ideal bioindicators in water quality testing, toxicology, and evolutionary studies. Furthermore, their unique reproductive strategies and transparent bodies provide invaluable insights into evolutionary biology and physiological processes.
Website Features
Our website is your gateway to exploring the remarkable world of Daphnia. We are dedicated to:
- Advancing Sharing the latest findings on Daphnia biology, ecology, and behavior.
- Providing Resources: Offering tools, datasets, and methodologies.
- Building Community: Connecting a global network of researchers.
About Lynch Lab
Our research focuses on mechanisms of evolution at the gene, genomic, cellular, and phenotypic levels, giving special attention to the role of mutation, random genetic drift, and recombination, including the microcrustacean Daphnia, the ciliated protozoan Paramecium, and various other microbial species. We are especially interested in building evolutionary theory from first principles, linking population genetics, cell biology, and biophysics, and using this theory to explain patterns of phenotypic variation across the Tree of Life. A key goal is to help in developing an emerging field of evolutionary cell biology, connecting detailed information on intracellular and molecular features and their diversification to explicit evolutionary theory. Methodologies include high-throughput methods in genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics; high-performance computing; and mathematical analysis.