Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Ph.D. student Yu Kai Tan submitted a finalist specimen for the International Mollusc of the Year competition – the Xenophora conchyliophora – The Seafloor Decorator. Vote for it here!
His submission, the Seafloor Decorator, is one of the ocean’s most creative molluscs. This gastropod collects and cements objects such as shells, coral fragments, and even seaglass onto its own shell, constructing an intricate mosaic that serves as both camouflage and a tough armour.
Carrier snails is an area of active research in Yu Kai’s lab, with international collaborations with Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris, and malacologists in Italy and the Netherlands. If this species wins the competition, the team will be rewarded with a full chromosome-level genome by the organizers.
“My dissertation research addresses questions in the sources of variation in this beguiling collecting behavior of carrier snails,” said Yu Kai. “This genomic dataset will allow us to make inferences on gene function, evolutionary history, and perhaps insights into how this collecting behavior evolved. My research shows a surprising level of variation in what the Atlantic Carrier Snail attaches to its shell. This includes a well-documented 'specialist’ population in the Dominican Republic that appears to exclusively collect smooth siliceous pebbles.”
Voting is open to the public until March 31, and the winner will be announced on April 3.
Good luck to Yu Kai and the Seafloor Decorator!
