10.3: Scientist Spotlight - Erin Satterthwaite

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Relative to the offspring of other species, humans enter the world utterly defenseless. Emerging from a 9-month gestation period, we arrive completely dependent upon our caregivers. In contrast, newly hatched (or birthed) marine larvae are amazingly independent. Swimming, something humans may never learn in their lifetime, is an elementary skill required for the survival of mobile and sessile marine organisms.

Sessile means, “permanently attached or established : not free to move about” (Merriam-Webster n.d.). Something does not add up here. Sessile organisms move? Yes, when they are in the midst of the larval life stage. Both sessile and mobile marine animals, including species of fish, sponge, crab, sea star, worm, and snail experience this microscopic phase. According to Dr. Erin Satterthwaite, a marine ecologist with California Sea Grant at Scripps Institution of Oceanography , dispersal of marine young “is one of the primary determinants of recruitment of new individuals into populations and can be an important driver of population dynamics,” (Drake et al. 2018). In other words, larval movement affects how larvae settle into new populations. In turn, population size and structure influence how those populations interact with the environment and the rest of their community (Khan Academy n.d.). Dr. Satterthwaite and her colleagues found that when larvae swam toward shore (as opposed to not swimming toward shore), there was “a substantial increase in nearshore larval supply,” which meant that there would be more young available to settle into suitable habitat (Drake et al. 2018). This demonstrated that larval behavior may be an important factor shaping marine population dynamics. Overall, in order to understand and conserve marine animals, we need to better understand where they are born from, where they end up, and how they got there.

Dr. Satterthwaite’s favorite part of being a marine ecologist has been exploring nature and sharing its wonders with others. As a first-generation college and graduate student, her “path has been a winding journey,” and she “has had to rely on others for support and guidance.” For Dr. Satterthwaite, it has been this sense of community and relationships she has built along the way that has been the best part of her career.

A woman wearing waders is smiling while holding a square of pipes with a rocky coast as her background.

Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): A photo of Dr. Erin Satterthwaite contributed to Project Biodiversify by Dr. Satterthwaite.

References

Scientist Spotlight inspiration from Project Biodiversify

Drake, P.T., Edwards, C.A., Morgan, S.G., & Satterthwaite, E.V. (2018). Shoreward swimming boosts modeled nearshore larval supply and pelagic connectivity in a coastal upwelling region. <https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0924796317304955>. Accessed October 5, 2021.

Khan Academy. n.d. <https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/ecology/population-ecology/a/population-size-density-and-dispersal>. Accessed October 5, 2021.

Merriam-Webster. n.d. <https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sessile>. Accessed October 5, 2021.