Kari Lavalli

Kari Lavalli

Assistant Professor of Natural Science
BA (bio-mathematics), Wells College; PhD (marine biology studies), Boston University
klavalli@bu.edu
http://people.bu.edu/klavalli/index.html
Research interests: behavioral ecology of lobsters, predator-prey interactions, animal behavior, inquiry-based science education, community involvement in resource conservation

I joined the faculty of Boston University and CGS in fall of 2004, having previously taught in the Department of Biology of Texas State University–San Marcos from 1998 to 2002 as an assistant professor of marine biology. Teaching at CGS provides me with an opportunity to instill excitement for scientific topics in non-majors and to help students understand the importance of science in their daily lives.

My research interests are in the general area of behavioral ecology and, specifically, in the area of predator-prey relationships of marine organisms. In particular, I am interested in how animals of various ontogenetic stages avoid predation. Predation is generally viewed as a major selective force affecting a prey’s life history, including morphological, behavioral, and physiological adaptations. Among these specializations are predator avoidance mechanisms, which reduce encounters with predators, and antipredatory mechanisms, which deter predatory attacks during an encounter. In addition to using flight, startle behavior, armor and individual weaponry, an important and universal antipredatory behavior is prey aggregation.

Lobsters represent an excellent model organism in which to study this broad problem of predation. Early in their life history, lobsters are pelagic larvae, at the mercy of surface predators and currents. They then molt into a postlarval stage which, in general, is a good swimmer, but still fairly defenseless (except for cryptic coloration). At the end of the postlarval stage, lobsters settle into the benthic environment and take up a solitary lifestyle. Clawed lobsters remain solitary throughout their life, except during times of mating; some spiny lobsters remain solitary, while others become increasingly gregarious as they mature and reach adulthood. Likewise, some slipper lobsters remain solitary, while others are gregarious. Lobsters, therefore, provide the opportunity to examine both solitary and collective modes of defense against predators.

I have examined early life stages of benthic clawed lobsters to determine some strategies that they might employ to reduce the likelihood of predation, such as suspension feeding within benthic shelters and decreased activity patterns until they reach larger sizes (avoidance mechanisms). I have also examined adult clawed lobster strategies against attacking predators (use of claw weaponry) and compared these with spiny and slipper lobster strategies (use of spinous antennal weapons and remaining rock-like, respectively).

My current research involves examining the effectiveness of collective formations by slipper and spiny lobsters against attacking predators. While slipper lobsters do not employ collective defense, individuals in groups seem to acquire some benefits via sensory confusion of the predator. In contrast, gregarious spiny lobsters employ collective defense strategies, which actively repel predator attacks. These lobsters form defensive rosettes with spinous antennae pointing outwards. More than one individual lobster participates in defending the rosette, such that predators are often completely thwarted in their attack sequence.

However, the picture can become more complicated when the predator engages in cooperative hunting with conspecifics, such as that seen in wolf packs. My colleagues and I have found that the grey triggerfish is such a predator, and we have been studying the effectiveness of these lobster rosette formations against cooperatively attacking triggerfish. We have also examined the social hierarchy of the triggerfish to determine how that impacts the level of cooperation seen in a predatory group.

Of course, interest in the evolution of cooperative behavior extends beyond lobsters and fish—many investigators are interested in the game theoretic aspects of when individuals (including humans) should and should not cooperate. I hope, in the coming years, to use game theory to model this system of cooperative predation and defense.

In addition to my work on spiny lobsters, my CGS colleague, Michael Clancy, and I are collaborating with UNH researchers to explore the question of whether or not lobster males really matter. In most lobster fisheries, females receive some small measure of protection upon attaining legal harvestable size—this protection occurs when they possess eggs. In the clawed lobster fisheries of Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts, such “eggers” are V-notched and, as long as the V-notch is present, that female may not be landed and sold. However, males receive no protection whatsoever upon attaining legal harvest size; thus, the fishery removes them very quickly. The questions that arise from this practice include (1) do females attain larger sizes as a result and have difficulty mating with smaller males?; (2) will larger females even mate with smaller males?; (3) do smaller males provide larger females with less sperm to fertilize an egg batch?; (4) how many eggs in a brood are actually fertilized?; and (5) are females less likely to encounter males if males are scarce, and, as a result, more likely to extrude unfertilized eggs? We began a preliminary study on this question in 2006 and 2007, and were funded by SeaGrant New Hampshire/Maine for 2008/2009 to fully explore these questions.

I am also interested in using the technique of inquiry-based teaching to improve the teaching of science in elementary and secondary education settings. To that end, my colleagues and I have been involved with training programs for K through 12th-grade teachers that demonstrate how ordinary science labs can be transformed into exciting inquiry sessions for young children and teens. I have participated in such programs at Florida State University and have helped The Lobster Conservancy in Friendship, Maine, develop one for grade and middle schools (Lobster Larvae in the Classroom). I hope to initiate similar program development in the greater Boston area with Boston University’s Science Education Program.

My colleague, Maria Abate, and I are currently running the Boston Area Behavior Club, a group of local animal behaviorists that meets at a host institution for pizza, soda, and a series of lectures on some aspect of animal behavior given by the researcher doing the work. All interested parties are welcome to attend, especially students.

Selected Publications:
Lavalli, K.L. and D.E. Barshaw. (1986) Burrows protect postlarval lobsters Homarus americanus from predation by the non-burrowing cunner, Tautogolabrus adspersus but not from the burrowing mud crab Neopanope texani. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 32: 13-16.

Barshaw, D.E. and K.L. Lavalli. (1988) Predation upon postlarval lobsters Homarus americanus by cunners Tautogolabrus adspersus and mud crabs Neopanope sayi on three different substrates: eelgrass, mud, and rock. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 48: 119-123.

Lavalli, K.L. and D.E. Barshaw. (1989) Post-larval American lobsters (Homarus americanus) living in burrows may be suspension feeding. Mar. Behav. & Physiol. 15: 255-264.

Lavalli, K.L. (1991) Survival of early juvenile American lobsters (Homarus americanus) during their first season on diets of mesoplankton, microplankton, and frozen brine shrimp. Fishery Bulletin 89: 61-68.

Lavalli, K.L. and J.R. Factor. (1992) Functional morphology of the mouthparts of juvenile lobsters, Homarus americanus (Decapoda: Nephropidae), and comparison with the larval stages. J. Crust. Biol. 12(3): 467-510.

Lavalli, K.L. and J.R. Factor. (1995) The feeding appendages, Chapter 14. In: The Biology of the Lobster, Homarus americanus, (Jan Robert Factor, ed.), Academic Press, NY. pp. 349-393.

Lawton, P. and K.L. Lavalli. (1995) Postlarval, juvenile, and adult ecology, Chapter 4. In: The Biology of the Lobster, Homarus americanus, (Jan Robert Factor, ed.), Academic Press, NY. pp. 47-88.

Lavalli, K.L. and P. Lawton. (1996) Historical review of lobster life history terminology and proposed modifications to current schemes. Crustaceana 69(5): 594-609.

Spanier, E. and K.L. Lavalli. (1998) Natural history of Scyllarides latus (Crustacea, Decapoda): a review of the contemporary biological knowledge of the Mediterranean slipper lobster. Nat. Hist. 32(6): 1769-1786.

Nicosia, F.W. and K.L. Lavalli. (1999) Homarid lobster hatcheries: Their history and role in research, management, and aquaculture. Mar. Fish. Rev. 61(2): 1-56.

Herrnkind, W.F., M.J. Childress, and K.L. Lavalli. (2001) Defense coordination and other benefits among exposed spiny lobsters: Inferences from mass migratory and mesocosm studies of group size and behavior. Mar. Freshwater Res. 52: 1113-1124.

Lavalli, K.L. and E. Spanier. (2001) Does gregarious behavior function as an anti-predator mechanism in Mediterranean slipper lobster, Scyllarides latus? Mar. Freshwater Res. 52: 1133-1143.

Weisbaum, D. and K.L. Lavalli. (2004) Morphology and distribution of antennular setae of scyllarid lobsters (Scyllarides aequinoctialis, S. latus, and S. nodifer), with comments on their possible function. Invertebrate Biology 123(4): 324-342.

Tarsitano, S.F. and K.L. Lavalli. (2005) Shell disease in American lobsters, Homarus americanus: Disease or malfunction of the calcification process followed by opportunistic infection? In: Tlusty, M.F., Halvorson, H.O., Smolowitz, R., and U. Sharma, eds. Lobster Shell Disease Workshop. Aquatic Forum Series 05-1. New England Aquarium, Boston, MA., pp. 83-85.

Tarsitano, S.F., K.L. Lavalli, F. Horne, and E. Spanier. (2005) The constructional properties of the exoskeleton of homarid, scyllarid, and palinurid lobsters. Hydrobiologia 557: 9-20.

Spanier, E. and K.L. Lavalli. (2006) Scyllarides spp. In: Lobsters: Biology, Management, Aquaculture, and Fisheries, (B.F. Phillips, ed.), Blackwell Publishers, Oxford, U.K., pp. 462-496.

*Lavalli, K.L. & E. Spanier. (2007) Introduction to the biology and fisheries of slipper lobsters. In: (Lavalli, K.L. and E. Spanier, eds.) The Biology and Fisheries of Slipper Lobsters. Crustacean Issues, Vol. 17. CRC Press (Taylor & Francis Group), NY, pp. 3-21.

*Lavalli, K.L., E. Spanier, & F. Grasso. (2007) Behavior and sensory biology of slipper lobsters. In: (Lavalli, K.L. and E. Spanier, eds.) The Biology and Fisheries of Slipper Lobsters. Crustacean Issues, Vol. 17. CRC Press (Taylor & Francis Group), NY, pp. 133-181.

*Spanier, E. & K.L. Lavalli. (2007) Directions for future research in slipper lobster biology. In: (Lavalli, K.L. and E. Spanier, eds.) The Biology and Fisheries of Slipper Lobsters. Crustacean Issues, Vol. 17. CRC Press (Taylor & Francis Group), NY, pp. 221-228.

*Spanier, E. & K.L. Lavalli. (2007) Slipper lobster fisheries—Present status and future perspectives. In: (Lavalli, K.L. and E. Spanier, eds.) The Biology and Fisheries of Slipper Lobsters. Crustacean Issues, Vol. 17. CRC Press (Taylor & Francis Group), NY, pp. 377-391.

Scrham, F.R., S.T. Ahyong, K.A. Crandall, F. Gherardi, M.J. Grygier, K.L. Lavalli, G. Poore, D.C. Rogers, G. Scholtz, T. Simon, S. Tamone, and M. Wickstein (2008) Publication in the Journal of Crustacean Biology. J. Crust. Biol. 28(2): 197-202.

Lavalli, K.L. and W.F. Herrnkind. (in press) Defensive strategies of Caribbean spiny lobsters: effects of group size and predator group size. N.Z. J. Mar. Freshwater Res.

Lavalli, K.L. and C.N. Malcom (in press) Functional morphology of scyllarid walking legs with regards to feeding behavior. N.Z. J. Mar. Freshwater Res.

* Note: the artwork for this book’s cover was done by CGS Alum ‘07, Megan Stover.

For further information on Professor Lavalli, visit her personal website http://people.bu.edu/klavalli/index.html.