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email:  cazimmer@biology.ucla.edu
phone:  (310) 825-8561
fax:  (310) 206-3987
office:  Botany 220A
lab:  Botany second floor

research interests:  Population ecology of marine organisms, especially the role of hydrodynamic processes

Research Interests

Water movement is a critical factor driving the ecology and evolution of marine life. Hydrodynamics can constrain biological processes, yet many organisms are also adapted to or exploit particular flow regimes. We have been studying the relative importance of physical and biological mechanisms controlling (1) larval dispersal, (2) larval settlement, and (3) feeding of benthic (bottom-dwelling) invertebrates. Laboratory and field research capitalizes on the burgeoning technologies for measuring flow, and organisms moving within it. Most studies have revealed passive (physical) and active (behavioral) phases to a given biological process. For example, the flow largely controls larval supply to the bed. After touchdown, larvae actively investigate the surface and elect to stay or leave. Because exploration often occurs in the direction of flow, fluid dynamics constrains habitat perusal. Moreover, site selection criteria can include features of the near-bed flow regime, as well as of the substratum. Sufficiently high turbulence can, however, obviate the entire settlement process. Ongoing research expands these interdisciplinary studies to include chemical mechan isms as well. For example, we are evaluating the relative importance of dissolved versus adsorbed chemical cues during larval settlement of a sea slug living on an obligate algal host; and the role of near-bed flocculated material as a temporary venue for larvae settling onto soft sediments.

Selected Publications

Zimmer, R.K. and C.A. Zimmer. 2008. Dynamic scaling in chemical ecology Journal of Chemical Ecology 38: 822-836 .

Simmons, S.A., R.K. Zimmer and C.A. Zimmer. 2005. Life in the lee: Local distributions and orientations of honeycomb worms along the California coast Journal of Marine Research 63: 623-643 .

Sisson, J.D., J. Shimeta, C.A. Zimmer, and P. Traykovski. 2002. Mapping epibenthic assemblages and their relations to sedimentary features in shallow-water, high-energy environments Continental Shelf Research 22: 565-583 .

Garland, E.D., and C.A. Zimmer. 2002. Techniques for the identification of bivalve larvae Marine Ecology Progress Series 225: 299-310 .

Garland, E.D., and C.A. Zimmer. 2002. Hourly variations in planktonic larval concentrations on the inner shelf: Emerging patterns and processes Journal of Marine Research 60: 311-325 .

Garland, E.D., C.A. Zimmer and S.J. Lentz. 2002. Larval distributions in inner-shelf waters: The roles of wind-driven cross-shelf currents and diel vertical migrations Limnology and Oceanography 47: 803-817 .

Snelgrove, P.V.R., J.P. Grassle and C.A. Zimmer. 2001. Adult effects on Capitella sp. I larval settlement: A laboratory flume study Journal of Marine Research 59: 657-674 .

Shimeta, J., V.R. Starczak, O.M. Ashiru, and C.A. Zimmer. 2001. Influences of benthic boundary-layer flow on feeding rates of ciliates and flagellates at the sediment-water interface Limnology and Oceanography 46: 1709-1719 .

Schubel, J.R., and C.A. Butman. 2000. Keeping a finger on the pulse of marine biodiversity: How healthy is it? Nature and Human Society: The Quest for a Sustainable Future National Academy PressWash., D.C 84-103 .

Zimmer, R.K., and C.A. Butman. 2000. Chemical signaling processes in the marine environment Biological Bulletin 198: 168-187 .