Darryl L. Felder

My primary interests encompass evolution, ecology, physioecology, development, functional morphology, and systematics of marine decapod crustaceans (crabs, shrimp and lobsters). In ongoing projects, my students and I are investigating growth and population dynamics in burrowing thalassinoid shrimp, conservation issues related to this group, ontogeny of osmoregulatory ability in stone crabs, population genetics of estuarine-dependent decapods, and trophic significance of burrowing decapods. Other recent studies have centered on structural and functional ontogeny of the digestive tract in penaeid shrimp, as related to habitat changes during early life history.

A long-term project concerns compilation of a color illustrated monograph on the crabs and lobsters of the Gulf of Mexico. Coupled with this are ecological and taxonomic studies at various sites in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean. Some of this work is conducted in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution and other agencies. Other projects center in eastern Mexico, the Bahamas, the Caicos Islands, and Colombia where work has focused on regionally endemized species threatened by habitat loss.

Graduate student projects are generally directed toward part of the overall lab emphasis. Studies may involve in-house laboratory experiments or field work with local species, may require field work at distant locations, or may require shipment and maintenance of lab-reared forms. Financial support of research projects is usually available under my research grants. Publication of project results is expected as is the presentation of papers at professional meetings. Our work depends heavily upon facilities for support of coastal field work (vehicles, marine labs, and vessels), light and electron microscopy facilities, aquarium room and culture facilities, an extensive collection of crustacean specimens, illustrating and darkroom equipment, physiological and analytical equipment, and extensive library holdings in crustacean biology.

Feel free to contact me at this address:
Darryl L. Felder, Department of Biology, PO Box 42451, Lafayette, LA 70504 or
dlf4517@louisiana.edu, Telephone: (337) 482-6753