Aquatic Embryos

Embryonic development is the most dynamic period of an organisms' life history and has long been a period of fascination to researchers. Embryos change on a minute by minute, hour by hour and day by day basis and trying to capture this dynamic process presents a formidable challenge to scientists. Using robotics and time-lapse cameras we are able to observe this process in aquatic embryos and to measure it in new and exciting ways. Aquatic embryos are incredibly diverse and include marine and freshwater species ranging from fish and shrimp, to snails and jelly fish. Understanding these early life stages has never been so important because the environment is changing at an unprecedented rate and we currently know very little about how these early stages are responding. We urgently need to understand the sensitivity of early life stage aquatic animals to be able to predict how species will respond in a changing world.