Presenters will be two graduate students conducting research at the Bamfield Research Station.

Paloma de la Vega:  What affects survival of juvenile marine invertebrates?

Paloma explores the survival challenges faced by juvenile marine invertebrates, some of the smallest and most vulnerable animals on our coast. Her research examines how stress varies across intertidal habitats and how warming and drying combine to affect early-life survival, highlighting why juveniles are especially at risk as the coast warms and how this could shape the intertidal communities of British Columbia.

Paloma is a M.Sc. student in Environmental Science at TRU. She studies how climate change is reshaping marine ecosystems along the Pacific Northwest coast, with a particular focus on the survival of juvenile marine invertebrates.

Alejandra Ariza:  Hot topic: Hot topic: How do rising temperatures affect mussels and other marine invertebrates?

In this talk, Alejandra shares her research on how juvenile snails, mussels, and barnacles respond to long periods of warm water and “heatwave” events. Her findings show that these tiny early-life stages are far more sensitive to warming than adults, offering new insight into how climate change may shape the intertidal ecosystems of the coasts of British Columbia in the years to come.

Alejandra is also a M.Sc. candidate in Environmental Sciences at TRU with research experience in marine ecosystems, climate change, and ecological studies in the tropics and the Pacific Northwest. She is passionate about understanding how environmental change shapes marine ecosystems.