This collaborative project translates my interests in the early interactions between bivalves and suspended particles, whether suspended particles represent food particles or pathogens. For instance, the limit between feeding, symbiosis and parasitism is very thin, particularly with regard to common principles of particle processing at first encounter with the bivalve. This project uses a set of innovative methods and approaches to evaluate how suspension-feeding bivalves process particulate matter, sort food from non-food particles, and what factors control this process. This project is led by Dr Emmanuelle Pales Espinosa, an adjunct professor working at the MADL and more details about our investigations could be found at her page.

Feeding experiments with oysters