Home Department: Undeclared
Mentor: Florentine Rutaganira (Biochemistry and Developmental Biology)

"The Impact of pH and Temperature on Multicellular Development in the Closest Living Relative of Animals, the Choanoflagellates"

Choanoflagellates are facultatively multicellular aquatic eukaryotes and the closest living relatives of animals, making them an important model for studying the origins of animal multicellularity. Salpingoeca rosetta, a model choanoflagellate, forms multicellular rosettes in response to specific bacterial cues, yet little is known about how environmental conditions influence this process. While single-celled S. rosetta can tolerate variable pH and temperature conditions, it is unclear whether rosette formation remains possible under these changing conditions. Chelsea’s project will test how changes in pH and temperature affect bacterial communities and rosette formation, providing insight into how environmental change may shape early multicellular behavior.