Pauline C. Yu

Postdoctoral Research Employee

Office Phone: 805 893-6176
Email Address: pyu{at}lifesci.ucsb.edu

My CV

As an OPP postdoc, I have been investigating metabolic physiology (including lipid biochemistry, enzyme activity and respiration) of the Antarctic urchin Sterechinus neumayeri. (official project description available here.) During our 2010 field season, we assessed fertilization success and developmental success under ambient and IPCC scenario conditions. We have completed a series of lipid and respiration measurements, and will be proceeding with morphometric analyses and measurements of citrate synthase and Na⁺-/K⁺-ATPase activity assays (indices of metabolic activity and energetic homeostasis). During our 2011 field season, we increased the intensity of our CO₂ manipulations of our experiments, measured in vivo calcium incorportation, and did respirometry as well as collected samples for proteomics, transcriptomics and enzyme activity. In our final 2012 field season, we reared embryos and larvae of S. neumayeri at +2.6 °C all the way to late 4-arm pluteus (an unprecedented experiment) under normal and elevated CO₂ conditions.

Above: Gastrula embryos of S. neumayeri grown at ambient (left) and elevated CO₂ levels (right). The same embryos are visualized under crossed polarization (top images) and DIC brightfield (lower images). The calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) tri-radiate spicules are readily visible under crossed polarized light, and are similar in size and appearance in both treatments.

While at UCSB, I have also been active in experimenting with the larvae of purple urchin and the white urchin Lytechinus pictus, testing their resilience to higher levels of pCO₂ characteristic of upwelling conditions (see Yu et al. 2011). These higher levels of pCO₂ (and consequently, lower pH) can exceed the levels of atmospheric CO₂ predicted by the IPCC for 90 years in the future. We are also in partnership with mariculturists to aid in monitoring for upwelling conditions along the Pacific Coast as members of the California-Current Acidification Network (C-CAN).

Dissertation: PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY OF FOOD LIMITATION IN MARINE INVERTEBRATE LARVAE. University of Southern California, Department of Biological Sciences. (2009) 

As an integrative larval biologist with many interests, I am broadly interested in the intersection of ecology, physiology, development and genetics in marine invertebrates. I am interested in the practical applications of larval biology and integrative invertebrate zoology to aquaculture, invasive species management, and marine zoonoses. On a basic science level, larval biology has much to contribute to the understanding of benthic marine populations over time and space, life history evolution and plankton ecology.

I also have a background in microscopy, including scanning electron microscopy, and brightfield and epifluorescence microscopy for plant histology. My images have been featured on the cover of The Biological Bulletin, and in several papers on food technology.

Recent presentations:

• Yu, P. C. and G. E. Hofmann. 2012. Ocean acidification and physiological state in polar waters: assessing the integrative developmental physiology of Sterechinus neumayeri under elevated CO2. 10th International Larval Biology Symposium, Berkeley, CA.
• Yu, P. C., M. A Sewell, and G. E. Hofmann. 2012. How low can they go? Tolerance of near-future low carbonate saturation (high CO₂) levels by larvae of Sterechinus neumayeri. Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research Open Science Meeting, Portland, OR.
• Hofmann, G. E., T. R. Martz, P. G. Matson, and P. C. Yu. 2012. Contextualizing CO2 exposure experiments on sea urchin larvae with natural variability in seawater chemistry:  studies from two coastal regions. Abstract #11974. Ocean Sciences Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT. 
• Sewell, M. A., P. C. Yu, L. Kapsenberg, and G. E. Hofmann. 2011. Ocean Acidification and Sea Urchin Fertilization: A Cautionary Tale with the Antarctic Sea Urchin Sterechinus neumayeri. 6th North American Echinoderms Conference. Anacortes, WA.
• Yu, P. C., Matson, P. G. and G. E. Hofmann. 2010. Ocean acidification effects on larvae of purple urchin: moderated sensitivity in an upwelling zone. 9th Larval Biology Symposium, Wellington, New Zealand.

Recent publications:

•  Yu, P. C., Sewell, M. A., Matson, P. G., Rivest, E. B., Kapsenberg, L., and G. E. Hofmann. Growth Attenuation with Developmental Schedule Progression in Embryos and Early Larvae of Sterechinus neumayeri Raised under Elevated CO₂. PLoS ONE 8(1): e52448. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0052448
• Matson, P. G., P. C. Yu, M. E. Sewell, and G. E. Hofmann. 2012. Development under elevated pCO₂ conditions does not affect lipid utilization and protein content in early life history stages of the purple sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus. Biol. Bull. 223:312-327. 

• Hofmann, G. E. et al. 2011. High-Frequency Dynamics of Ocean pH: A Multi-Ecosystem Comparison. PLoS ONE. 6(12): e28983 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0028983
• Yu, P. C., Matson, P. G., Martz, T. R. and G. E. Hofmann. 2011. The ocean acidification seascape and its relationship to the performance of calcifying marine invertebrates:  Laboratory experiments on the development of urchin larvae framed by environmentally-relevant pCO₂/pH. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 400: 288-295. DOI: 10.1016/j.jembe.2011.02.016

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