Todd Oakley
@ostratodd.bsky.social
I am an evolutionary and marine biologist interested in how new structures and functions originate during evolution. Eyes, vision; photophores, bioluminescence. Macroevolution. Phylogenetics. Molecular Evolution. Integrative and Comparative Biology.
We have sea pansies (Renilla) for our inverts class and we got some photos of the bioluminescence
October 12, 2025 at 4:09 PM
We have sea pansies (Renilla) for our inverts class and we got some photos of the bioluminescence
Huge blooms and beaching of Valella valella lately in SB!
April 19, 2025 at 6:47 PM
Huge blooms and beaching of Valella valella lately in SB!
I like to ask the class, ‘what is wrong with this phylogeny?’ I always get answers like, humans should be most evolved, etc. But of course this tree is correct
December 31, 2024 at 7:00 PM
I like to ask the class, ‘what is wrong with this phylogeny?’ I always get answers like, humans should be most evolved, etc. But of course this tree is correct
I got to spend some time this weekend with family among the giant trees :)
December 18, 2024 at 10:22 PM
I got to spend some time this weekend with family among the giant trees :)
Was just Dave and I
December 12, 2024 at 9:11 PM
Was just Dave and I
I hadn’t been to the physical library for a while. It was hoppin’ this week with students studying for finals. Smelled like knowledge
December 9, 2024 at 2:20 AM
I hadn’t been to the physical library for a while. It was hoppin’ this week with students studying for finals. Smelled like knowledge
Also proud of the persistence here of co-authors and I. From proposal to pub -> ~10 years, 3 postdocs, 1 lab tech, 14 months in review. Not to mention ~7 MY it took Chiton to evolve eye spots and ~260 MY it took to evolve all the chiton visual systems www.science.org/doi/full/10....
December 5, 2024 at 2:46 AM
Also proud of the persistence here of co-authors and I. From proposal to pub -> ~10 years, 3 postdocs, 1 lab tech, 14 months in review. Not to mention ~7 MY it took Chiton to evolve eye spots and ~260 MY it took to evolve all the chiton visual systems www.science.org/doi/full/10....
Clades with bioluminescent courtship - a sexually selected trait - have more species than their closest relatives without it. Led by @emily-ellis.bsky.social
(If I am forced to pick just one. The result is just so clean)
doi.org/10.1016/j.cu...
(If I am forced to pick just one. The result is just so clean)
doi.org/10.1016/j.cu...
December 5, 2024 at 2:34 AM
Clades with bioluminescent courtship - a sexually selected trait - have more species than their closest relatives without it. Led by @emily-ellis.bsky.social
(If I am forced to pick just one. The result is just so clean)
doi.org/10.1016/j.cu...
(If I am forced to pick just one. The result is just so clean)
doi.org/10.1016/j.cu...
Seems like a tall ‘tale’ but it happens all the time. Photo from very recently.
November 30, 2024 at 7:52 PM
Seems like a tall ‘tale’ but it happens all the time. Photo from very recently.
Among secretory innovations, bioluminescence is particularly important because it evolved convergently many times to influence predator–prey interactions, while often producing courtship signals (pictured) linked to increased rates of speciation.
November 30, 2024 at 7:04 PM
Among secretory innovations, bioluminescence is particularly important because it evolved convergently many times to influence predator–prey interactions, while often producing courtship signals (pictured) linked to increased rates of speciation.
Bioluminescence evolved in ostracod crustaceans some 200 Million Years ago, first used to ward off predation, later as a courtship signal. How did this eco-system-altering trait originate? The final version of a paper led by Lisa Mesrop, just released, addresses this question. 🧪🦑 #evolution #evodevo
November 30, 2024 at 7:04 PM
Bioluminescence evolved in ostracod crustaceans some 200 Million Years ago, first used to ward off predation, later as a courtship signal. How did this eco-system-altering trait originate? The final version of a paper led by Lisa Mesrop, just released, addresses this question. 🧪🦑 #evolution #evodevo
I watched the first episode of Our Oceans yesterday on The Pacific. In an opening montage, I spotted some ostracod bioluminescence. Hoping they are featured in the Atlantic
November 29, 2024 at 4:39 PM
I watched the first episode of Our Oceans yesterday on The Pacific. In an opening montage, I spotted some ostracod bioluminescence. Hoping they are featured in the Atlantic
Surf was UP today at ucsb. Rain coming tomorrow
November 23, 2024 at 1:37 AM
Surf was UP today at ucsb. Rain coming tomorrow
Tide pooling with invert zoology class today
November 18, 2024 at 1:53 AM
Tide pooling with invert zoology class today
I’m working on a graphic to better understand lunar cycle for our lab’s work at UCSB on lunar rhythms in crustaceans
November 14, 2024 at 3:09 AM
I’m working on a graphic to better understand lunar cycle for our lab’s work at UCSB on lunar rhythms in crustaceans
Found something like this on Catalina Island a few years back
November 11, 2024 at 6:00 PM
Found something like this on Catalina Island a few years back
Ostracodologist here 👋 I mainly study the bioluminescent ones (sea fireflies)
November 11, 2024 at 12:30 AM
Ostracodologist here 👋 I mainly study the bioluminescent ones (sea fireflies)
Congratulations to Lisa Mesrop for publishing in MBE. She finds an ostracod bioluminescent system uses old and new genes. Many of the conserved genes may be involved in secretory processes or toxin production, perhaps for anti-predation. A link to the paper is here:
academic.oup.com/mbe/article/...
academic.oup.com/mbe/article/...
November 9, 2024 at 3:27 PM
Congratulations to Lisa Mesrop for publishing in MBE. She finds an ostracod bioluminescent system uses old and new genes. Many of the conserved genes may be involved in secretory processes or toxin production, perhaps for anti-predation. A link to the paper is here:
academic.oup.com/mbe/article/...
academic.oup.com/mbe/article/...
Seth is also developing a tool called Opsin Phenotyping Tool for Inferring Color Sensitivity (OPTICS), where you just plug in an opsin sequence and predict its lambda max. If you want to try it, get in touch. In this figure from OPTICS, I predicted lambda max of a box jellyfish opsin
October 28, 2024 at 3:41 PM
Seth is also developing a tool called Opsin Phenotyping Tool for Inferring Color Sensitivity (OPTICS), where you just plug in an opsin sequence and predict its lambda max. If you want to try it, get in touch. In this figure from OPTICS, I predicted lambda max of a box jellyfish opsin
Especially for vertebrates, where there is A LOT of data, we can very accurately predict phenotypes from sequences alone. We even looked at cases of epistasis, and I was surprised how well the predictions can do
October 28, 2024 at 3:37 PM
Especially for vertebrates, where there is A LOT of data, we can very accurately predict phenotypes from sequences alone. We even looked at cases of epistasis, and I was surprised how well the predictions can do
A histogram of all the opsins and their lambda-max phenotypes is Figure 1:
October 28, 2024 at 3:36 PM
A histogram of all the opsins and their lambda-max phenotypes is Figure 1:
Fighting with a copy editor to include Oxford commas in our manuscript, but the journal policy is to not use them :(
May 3, 2024 at 3:13 PM
Fighting with a copy editor to include Oxford commas in our manuscript, but the journal policy is to not use them :(