Dr. William Wright
Email: wwright@chapman.edu
Website: https://sites.chapman.edu/wwright/
College: Schmid College of Science and Technology
Overview of scholarly research/creative activity:
With field and lab experiments we ask:
1. How do learning and memory change across evolution, at neurobiological, behavioral , and ecological levels?
2. How do heat-spells impact the territorial behavior of the owl limpet Lottia gigantea?
3. How does climate change impact nervous systems and animal behavior ?
Specific projects working on: We have observed effects of ocean acidification on behavior and learning, measured at both neurobiological and behavioral levels. Undergraduate students and I have shown that hermit crabs reduce their vigilance response to predator scent if the water is acidified by carbon dioxide equivalent to the expected levels in the next century. We have also shown how carbon-dioxide induced acidification enhances sensitization (a simple form of learning) in sea hares. Most recently, we are testing an ionic hypothesis of carbon dioxide's effect on nervous systems in the simple nervous system of the sea hare.
Number of students looking to work with: 3 to 4
Time commitment for students: 9 hours per week is minimum.
When students are needed: Interterm,Spring, and Summer 2022
Requirements for students who work with you: Second-year biology students most preferable. Third-year second most preferable. First-year third.
What would students be expected to do: We work in the field and in the lab. We study adaptive behavior and its underlying mechanisms.
Additional information: We should talk before anything is decided!
