An -omics Perspective on Marine Invertebrate Larvae

Abstract

Abstract The diverse phenotypes exhibited by marine invertebrate larvae are the result of complex gene-environment interactions. Recently, technological advances in molecular biology have enabled large-scale -omics approaches, which can provide a global overview of the molecular mechanisms that shape the larval genotype-phenotype landscape. -omics approaches are facilitating our understanding of larval development and life history evolution, larval response to environmental stress, the larval microbiome, larval physiology and feeding, and larval behavior. These large-scale molecular approaches are even more effective when combined with large-scale environmental monitoring and phenotypic measurements. Current -omics approaches to studying larvae can be improved by the addition of functional genetic analyses and the reporting of natural variation in gene expression between individuals and populations. Systems-level approaches that combine multiple -omics techniques will allow us to explore in fine detail the interactions of environmental and genotypic influences on larval phenotype.