Susan Fitzer

My research has two broad themes:
1. Physiology in marine invertebrates in response to environmental variability, this can be natural and anthropogenic.
2. Biomineralisation in shellfish: protein and mineral response to ocean acidification and warming.

I am currently working as a Research Fellow on the NERC funded project 'An understanding of biomineralisation pathways is key to predict climate change impact on aquaculture'. Climate change, in particular ocean acidification and global warming, threaten the marine environment. My research aims to accurately assess the effects of predicted ocean acidification and global warming scenarios on marine calcifying organisms. Determining the impact of ocean acidfication on shell ultrastructure will enable us to predict the vulnerability of these organisms to climate change. Changes in the carbon source may limit shell formation although calcifying organisms such as molluscs can control biomineral growth. Understanding this biomineralisation process is vital to predict how vulnerable molluscs are to shell breakage and reduced survival under climate change.