Maria Byrne

Larval thermal tolerances and future dispersal potential of the subtropical-to-temperate sea urchin Tripneustes australiae

This study assesses the thermal tolerances of the sea urchin Tripneustes australiae to predict its future dispersal potential under warming oceans.

Contrasting defensive strategies underlie differential susceptibility of corals to crown-of-thorns sea star (CoTS; Acanthaster cf. solaris) predation

The paper examines gene expression differences in preferred and non-preferred coral species during CoTS predation, revealing distinct defensive strategies.

Coral venom and toxins as protection against crown-of-thorns sea star attack

The paper investigates how coral venom toxins influence crown-of-thorns sea star feeding preferences by comparing venom profiles across preferred and non-preferred coral species.

The genome of the charismatic sea star Linckia laevigata

This paper presents a high-quality genome assembly for the sea star Linckia laevigata and describes its genomic features.

Single-cell transcriptomics reveals evolutionary reconfiguration of embryonic cell fate specification in the sea urchin Heliocidaris erythrogramma

The paper uses single-cell RNA sequencing to compare embryonic development in two sea urchin species, identifying evolutionary changes in cell fate specification and signaling.

Contrasting the development of larval and adult body plans during the evolution of biphasic lifecycles in sea urchins

The paper analyzes single-cell RNA-seq data from sea urchin development to compare larval and adult body plan formation, identifying regulatory gene differences and cell type changes.

Cell size asymmetries in the sea star embryo

The paper quantifies cell size asymmetries in sea star embryos and shows they are not necessary for dorsoventral axis formation.

Evolution of abbreviated development in Heliocidaris erythrogramma dramatically re-wired the highly conserved sea urchin developmental gene regulatory network to decouple signaling center function from ultimate fate

This paper constructs the first formal GRN for Heliocidaris erythrogramma, showing its developmental GRN differs significantly from ancestral sea urchins, suggesting selection over constraint in GRN conservation.