In this project, a large team of investigators will resolve
evolutionary relationships within the bivalves (clams, oysters,
mussels, scallops, etc.). Bivalves are a diverse and familiar
group of mollusks with an old and well-preserved fossil record.
Bivalves have important ecological roles in marine and
freshwater ecosystems, and economic roles including fisheries,
the ornament industry, and health sciences. Bivalves are the
second largest class of living mollusks, which in turn
constitute the second largest animal phylum and the largest in
the marine realm. The evolutionary history and relationships of
bivalves will be investigated through a fresh look at bivalve
anatomy in combination with study of selected DNA markers for
the same species investigated morphologically. This
international team of investigators will assemble morphological
and molecular phylogenetic data at levels of detail never before
attempted. Outreach activities will engage various audiences in
the project’s results and in evolutionary sc