#020: Clamsplaining: Giant Clams - Dr. Dan Killam

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Dan Killam. Dan is a post- doctoral researcher in the Coral Reef Laboratory here at Biosphere 2. Dan's central research focus is the study of giant clams. His research involves growing giant clams to understand how they embed signatures in their shells that relate to the activity of symbiotic algae in the clams bodies. Prior to Biosphere 2, Dan was a Zuckerman Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Haifa in Israel, where he studied the effects of climate change on bittersweet clams found on the Israeli coast. Dan completed his PhD in Paleobiology at UC Santa Cruz where he studied the ecological and physiological history of bivalves.

 

In this episode, Dan takes us deep into world of Giant Clam research-- revealing a wide array of fascinating facts about these overshadowed bivalves found within Coral Reefs. Further, Dan tells us why the Biosphere 2 Ocean is a great place to study clams, he explains his past research studying Clams in the Red Sea, and he guides us through the life history and symbiosis of Giant Clams.

 

https://dantheclamman.blog/