Carl Merrill, Associate Professor

Carl L. Merrill 
Associate Professor of Biology
Director, R.S. Friedman Field Station


(September through May) Biology Department

Suffolk University

41 Temple Street

Boston, MA  02114-4280

Office : Archer 542, Phone: (617) 573-8398


(May through September) R.S. Friedman Field Station

Suffolk University

27 Suffolk Drive

Edmunds TWP, ME  04628

Phone (207) 726-4749

cmerrill@suffolk.edu

 

Research Interests

Physiological Ecology

Sensory Biology

Education

Boston University

Ph.D. – Biology, January 1992, Boston University Marine Program. Boston and Woods Hole, MA. Dissertation: Specificity and Reliability of Hydoxy-L-proline sensitive chemoreceptors of Homarus americanus.

University of Delaware

M.S. – Marine Studies (biology) June 1985, College of Marine Studies, Newark and Lewes, DE. Thesis:  Effects of naphthalene, bromoform, and chlorine on a chemically stimulated rheotaxic response in oyster drill snails, Urosalpinx cinerea (Say).

Suffolk University

B.S. – Biology, May 1980, Boston, Massachusetts

Employment

1982 - present, Member of Suffolk University Biology faculty, currently Associate Professor (tenured)

1998 - present, Director of the Friedman Field Station

1982 - present, Coordinator of the Friedman Field Station

Selected Publications

Merrill, C.L., R. Voigt, and J. Atema (1994). Reliability of chemoreceptor cell response: intensity coding by pattern and response magnitude with a comparison of analytical methods. J. Comp Physiology A (1994) 175:95-105.

Johnson, B.R., R. Voigt, C.L. Merrill, and J. Atema (1990). Across fiber patterns may contain a sensory code for stimulus intensity.  Brain Res Bull 26;327-331.

Johnson, B.R., C.L. Merrill, R.C. Ogle, and J. Atema (1987). Tuning of olfactory neurons sensitive to hydroxy-L-proline in the american lobster. In Olfaction and Taste IX, S. Roper and J Atema, eds. Annuals of N.Y. Acad. Sci. 510:388.

Johnson, B.R., C.L. Merrill, R.C. Ogle, and J. Atema (1987). Response properties of lobster chemoreceptors: Tuning of olfactory neurons sensitive to hydroxy-proline. J. Comp Physiology, A 162:201-211.

Rittschof, D., D. Kieber, and C.L. Merrill (1984). Modification of behavioral response thresholds of newly hatched snails by prey odor exposure during development. Chem. Senses, 9:181-192.

Abstracts

Merrill, C.L., R. Voigt and J. Atema (1991). Coding reliability of hydroxy-L-proline sensitive chemoreceptor cells of the lobster’s lateral antennule. Chem Senses, 16:559.

Casterline J., C.L. Merrill, R. Voigt, and J. Atema (1990). Response reliability of chemoreceptor cells: influence of backgrounds and mixtures. Chem. Senses, 15:559.

Merrill, C.L., R. Voigt, and J. Atema (1988). Intensity discrimination in olfactory cells of the lobster. Chem Senses, 13:717-718.

Johnson, B.R., R. Voigt, C.L. Merrill, and J. Atema (1987). Stimulus intensity discrimination by lobser olfactory receptors. Chem Senses, 12:668.

Voigt, R., C.L. Merrill, and J. Atema (1987). Importance of signal-to-noise ratios and absolute stimulus concentration for cumulative self-adaptation in chemoreceptor cells. Chem Senses, 12:194.

Johnson, B.R., C.L. Merrill, R.C. Ogle, and J. Atema (1986). Tuning of olfactory neurons sensitive to hydroxy-L-proline in the american lobster. Chem Senses, 11:618.

Johnson, B.R., C.L. Merrill, R. Voigt, P.F. Borroni, and J. Atema (1986). Intensity coding via across fiber patterns in chemoreceptors.  Neurosci. Abstracts,  12:1355.

Johnson, B.R., C.L. Merrill, and J. Atema (1985). Adequate stimuli for hydroxy-proline receptors in the olfactory organ of the american lobster. Neurosci. Abstracts, 11:1219.

 

Selected examples of undergraduate research advised by Dr. Carl Merrill completed during recent summer seasons at the Friedman Field Station:

  • Raphael Toutounjian (class of 1996) completed a project as required for the ecology program that was presented at both the NE Regional Beta Beta Beta Biological Honor Society Meeting and the Eastern NE Biological Conference in April 1995 and which was published in the Journal Bios of the Beta Beta Beta Society: Toutounjian, R. (1995) "Orb Web Circumference as it Relates to Spider Size in Araneus cavaticus” in Bios 66(3): 143-148.
  • Judie Paulauski (class of 1996) completed a directed study that was presented as a poster at the NE Regional Beta Beta Beta Biological Honor Society meeting hosted by Suffolk University in April, 1996.  She won the John J. Johnson Award for Excellence in Student Research for her presentation entitled: "The Influence of Diet on Growth Rate and Gonadal Indices of the Green Sea Urchin, Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis."
  • Paul Beglane (class of 1998) completed a project as required for the marine biology program that was presented at both the NE Regional Beta Beta Beta Biological Honor Society Meeting hosted by Suffolk University and the Eastern NE Biological Conference in April 1996. At the Beta Beta Beta meeting, Paul was awarded the Frank G. Brooks Award for Excellence in Student Research (first place) and his paper entitled “A Preliminary Study of Substrate Related Reproductive Potential of the Green Sea Urchin, Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis, in the Birch Islands Region of Cobscook Bay, Maine” has been accepted for publication in the journal Bios.
  • Susanne Hoeppner (class of 1998) completed a project with two fellow students as required for the marine biology program that was presented at both the NE Regional Beta Beta Beta Biological Honor Society Meeting hosted by Suffolk University and the Eastern NE Biology Conference in April 1996.  Susanne was awarded the Frank G. Brooks Award for Excellence in Student Research (third place) and her paper entitled, “The Importance of Chemoreception for the Recognition of Dominance Hierarchies in the American Lobster Homarus americanus” has been published in the journal Bios. (Bios 68 (2): 91-101; 1997).
  • Cara Reville (class of 1999) completed a project at the Friedman Field Station as required for the ecology program that was presented at the NE Regional Beta Beta Beta Biological Honor Society Meeting in April 1999. Cara was awarded the Frank G. Brooks Award for Excellence in Student Research (third place) and her paper entitled “Effects of time, tide, and weather on haul out behavior of the harbor seal Phoca vitulina in Cobscook Bay, Maine” has been accepted for publication in the journal Bios.  She also presented this paper at the 57th Eastern New England Biological Conference hosted by Suffolk University in April, 1999.
  • Nicole Albers, Jamie L. LeMay and Lori Tournillon (class of 1999) completed a project entitled “A Study of the Distribution of Two Species of Littorine Snails: Littorina saxatilus and Littorina obtusata” as required for the ecology program which was presented at the 57th Eastern New England Biological Conference at Suffolk University.

 

Courses Taught

BIO 202 - Scientific Writing in Biology

BIO L101/L102 - Principles of Biology Laboratory I & II

BIO 222 - Field Botany

BIO 304/L304 - Comparative Animal Physiology

BIO 333/L333 F - Ecology/Friedman Field Station