Project description
Arthropods called chelicerates possess an extraordinary diversity of grasping and feeding appendages, from the claws of scorpions and pseudoscorpions to the chelicerae of spiders and horseshoe crabs. These structures must balance strength, flexibility, wear resistance, and sensory performance, yet the elemental composition underlying these properties remains poorly understood across the group. This project will investigate the elemental architecture of chelicerate pincers using advanced analytical techniques such as scanning electron microscopy and elemental mapping. The student (Honours or Masters) will compare elemental distributions—including calcium, magnesium, zinc, manganese, and other trace elements—across a range of modern chelicerates to assess how chemistry relates to ecology, feeding strategy, and biomechanics. The project may also incorporate fossil material to explore how elemental signals preserve through deep time. Outcomes will provide new insights into the evolution of arthropod biomaterials, functional adaptation in predatory appendages, and the broader evolutionary history of chelicerate exoskeletal chemistry.
Note: You need to register interest in projects from different supervisors (not a number of projects with the one supervisor).
You must also contact each supervisor directly to discuss both the project details and your suitability to undertake the project.