Carl Merrill, PhD

Research Interests

• Physiological Ecology
• Sensory Biology

Employment History

• 1982-present
  Member of Suffolk University Biology faculty, currently Associate Professor (tenured)
• 1998-2016
  Director of the Friedman Field Station
• 1982-2016
  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 hydroxyproline. 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 lobster 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.

Examples of undergraduate research advised by Dr. Merrill 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.