Ronald V. Dimock, Jr.
Thurman D. Kitchin Professor of Biology

B.A., University of New Hampshire (1965)
M.S., Florida State University (1967)
Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara (1970)

112 Winston Hall
336-758-5567
dimock@wfu.edu

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mussel.jpg (20999 bytes)

Areas of Interest

Invertebrate Zoology, Physiological Ecology


Research

I am broadly interested in the behavioral and physiological ecology of aquatic invertebrates and the mechanisms by which these organisms are affected by significant environmental factors. Recent projects include host/symbiont interactions between bivalve molluscs and aquatic (unionicolid) mites, functional morphology of gills and pallial organs of adult bivalves, and the behavior and physiology of juvenile freshwater mussels. Current work is focused on juvenile freshwater mussels that we raise in the laboratory both by in vitro culturing techniques and by infecting fish with parasitic glochidia larvae. This work also involves immunological aspects of the host-fish/larval-mussel association. Our work has implications for problems associated with the 'invasion' of the European zebra mussel and for the overall conservation of the highly endangered molluscan family Unionidae.


Selected Publications

Rogers-Lowery, CL, RV Dimock, Jr, and RE Kuhn. 2007. Antibody response of bluegill sunfish during development of acquired resistance against the larvae of the freshwater mussel Utterbackia imbecillis. Develop. &  Comp. Immunol. 31:143-155

Pilarczyk, MP, PM Stewart, DN Shelton, HN Blalock-Herod and JD Williams. 2006. Current and recent historical freshwater mussel assemblages in the Gulf Coastal Plains. Southeastern Naturalist 5:205-226

Dodd, BJ, MC Barnhart, CL Rogers-Lowery, TB Fobian, RV Dimock, Jr, 2006. Persistence of host response against glochidia larvae in Micropterus salmoides. Fish & Shellfish Immunology 21:473-484

Fisher, GR and RV Dimock, Jr.  2006. Indicators of physiological condition in juvenile Utterbackia imbecillis (Bivalvia: Unionidae): a comparison of rearing techniques. Amer. Malacol. Bull. 21:23-29

Rogers-Lowery, CL and RV Dimock, Jr.  2006. Encapsulation of attached ectoparasitic larvae of freshwater mussels by epithelial tissue on fins of naive and resistant host fish. Biol. Bull. 210:51-63

Dodd, BJ, MC Barnhart, CL Rogers-Lowery, TB Fobian, RV Dimock, Jr.  2005. Cross-resistance of largemouth bass to glochidia of unionid mussels. J. Parasitol. 91:1064-1072

Rogers, CL and RV Dimock, Jr. 2003. Acquired resistance of bluegill sunfish Lepomis macrochirus to glochidia larvae of the freshwater mussel Utterbackia imbecillis (Bivalvia: Unionidae) following multiple infections. Journal of Parasitology 89:51-56

Fisher, GR and RV Dimock, Jr. 2002. Ultrastructure of the mushroom body: digestion during metamorphosis of Utterbackia imbecillis (Bivalvia: Unionidae). Invert. Biol. 121:126-135

Fisher, GR and RV Dimock, Jr. 2002. Morphological and molecular changes during metamorphosis in Utterbackia imbecillis (Bivalvia:Unionidae). J. Moll. Stud. 68:159-164

Schwartz, ML and RV Dimock, Jr. 2001. Ultrastructural evidence for nutritional exchange between brooding unionid mussels and their glochidia larvae. Invert. Biol. 120: 227-236

Shadoan, MK and RV Dimock, Jr. 2000. Differential sensitivity of hooked (Utterbackia imbecillis) and hookless (Megalonaias nervosa) glochidia to chemical and mechanical stimuli (Bivalvia: Unionidae). Pp. 93-102. In, R. A. Tankersley, D. I. Warmolts, G. T. Watters, B. J. Armatage, P. D. Johnson and R. S. Butler, (editors). Freshwater Mollusk Symposium Proceedings, Ohio Biological Survey, Columbus, Ohio

Dimock, RV, Jr. 2000. Oxygen consumption by juvenile Pyganodon cataracta (Bivalvia: Unionidae) in response to declining oxygen tension. Pp. 1-8. In, R. A. Tankersley, D. I. Warmolts, G. T. Watters, B. J. Armatage, P. D. Johnson and R. S. Butler, (editors). Freshwater Mollusk Symposium Proceedings, Ohio Biological Survey, Columbus, Ohio

Fisher, GR and RV Dimock, Jr. 2000. Viability of the glochidia of Utterbackia imbecillis following their removal from the parental mussel. pp. 185-188. In, R. A. Tankersley, D. I. Warmolts, G. T. Watters, B. J. Armatage, P. D. Johnson and R. S. Butler, (editors). Freshwater Mollusk Symposium Proceedings, Ohio Biological Survey, Columbus, Ohio

Fisher, GR, RE Kuhn, and RV Dimock, Jr. 2000. The symbiotic water mite Unionicola formosa (Acari: Unionicolidae) ingests mucus and tissue of its molluscan host. J. Parasitol. 86:1254-1258

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