Shusdock, and Sierra Smith. I especially thank Jonah Levin, who joined the lab as a high school student and has since continued working with me. I thank Corey Allard and Drs. Donald Yergeau and Jeffrey Grim for collecting samples that I used in my studies. I owe thanks to the staff of the Marine Science Center for their support, including Roberto Valdez, Sonya Simpson, Heather Sears, David Dawson, and Ryan Hill. I thank Drs. Joseph Ayers and Justin Ries for use of their facilities and Drs. Isaac Westfield and Ryan Myers for help with scanning electron microscopy. I thank Drs. Camille Berthelot, Melody Clark, James Monaghan, and Leonard Zon for valuable discussions and providing important datasets and materials. I thank Dr. Jill de Jong and her lab for inspiring my interest in zebrafish research. I was pushed to my best by my fellow graduate students at Northeastern University. I am especially grateful to my Mom and Dad for their unending support and for reading every word I write. I am grateful to my siblings Sarah, Katie, Ryan, and Zachary for inspiring me with their passions and positive energy.