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Physical & Biological Sciences Division
Professor
Faculty
Long Marine Lab Ocean Health Building
254 A
By appointment
Long Marine Lab
B.A., University of California, Santa Cruz
M.S., San Francisco State University
Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara
Ecology of coastal marine ecosystems
The purpose of our research program is to better understand the structure and dynamics of populations and communities of nearshore marine organisms and their ecosystems. The underlying themes of this research are two-fold; firstly, to further our conceptual understanding of marine populations and communities by conducting empirical studies motivated by the evolving theory for these systems, and secondly, to apply these concepts to fisheries and conservation problems in innovative ways. Our approach is to integrate empirical studies conducted in the field and laboratory with the development of ecological theory, including models.
Currently, we are exploring the relative roles of, and relationships between, nearshore oceanographic and habitat features, larval supply, settlement and post-settlement processes (e.g., competition and predation) that influence the replenishment and persistence of populations. We are also interested in how structural features of reef habitats influence such biotic interactions. To date, most of this work has targeted populations and assemblages of temperate and tropical reef fishes. More recently, our lab has developed a broader ecosystem-wide interest in temperate reef (e.g., kelp forest) ecosystems as reflected in our role in the Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans (PISCO). We also have a growing interest in coastal salmonid ecology, based largely on our growing research and teaching collaborations with the NOAA Fisheries Santa Cruz Lab located here on the UCSC campus. We are also exploring ways to apply such basic ecological information to the conservation of marine species and management of their fisheries.