Research

My group’s research is focused on the ecology, policy, and management of coastal marine ecosystems. We are interested in understanding the drivers of ecological and social processes in marine systems, and in how to more effectively integrate science into marine policy and management. Specific research areas include coastal marine ecology, design and evaluation of marine conservation strategies, and coupled social-ecological systems.

Recently settled barnacles (Semibalanus balanoides) in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. The oblong individuals are cyprids, the final pelagic stage in this species. Image courtesy of Jesús Pineda, T. Stueckle, and WHOI

Coastal Marine Ecology: Differences in nearshore oceanography and other environmental factors can contribute to variation in reproduction and other key life history traits in intertidal invertebrates and other marine species. Such heterogeneity in reproduction may significantly impact the effectiveness of marine reserves and other management strategies, as reserves are often expected to act as sources of marine larvae. I am interested in understanding the ecological and evolutionary drivers of reproductive variation in marine communities, and in the influence of this variation on population and community dynamics. This work has important implications for conservation and management, specifically reserve design and ocean zoning

Design and Evaluation of Marine Conservation Strategies: Increasing awareness of declines in many services provided by marine ecosystems (e.g. seafood, water quality, storm protection) has led to a shift toward ecosystem-based approaches to marine management and conservation. Marine reserves and other types of protected areas are considered a key tool in implementing marineecosystem-based management. I led one of the first marine applications of the reserve design tool, SPEXAN (now known as MARXAN), and plan to continue work in this area. Key questions include: When designing networks of reserves, what is the added value of incorporating information on ecological processes (e. g., reproduction, recruitment or primary productivity)? How can information on ecosystem services be incorporated into reserve design? Other current research focuses on how to evaluate the ecological and social effectiveness of marine ecosystem-based management efforts in the US and elsewhere.

Seafood market in Ensenada, Mexico

Coupled social-ecological systems: My group is synthesizing information and approaches from the natural and social sciences to advance understanding of the connections between coastal ecosystems and the human communities that rely on them. I am particularly interested in how theory related to ecological and social resilience can be integrated into marine management and conservation. Other research in this area focuses on modeling social-ecological interactions and the effects of these linkages on the provision of ecosystem services in the Gulf of California, Mexico.

Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary is one of the larger marine protected areas in the New England region. Image courtesy of NOAA.

I am actively seeking undergraduate and graduate students to join my group, and also welcome inquiries from potential postdocs with complementary interests (e.g. ecology, economics, policy analysis, mathematical modeling). Lab members employ a range of approaches including field and laboratory experiments, GIS (mapping and spatial analysis), reserve selection algorithms, social-ecological modeling, and synthesis. Students with skills in ecology, physiology, computer programming, remote sensing, and policy analysis are particularly encouraged to contact me. Current and future research sites include places within New England, the Gulf of California and the Pacific coast of the US.

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