My research in ecology has focused on the dynamics of species in marine systems and the role they play at ecosystems scales. Two recurring themes in my research are the implications of species interactions for community and ecosystem dynamics, and the contribution of climate change to species dynamics. My interests can be broadly grouped into four areas: (1) the interplay between species and productivity in coastal marine ecosystems, (2) the implications of ocean acidification in coastal marine ecosystems, (3) identifying the causes and consequences of variability in marine populations and (4) understanding the relative impacts of genetic and demographic factors to extinction risk.
I train PhD students who are interested in testing ecological and evolutionary concepts and pursuing new discoveries in marine ecosystems. Students in my lab have used a diversity of methods in their work, including mathematical models, genetics and -omics, biogeochemistry, and microscopy. There is a diverse group of faculty across multiple departments whose work is related to the ecology of the oceans, and the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole is our affiliate.
University of Washington
Seattle
PhD - Zoology
1993
University of North Carolina
Chapel Hill
MS - Marine Sciences
1987
University of Illinois
Champaign-Urbana
BS - Biology
1984
Spatially Varying Selection Amplifies Intrapopulation Differentiation Among Phenotypic Traits in the Rocky-Shore Mussel, Mytilus californianus.
Spatially Varying Selection Amplifies Intrapopulation Differentiation Among Phenotypic Traits in the Rocky-Shore Mussel, Mytilus californianus. Ecol Evol. 2025 Jul; 15(7):e71641.
PMID: 40589590
Evolutionary history and association with seaweeds shape the genomes and metabolisms of marine bacteria.
Evolutionary history and association with seaweeds shape the genomes and metabolisms of marine bacteria. mSphere. 2025 Jun 25; 10(6):e0099624.
PMID: 40454874
Warming Seawater Temperature and Nutrient Depletion Alters Microbial Community Composition on a Foundational Canopy Kelp Species.
Warming Seawater Temperature and Nutrient Depletion Alters Microbial Community Composition on a Foundational Canopy Kelp Species. Environ Microbiol. 2025 Mar; 27(3):e70077.
PMID: 40075558
Bacteria on the foundational kelp in kelp forest ecosystems: Insights from culturing, whole genome sequencing and metabolic assays.
Bacteria on the foundational kelp in kelp forest ecosystems: Insights from culturing, whole genome sequencing and metabolic assays. Environ Microbiol Rep. 2024 Jun; 16(3):e13270.
PMID: 38778582
Ammonification by kelp associated microbes increases ammonium availability.
Ammonification by kelp associated microbes increases ammonium availability. PLoS One. 2024; 19(3):e0296622.
PMID: 38551914
Microbial associates of an endemic Mediterranean seagrass enhance the access of the host and the surrounding seawater to inorganic nitrogen under ocean acidification.
Microbial associates of an endemic Mediterranean seagrass enhance the access of the host and the surrounding seawater to inorganic nitrogen under ocean acidification. Sci Rep. 2023 11 15; 13(1):19996.
PMID: 37968499
The Diversity and Functional Capacity of Microbes Associated with Coastal Macrophytes.
The Diversity and Functional Capacity of Microbes Associated with Coastal Macrophytes. mSystems. 2022 10 26; 7(5):e0059222.
PMID: 35993708
The evolutionary past and the uncertain future of foundational species.
The evolutionary past and the uncertain future of foundational species. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2022 08 16; 119(33):e2211134119.
PMID: 35939678
Functional Insights into the Kelp Microbiome from Metagenome-Assembled Genomes.
Functional Insights into the Kelp Microbiome from Metagenome-Assembled Genomes. mSystems. 2022 Jun 28; 7(3):e0142221.
PMID: 35642511
Spatial organization of the kelp microbiome at micron scales.
Spatial organization of the kelp microbiome at micron scales. Microbiome. 2022 Mar 24; 10(1):52.
PMID: 35331334
Frances Straus Mentorship Award
University of Chicago
2018
Miller Postdoctoral Fellow
University of California at Berkeley
1993 - 1995