I am interested in the geographic structure of symbiotic partnerships. Who is getting together with whom and where? I am also interested in the phylogeography of symbiotic partners in the Pacific Northwest: I am looking for genetic signatures of dispersal into regions glaciated during the Pleistocene. I use Letharia lichen fungal-algal partnerships throughout Western North America as my study system.

For my project, I plan to use molecular tools to understand how past and current events have affected the present day distribution of twelve species of reef fish species in the Tropical Eastern Pacific. I will use phylogeographic tools to study the genetic structure of each single species to determine levels of population migration and fragmentation, but also perform a comparison among species by grouping species according to larval duration and habitat to determine if these factors influence their distribution.

My research interests include plant-insect interactions, mycorrhizal fungi, and the indirect interactions linking seemingly unrelated organisms. I have focused my research on plant interactions mediated by mycorrhizal fungi, including common mycorrhizal networks that have the potential to create and belowground links between neighboring plants. Currently, I am addressing how these influential fungi affect exotic plant invasions and the regeneration of California endemic oaks.

I am interested in demography of long-lived trees and the extraordinary variability of life-history traits found among species of pine trees in California (ranging from the 4000+ year old bristlecone pines of the White Mountains to our local short-lived knobcone pines). I am generally interested in using both field-based and remotely sensed data, as well as mathematical population modeling.

I am interested in how animals perform all the incredible tasks that they do. I'm particularly fascinated with metabolic processes operating at their physiological limits- animals that "push the envelope. My current research explores the limits of fasting physiology; specifically investigating carbohydrate metabolism in fasting elephant seals.

I am working on a project investigating latitudinal variation in rates of recovery of intertidal species Mytilus californianus, Chthamalus dalli/fissu , Silvetia compressa and Endocladia muricata. Specifically I am looking at how recruitment rate affects recovery rate, and whether large disturbances recover differently from small ones.

I study coral recovery from coral-algal phase shifts, specifically the role of herbivores in clearing macroalgae and the trajectory of community change. I do my research on Midway Atoll in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands.

I am interested in the connection between ecology and evolution - specifically, how the behavior of and interactions between individuals influence gene flow and genetic population structure, and how these genetic patterns link to the larger evolutionary consequences of these actions. Dispersal is one of the most important behaviors influencing gene flow and population structure, and I am focusing on the role of kin in this behavior in two North American night lizards, Xantusia vigilis and X. riversiana.

My research interests include comparative physiology and physiological ecology of marine and terrestrial vertebrates. My current projects include seasonal changes in the energetic requirements of cetaceans and thermoregulation and water conservation in African and Asian elephants. These projects share a common theme of investigating the influence of body size on a variety of physiological processes such as thermoregulation and energetic requirements. In addition, these projects are designed to place our physiological measures into an ecological context by looking how body size or the thermoregualtory capabilities of an organism influence its ecological role in its environment.

I am researching the role of kelp detritus as a nursery habitat for juvenile rockfish in kelp forests of central California.

My research focuses on quantifying the amount of nutrients and particulate matter delivered via terrestrial and oceanic sources to nearshore kelp beds and the effects these different sources have on community dynamics.

For my dissertation research I am working on the movement of temperate reef fishes. Movement rates are likely to vary as a function of fish size, habitat quality, population density and consequently the covariance of movement with these variables will be of fundamental importance to understanding the biological causes of, and ecological consequences of different movement patterns. I am using acoustic tagging techniques to track the movements of individual fish on rocky reefs in the kelp forests in Monterey Bay, Central California. I am particularly interested in how the movement of individuals’ effects population dynamics and how an understanding of this can be applied to Marine Protected Area (MPA) design.

Broadly, I am interested in biodiversity research and informing conservation practice with science.  My current focus is to utilize tagging data to identify multispecies oceanic hotspots for wide-ranging animals in the Pacific. 

I am interested in how species are physiologically and behaviorally adapted to extreme environments.  My previous work focused on the foraging strategies of northern elephant seals.  I examined how they managed swimming speed to conserve oxygen stores while diving in order to maximize time in the foraging zone at depth.  Here at UCSC, I plan to investigate how older, breeding female northern elephant seals can deliver more energy to their pups each year than younger breeding females by analyzing how they acquire energy at sea. To do this, I will integrate diving behavior from time-depth records and satellite derived movement patterns between individuals within and across years.

My dissertation investigates how streamflows, water temperatures and food availability affect juvenile steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) growth, movement and survival.  Research for my project is conducted on the Mokelumne and Cosumnes Rivers, tributaries to the Sacramento River Delta.  My research is in cooperation with the National Marine Fisheries Service, Santa Cruz Laboratory, and the East Bay Municipal Utilities District, with implications for better water management to benefit sensitive species.

My PhD research focuses on host-disease interactions and their population-level effects. Specifically, I am interested in working with two pathogens of amphibians, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis and Ribeiroia ondatrae , to understand how pathogens differ in their effects on populations. Further, my research will explore how anthropogenic changes in the environment influence these pathogens and affect host populations.

I study the foraging and migration patterns of geographically separated populations of North Pacific Albatrosses. I use electronic tracking devices and modeling to reveal patterns in foraging strategies, habitat use in relation to oceanographic processes and features, prey choice, exposure to marine contaminants, and fisheries bycatch interactions in Albatrosses. I also work with local non-profit, Island Conservation, to restore island ecosystems and protect seabird breeding colonies.

I will be studying the evolution of alternative mating strategies using lizards as a model system. Males of the side-blotched lizard (Uta stansburiana) exhibit three genetically determined mating strategies that alternate in frequency every few years in a rock-paper-scissors game of competition. For my thesis, I will be investigating the role of MHC, a highly polymorphic cluster of genes involved in immune response, in the sorting of sperm from male morphs in female Uta.

I am working on an experiment looking at the predator/prey interactions between an intertidal seastar (Pisaster ochraceus) and the California mussel (Mytilus californianus). In particular, I am looking at the role Pisaster plays in setting the lower limit of Mytilus.

My research interests are focused on the ecology of marine birds, specifically the influence of oceanographic variability and prey dynamics on seabird foraging behavior, diet, energetics, and demography. For my dissertation, I will be working on foraging ecology and oceanographic habitat use of Hawaiian albatrosses.

My research interests are focused on the nursery role of kelp forests canopies, on assessing the impacts of kelp canopy loss on fish and invertebrate biodiversity in kelp ecosystems, and to develop best management practices for kelp beds. For my thesis I plan to assess invertebrates response to changes in kelp canopy dynamics and the influence of canopy loss on biological diversity and productivity.

EFFECTS OF AN INTRODUCED SPECIES ON MARINE INTERTIDAL TROPHIC INTERACTIONS AND ECOSYSTEM STRUCTURE IN THE ALEUTIAN ISLANDS, ALASKA

My research will determine how the introduction of rats onto many of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands has impacted marine bird and marine intertidal communities. I propose that predation by introduced rats causes significant reductions in numbers of two predators of intertidal invertebrates, Glaucous-winged gulls (Larus glaucescens) and Black Oystercatchers (Haematopus bachmani). This releases intertidal invertebrates from heavy predation pressure resulting in increased populations of intertidal herbivores and a consequent reduction in the amount of fleshy algae. The outcome is a dramatically altered ecosystem structure. Preliminary analyses of my field data support my hypotheses.

My research focuses on the latitudinal variation of rocky intertidal community structure along the temperate Pacific Coast of North America.  Rocky intertidal communities vary with respect to species composition and diversity to create distinct biogeographic groupsassociations.  Four the last four years, I have been sampling sites with the Coastal Biodiversity Survey team.  The preliminary results of this study show clearly defined geographic breaks in diversity that appears to be consistent with oceanographic and geologic features along the coast. I will examine these patterns of species composition within intertidal communities in relation to various biotic and abiotic factors that affect each site.  Abiotic factors known to influence the distribution and abundance of intertidal organisms, that I will examine, that will be considered within this study include geologic rock type, annual mean sea surface temperature, productivity, nearshore transport of sediment, and physical features of the intertidal reef including topographic complexity, length, and slope. 

My research focuses on the interaction between genetic and extra-genetic inheritance in forming complex social phenotypes. Study system is the side-blotched lizard (Uta stansburiana), which displays a genetic polymorphism for social type.

My research focus is on the physiological and behavioral ecology of pinnipeds, particularly in relation to reproductive energetics. My Ph.D. dissertation research will investigate age related maternal investment and provisioning strategies in the Antarctic fur seal.

My research centers on understanding the ultimate cause of sea otter and other marine mammal population declines in the Aleutian Islands of western Alaska.  In particular, I am asking the question “are the sequential collapses of marine mammal populations connected by a common cause?”  I am using morphological data on body size / condition to examine the potential that “bottom-up” mechanisms are responsible.  I am also using the isotopic record in killer whale teeth to examine their historic trophic interactions to assess the potential that “top-down” mechanisms are at work.  Regardless of the cause, for sea otters in particular, the result is many small, isolated populations at risk of loosing genetic variability if not local extinction.  Thus, I am examining gene flow within and between major island groups to assess the degree of genetic isolation, and estimating effective population size of the remaining subpopulations.

For my Ph.D. thesis, I intend to focus on pinnipeds, specifically the otariids (fur seals and sea lions). To stay warm in the cold ocean, fur seals have both a dense fur coat and a layer of blubber, but sea lions only have blubber. I plan to compare different species of fur seals and sea lions from all over the world, and ask how effective their fur and/or blubber is for thermoregulation.

I am investigating possible trade-offs between mimicry and thermoregulatory efficiency in the California mountain kingsnake (Lampropeltis zonata).  I am interested in the different selection pressures such as bird migration and climatic variation that might create and maintain the trade-off.  Currently, I am conducting the majority of my study locally in the Santa Cruz Mountains and also in the mid-Sierra Nevada. 

I am interested in structural elements of reef communities and how they are affected by both large-scale environmental change and small-scale marine resource management. My research focuses on the ecology of crustose coralline algae (CCA). In tropical systems, CCA play a critical role in reef calcification and help maintain structural complexity by preventing bioerosion. In temperate systems (including coastal California), CCA are a major benthic flora and serve as a recruitment substrate for virtually every known species of benthic marine invertebrate. Despite their ecological importance, the factors affecting the growth, prevalence, and ecological relationships of CCA are largely unknown. I am doing a comparative analysis of growth, competition, and succession of CCA in marine protected areas (MPAs) in tropical and temperate systems.

I am interested in how differential juvenile ecology can influence the vulnerability of long-lived megafauna. I am currently working with the north pacific loggerhead (caretta caretta) to understand the demographic implications  of alternative foraging strategies. To do so I am comparing diet, habitat use, and growth of different juvenile populations and combining this information to explore the population-level effects of artisanal fisheries bycatch. My dissertation research complements a community-based conservation campaign that I co-direct through the non-profit ProPeninsula to empower artisanal fishers of the Baja California peninsula to conserve their shared marine resources.

My interests are biological invasions and how such invasions can cause major shifts in ecosystem dynamics. More specifically, I'm interested in how invasions originate and how genetic diversity, behavior, and life history traits of invaders differ between invaded and native ranges. My studies will link population genetics, behavior, and ultimately population dynamics in order to predict potential for invasion success of alien species.

I am interested in search behavior and spatial scale use by migrating marine predators. Specifically, I will be investigating the ontogeny of orientation cues in two populations of Northern Elephant Seals using several tracking technologies of differing spatial and temporal resolution.

My research revolves around diverse interests in avian population biology and behavioral ecology. I have been working with Song Sparrows on the Aleutian archipelago and in the Queen Charlotte islands to explore how the introduction of mammalian predators can indirectly impact population viability (nesting success, specifically) by increasing the amount of time and energy birds devote to anti-predator behaviors.  This work has encouraged me to be curious about physiological and behavioral traits of passerine birds on islands more generally and part of my thesis will explore how passerine birds follow or are exceptions to the "Island Rules" which predict changes in body size, metabolic rates, and other evolutionary characters, such as clutch size, in island counterparts to mainland taxa.

I am interested in how evolutionary conflicts of interest between conspecifics can mold behavioral interactions in birds. My current research focuses on parent-offspring interactions in a population of American Coots in central British Columbia. I am investigating how mechanisms such as hatching asynchrony, brood reduction and brood division are controlled by the parents in attempt to maximize their reproductive success.

Limited food resources and infectious disease are two of the factors contributing to the slow recovery rate of the California sea otter population.   With the high energetic demands needed by lactating females with pups an additional cause may be variation in the nutritional intake of females. Specific prey specializations by female otters may yield better nutritional gain and maternal care during early growth and behavioral developmental stages of pups. My work focuses on maternal care and the mother-pup relationship in sea otters. I am looking at what affects diet and nutrition may play on the rates of pup ontogeny, pup survival and differences between male versus female pups.

My research has several focuses: (1) the effect of Centaurea solstitialis (yellow starthistle) invasions on pollinator behavior and whether this affects the reproductive success of a rare endemic species of Clarkia that co-occurs with the weed; (2) plant-herbivore interactions, especially whether biocontrol agents with only mild effects on the target weed have a net positive effect on weed performance; and (3) using hyperspectral imagery to map changes in the distribution and abundance of Centaurea solstitialis across entire watersheds over several years.

I am interested in the diving physiology and thermoregulation of marine mammals, particularly California sea lions (Zalophus californianus), Development of metabolic rates in California sea lions, Side project: Diving physiology of turtles.

My primary research interests are in sexual conflict, partner manipulation, sperm competition, and ontogenetic conflict. I am currently working on testing hypotheses about the behavioral traits that arise as a result of sexual conflict over sperm competition in a simultaneous hermaphrodite, the banana slug Ariolimax dolichophallus. Banana slugs are unusual in that they are hermaphrodites that mate reciprocally, with both animals inserting their penis into the partner at the same time. Occasionally, after mating, one slug (or both) will chew the penis completely off of its partner, and the penis does not grow back. I am investigating this unusual behavior (termed apophallation) as a mechanism for preventing sperm competition by preventing future mating opportunities. My research involves both traditional methods of laboratory mating trials as well as more advanced genetic analysis using microsatellite genetic markers that I am developing for this species.

The goal of my dissertation work is to investigate the foraging and diving behavior, location of foraging, food habits, and at-sea distribution of California sea lions along the California coast and to estimate the impacts of those behaviors on listed stocks of salmonids, other protected fish species, and commercially important fish species.