A5082888451- Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies
- Parasite Biology and Host Interactions
- Marine Bivalve and Aquaculture Studies
- Vibrio bacteria research studies
- Aquaculture disease management and microbiota
- Marine and fisheries research
- Mental Health Research Topics
- Aquaculture Nutrition and Growth
- Coastal wetland ecosystem dynamics
- Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology
- Marine and coastal plant biology
- Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Marine Ecology and Invasive Species
- Species Distribution and Climate Change
- Reproductive tract infections research
- Environmental DNA in Biodiversity Studies
- Behavioral Health and Interventions
- Marine Biology and Environmental Chemistry
- Mercury impact and mitigation studies
- Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
- Echinoderm biology and ecology
- Isotope Analysis in Ecology
- Animal and Plant Science Education
- Ocean Acidification Effects and Responses
- Plant and animal studies
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
2020-2025
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
2023-2024
University of Maryland, Baltimore
2024
University of South Carolina
2024
Cornell University
2015-2022
Diseases of tropical reef organisms is an intensive area study, but despite significant advances in methodology and the global knowledge base, identifying proximate causes disease outbreaks remains difficult. The dynamics infectious wildlife diseases are known to be influenced by shifting interactions among host, pathogen, other members microbiome, a collective body work clearly demonstrates that this also case for main foundation species on reefs, corals. Yet, wildlife, coral stand out as...
Outbreaks of marine infectious diseases have caused widespread mass mortalities, but the lack baseline data has precluded evaluating whether disease is increasing or decreasing in ocean. We use an established literature proxy method from Ward and Lafferty (Ward 2004 PLoS Biology2, e120 (doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0020120)) to analyse a 44-year global record normalized reports 1970 2013. Major hosts are combined into nine taxonomic groups, seagrasses mammals, assess swings, defined as positive...
Echinoderms, positioned taxonomically at the base of deuterostomes, provide an important system for study evolution immune system. However, there is little known about cellular components and genes associated with echinoderm immunity. The 2013-2014 sea star wasting disease outbreak emergent, rapidly spreading disease, which has led to large population declines asteroids in North American Pacific. While evidence suggests that signs this twisting arms lesions, may be attributed a viral...
Accurate and efficient monitoring of oyster reefs is critical for fisheries management restoration. However, subtidal requires labor‐intensive methods, such as sampling by SCUBA divers. A new Rapid Assessment Protocol (RAP) based on the collection underwater imagery from random replicate points across a reef expands toolkit monitoring. This study tests how qualitative RAP compares to existing quantitative tools inform approaches that combine methods improve We surveyed paired unrestored...
The response of corals to warm temperature anomalies includes changes in coral bacterial assemblages. There are clear differences between the microbiota bleached and healthy corals. However, few studies have tracked individual colonies throughout a warming event. We used 454 pyrosequencing repeated measures characterize assemblages 15 Gorgonia ventalina before, during, 4 months after, 1 year after 2010 Caribbean thermal anomaly. In latter three sampling times, G. differed significantly from...
No-take reserves and habitat restoration are important management tools for reversing the effects of fishing on coastal habitats, associated faunal assemblages, host-parasite interactions. Populations eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica have declined by 99% in areas Chesapeake Bay, USA, due to overharvesting, disease, other factors, now focus extensive efforts. We surveyed subtidal reefs using classic quantitative approaches emerging videography methods contrast pairs harvested protected...
Warming environments can alter the outcome of host-parasite relationships with important consequences for biodiversity. often increases disease risk, and interactions other environmental factors intensify impacts by modifying underlying mechanisms, such as host immunity. In coastal ecosystems, metal pollution is a pervasive stressor that influences immunity in many organisms. Despite crisis facing coral reefs, which stems part from warming-associated outbreaks, pollutants on scleractinian...
Oyster reefs provide important services to ecosystems and people, with many of these benefits depending on structurally complex reef habitat. Despite the key role oyster habitat, we have yet understand natural anthropogenic drivers subtidal habitat over large spatial scales (>200 km). Chesapeake Bay (USA) offers a valuable system explore how salinity, restoration, harvest compare in their influence because its broad environmental gradient mosaic management types. We applied remote rapid...
The interplay among environment, demography, and host-parasite interactions is a challenging frontier. In the ocean, fundamental changes are occurring due to anthropogenic pressures, including increased disease outbreaks on coral reefs. These include multiple parasites, calling into question how host immunity functions in this complex milieu. Our work investigates of factors influencing co-infection Caribbean sea fan octocoral, Gorgonia ventalina , using metrics innate immune response:...
Abstract Mindfulness and self‐regulation practice have shown benefits in reducing emotional disorders improving cognitive outcomes. This study uses ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to examine time‐lagged associations of mindfulness on affective outcomes within college students' natural environments. College students ( n = 186) received six surveys per day for seven consecutive days 2021, 2022, 2023 using the Expiwell application. Each survey measured affect, perceived cognition,...
Speciation provides a framework for classifying biodiversity on Earth and is central concept in evolutionary biology. To help undergraduate students learn about speciation, we designed student-centered lesson that uses active-learning techniques (e.g., clicker questions, small group work, whole class discussion) compares multiple species concepts (morphological, biological, phylogenetic) using giraffes as an example. Giraffes were chosen the focus of this because they are familiar have broad...
Abstract Animals often shape environmental microbial communities, which can in turn influence animal gut microbiomes. Invasive species critical habitats may reduce grazing pressure from native and shift communities. The landlocked coastal ponds, pools, caves that make up the Hawaiian anchialine ecosystem support an endemic shrimp ( Halocaridina rubra ) grazes on diverse benthic including orange cyanobacterial‐bacterial crusts green algal mats. Here, we asked how shrimp: (1) abundance...
Co-infecting parasites and pests modify infection outcomes in the wild. However, it is unclear how multiple environmental factors influence co-infection. The Chesapeake Bay metapopulation of eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, provides an opportunity to test importance co-infection across heterogeneous environments. This study leverages state oyster monitoring for a large-scale survey four co-infecting organisms, including two tissue shell bio-eroding pests. We diagnose 440 oysters 16...