I am a graduate student at California State University, Northridge, working in Dr. Robert Carpenter's marine ecology lab. My thesis research regards the responses of calcifying algae to ocean acidification, and their recruitment, growth, and interactions with other benthic (bottom-dwelling) organisms in contemporary coral reefs.
Why coral reefs, and why algae?
Algae play an influential functional role in coral reef ecosystems, which despite the fact that they cover less than 1% of the Earth’s surface, provide food, a source of employment, recreation, and coastal protection for greater than 500 million people worldwide. Unfortunately coral reefs are increasingly impacted by human activities like overfishing, pollution, the introduction of harmful exotic species, and carbon dioxide emissions (leading to a double whammy of global climate change and ocean acidification). Because of worldwide declines in the health of coral reefs due to these human impacts, and the fact that the majority of the people who depend on reefs are in developing nations with limited resources to exploit for subsistence or economic gain, continued research is needed to better understand how these dazzlingly rich systems of biodiversity operate. With better knowledge of how coral reefs function, we can determine more effective ways to reduce our harmful impacts. This knowledge will enable us to preserve some of the vital services we can receive from reefs, and help preserve their biodiversity, beauty, and historical-cultural significance for future generations.
Research Interests:
My overarching scientific interests involve understanding the basic biological and ecological processes that drive community structure. I particularly focus on the flows of nutrients and energy (carbon sources) that link separate environments to one another, such as sea to land and atmosphere to ocean, and how these linkages influence community structure and ecological functions within individual systems. I often apply these broader interests to exploring how human-induced stressors like global climate change, ocean acidification, and overexploitation influence ecosystems, approaching these questions from both organismal and community-level perspectives.
Past experience:
I have been involved with a wide array of terrestrial and marine ecology research projects. In particular, I have studied ecosystem changes associated with both human exploitation and environmental variables. Much of that research has been in coral reefs and tropical island systems with the Micheli and Dirzo labs at Stanford (where I received my undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences), and with Julia Baum at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, as well as with my current graduate advisor, Robert Carpenter, at Cal State Northridge.
See my Research page to read more about some of the projects I have been involved in.
Why coral reefs, and why algae?
Algae play an influential functional role in coral reef ecosystems, which despite the fact that they cover less than 1% of the Earth’s surface, provide food, a source of employment, recreation, and coastal protection for greater than 500 million people worldwide. Unfortunately coral reefs are increasingly impacted by human activities like overfishing, pollution, the introduction of harmful exotic species, and carbon dioxide emissions (leading to a double whammy of global climate change and ocean acidification). Because of worldwide declines in the health of coral reefs due to these human impacts, and the fact that the majority of the people who depend on reefs are in developing nations with limited resources to exploit for subsistence or economic gain, continued research is needed to better understand how these dazzlingly rich systems of biodiversity operate. With better knowledge of how coral reefs function, we can determine more effective ways to reduce our harmful impacts. This knowledge will enable us to preserve some of the vital services we can receive from reefs, and help preserve their biodiversity, beauty, and historical-cultural significance for future generations.
Research Interests:
My overarching scientific interests involve understanding the basic biological and ecological processes that drive community structure. I particularly focus on the flows of nutrients and energy (carbon sources) that link separate environments to one another, such as sea to land and atmosphere to ocean, and how these linkages influence community structure and ecological functions within individual systems. I often apply these broader interests to exploring how human-induced stressors like global climate change, ocean acidification, and overexploitation influence ecosystems, approaching these questions from both organismal and community-level perspectives.
Past experience:
I have been involved with a wide array of terrestrial and marine ecology research projects. In particular, I have studied ecosystem changes associated with both human exploitation and environmental variables. Much of that research has been in coral reefs and tropical island systems with the Micheli and Dirzo labs at Stanford (where I received my undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences), and with Julia Baum at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, as well as with my current graduate advisor, Robert Carpenter, at Cal State Northridge.
See my Research page to read more about some of the projects I have been involved in.
