Amy A. Briggs - Ecology
  • About
  • Research
    • Toxic microalgae in coral reefs
    • Ocean acidification & the physiology & ecology of coral reef calcifiers
    • Fishing effects on coral reef communities
    • Responses of island terrestrial communities to marine nutrients
  • Publications
  • CV
  • Photos
  • Contact
Click here to download a pdf of my CV.

Amy A. Briggs

National Museum of Natural History Fellow
Smithsonian Marine Station
Fort Pierce, FL, USA

Education

Ph.D.             Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia                 Ecology                                                       2022
M.S.               California State University, Northridge                                Biology                                                        2016
B.S.                Stanford University                                                                   Biological Sciences                                   2008

Previous Research Experience

2015 – 2022, PhD student, University of Georgia, Athens, GA (Advisor: C.W. Osenberg)
·      Dissertation:  Algae affect coral reef microbial communities at multiple spatial scales, with consequences for coral-algal regime
        shifts


2018 – 2021, Research Assistant, University of Georgia (UGA), Athens, GA (Supervisor: C.W. Osenberg)

·      Duties: Develop content and create open-access online tutorials on meta-analysis for research professionals in ecology and
        conservation; perform systematic review of methods used in ecological meta-analysis related to weighting and non-
        independence.


2012 – 2016, Masters Student, California State University, Northridge, CA  (Advisor: R.C. Carpenter)
·      Thesis: 
The effects of light, temperature, and ocean acidification on the physiology and ecology of tropical 
        crustose coralline algae


2010–2011, Research Assistant, National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, Santa Barbara, CA (Supervisors:
    J.K. Baum & S.M. Walsh)
·       Research: Changes in functional group and genus composition of coral reef benthic communities        
        with fishing pressure and oceanographic productivity at Kiritimati Atoll

2009–2010, Research Technician, Stanford University, CA (Supervisors: F. Micheli & R. Dirzo)
·      Effects of artisanal fisheries on coral reef communities in the Northern Line Islands
·      Effects of marine subsidies from seabirds on terrestrial community assemblages and island food web dynamics
        at Palmyra Atoll
·      Individual research: Morphological and trophic responses of geckos to spatial subsidies from seabirds and
        changes in habitat structure

2008, Biological Oceanography Intern, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama (Supervisor: L. D’Croz)
·      Effects of nutrient enrichment on Caribbean and Pacific phytoplankton communities’ productivity and size
        structure

2007–2008, Research Assistant, Stanford University, CA (Supervisor: R. Dirzo)
·      Community responses to the removal of large predatory fish from coral reefs (Palmyra and Tabuaeran Atolls)
·      Seabird impacts on island communities through nutrient subsidies, and the role of an introduced plant species in driving
        ecosystem nutrient depletion at Palmyra Atoll

2007, Undergraduate Researcher, Stanford@SEA program, Hopkins Marine Station, Monterey, CA, research cruise from
    Hawaii to Northern Line Islands (Supervisor: B.A. Block)
·      Individual research: Toxic dinoflagellate densities along a gradient of human impact in the Northern Line        
        Islands, and abundances of macroalgal hosts associated with their presence

2005, 2006, Research Assistant, ConocoPhillips, Bartlesville Technology Center, OK, Reservoir Mechanisms NMR/MRI lab
     (Supervisor: J.J. Howard)
·      Individual research: Developing low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) as a tool for analyzing droplet
        size distributions in oil/water emulsions


Awards, Fellowships, and Grants

2019-2021     ARCS Foundation Scholar award
2019               Beverly Hirsh Frank Graduate Fellowship (UGA)
2018               University of Georgia, Odum School of Ecology grant
2017               University of Georgia, Odum School of Ecology grant
2015-2017     University of Georgia, Graduate Assistantship Fellowship
2013               California State University, Northridge, Graduate Fellowship for Outstanding Research Promise
2013               California State University, Northridge, Graduate Equity Fellowship

2013               California State University, Northridge, Thesis Support Grant
2010              NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program Honorable Mention   

Publications

AA Briggs, AL Brown, CW Osenberg (2021) Local vs. site-level effects of algae on coral microbial communities.  Royal Society  
      Open Science
. 8: 210035. doi: 10.1098/rsos.210035.

AA Briggs, CW Osenberg (2019) Spatial aggregation of aquatic habitats affects oviposition patterns in Aedes mosquitoes.
     Oecologia.
doi: 10.1007/s00442-019-04448-3.

AA Briggs, RC Carpenter (2019) Contrasting responses of photosynthesis and photochemical efficiency to ocean
     acidification
under different light environments in a calcifying alga.
Scientific Reports, 9(1): 3986.
     doi:10.1038/s41598-019-40620-8.


Goldberg, GE, TK Raab, P De Salle, AA Briggs, RB Dunbar, F Millero, R Woosley, HS Young, F Micheli, DJ McCauley (2019)
     Chemistry of the consumption and the excretion of the bumphead parrotfish (Bolbometopon muricatum), a coral reef
     mega-consumer.
Coral Reefs. doi:10.1007/s00338-019-01781-0.

CL Wood, JK Baum, SM Walsh, R Trebilco, S Sandin, B Zgliczynski, AA Briggs, F Micheli (2015) Productivity and fishing
    pressure drive variability in fish parasite assemblages of the Line Islands, central equatorial Pacific. Ecology,
96(5): 1383-1398.


AA Briggs†, HS Young†, DJ McCauley, SA Hathaway, R Dirzo, RN Fisher (2012) Effects of spatial subsidies and habitat structure
    on the foraging ecology and size of geckos. PLoS ONE 7(8): e41364.   † authors contributed equally

HS Young, T Raab, DJ McCauley,
AA Briggs, and R Dirzo (2010) The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, impacts forest composition
    and soil characteristics on Palmyra Atoll, Central Pacific. Journal of Vegetation Science. 21: 1058-1068.


Professional Presentations

Contributed talks
AA Briggs, AL Brown, CW Osenberg (2020) Local vs. site-level effects of algae on coral microbial communities. Western Society
     of Naturalists. online-meeting.

AA Briggs, CW Osenberg (2017) Ciguatoxic dinoflagellate densities and the effects of algal biomass and species composition in a 
     Pacific coral reef. Indo-Pacific Fish Conference. Tahiti, French Polynesia.


AA Briggs, RC Carpenter (2016)  The influence of light on the photosynthetic response of a crustose coralline alga to ocean
     acidification, and consequences for other physiological processes. International Coral Reef Symposium.  Honolulu, HI.

AA Briggs, RC Carpenter (2014) The influence of light and photosynthesis on the calcification response of a tropical crustose             coralline alga to ocean acidification. Western Society of Naturalists. Tacoma, WA.


AA Briggs, RC Carpenter (2014) The influence of light and photosynthesis on the calcification response of a crustose coralline         alga to ocean acidification. Benthic Ecology Meeting. Jacksonville, FL.

AA Briggs, RC Carpenter (2013) The influence of photosynthesis on the response of crustose coralline algae to ocean
    acidification. Sesoko Station, Tropical Biosphere Research Center. Okinawa, Japan.

AA Briggs, HS Young, DJ McCauley, SA Hathaway, R Dirzo, RN Fisher (2012) Effects of spatial subsidies and habitat structure
    on the ecology of two locally dominant geckos.  Ecological Society of America. Portland, OR.

AA Briggs, HS Young, DJ McCauley, SA Hathaway, R Dirzo, RN Fisher (2012) Spatial subsidies and habitat structure: the effects
    of seabird guano on island geckos in the tropics.  Western Society of Naturalists. Seaside, CA.


Poster presentations
AA Briggs, RC Carpenter (2013) The influence of photosynthesis on the responses of crustose coralline algae to ocean
    acidification.  Benthic Ecology Meeting. Savannah, GA.


Teaching

2021                Teaching Assistant, Ecology Lab (majors), University of Georgia
2020               Teaching Assistant, Coral Reef Ecology, University of Georgia
2019               Co-instructor, ELME: Meta-analysis in ecology (grad-level summer course), KBS, Michigan State University
2019               Instructor, Meta-analysis in ecology & natural sciences (PhD-level), University of Georgia
2017, 2020   Teaching Assistant, Ecology Lab (majors), University of Georgia
2014               Graduate Assistant, Phycology, California State University, Northridge
2012-2014    Teaching Associate, Introductory Biology Lab (non-majors), California State University, Northridge
2012-2013    Graduate Assistant, Introductory Biology Computer Lab (non-majors), California State University, Northridge


Science Outreach

2015                 Science educator at Girls Scout Science Experience Day, Botanic Gardens, Athens, GA
2014                Field science mentor in NSF Research Experience for Teachers (RET) program. Lead an elementary school teacher
                                    during field research in Moorea, French Polynesia,which helped her develop
K-12 science curriculum

2013                Guest speaker for environmental science class at The Art Institute of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
2013                Guest speaker in 7th and 8th grade marine biology class and after school program, at
                                     Lawrence Middle School, in Chatsworth, CA
2011                Volunteer teacher for Kids Do Ecology (National Center for Ecological Analysis & Synthesis), in
                                     5th grade classroom at Franklin Elementary, in Santa Barbara, CA
2009               Volunteer science educator at Tabuaeran Atoll Secondary School
2009               Liaison with local government officials and presenter to 7 village councils on Tabuaeran Atoll to communicate
                                    goals and findings of research team’s study of local fishing practices and their environmental impacts
2005-2006    Volunteer teacher for Science and Environmental Education (Stanford University), in 3rd grade classroom in
                                    East Palo Alto, CA

Professional Service

University/department service
2018-2019         Chair, Graduate Student Organization, Odum School of Ecology
2015-Present    Diversity committee, Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia
2013-2014        President, Women in Science, California State University, Northridge
2012-2013        President, Marine Biology Graduate Student Association, California State University,  Northridge
2012-2013        Co-founder, web-designer, Women in Science, California State University, Northridge
2004-2005       Elected representative in Stanford University student government           

Peer review

2015-Present   Manuscript reviewer for journals:
  •  Ecology, Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, PLoS ONE

Membership in Professional Societies

  • International Coral Reef Society
  • International Society for the Study of Harmful Algae

© Amy A. Briggs, 2014
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