Job Title: Research Biologist

Biography: My work with the SBCLTER involves bringing an ongoing dataset of invertebrate settlement into the program. This dataset is geographically extensive (Mendocino to San Diego counties in California), and is unique in its length (currently at 22 years) and high frequency of collection (bi-weekly). Project goals include characterizing patterns of larval settlement in relation to oceanographic parameters and using population genetics to gain insights into possible larval connectivity and linking larval settlement to benthic population dynamics. Past work has identified geographical differences in shifting oceanographic regimes (e.g. El Nino/La Nina conditions and Pacific Decadal Oscillations) on settlement patterns between northern and southern California. Some applications include use of sea urchin settlement as a fishery independent measure of stock health, examination of differences in settlement of commercially harvested species inside and outside of no-take reserves (MPAs) and marine conservation areas, and the provision of long-term, geographically extensive library of invertebrate larvae to detect possible signals of ocean acidification. This work has been made possible by the development of an extensive collaboration with the fishing community, university researchers, marine resource managers, regulatory and public agencies, which now includes the SBCLTER.

Research Interests: Kelp forest, rocky intertidal, and wetland ecology, larval settlement, dispersal and connectivity, ecological impact assessment, mitigation and restoration, assessment of nearshore fishery stocks