[pdf] Abstract.  Microbes influence ecological processes, including the dynamics and health of macro-organisms and their interactions with other species. In coral reefs, microbes mediate negative effects of algae on corals when corals are in contact with algae. However, it is unknown whether these effects extend to larger spatial scales, such as at sites with high Read More …

Congratulations to Rebecca for being selected as part of the 2022 class of the Sea Grant John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship program.  (that’s her in the top row, second from left).  We can’t wait to find out what federal agency she’ll be joining this winter.  Way to go Rebecca — you snailed it again!

Congratulations to Mike Gil, Phil Shirk, and Mike McCoy!  Mike (Gil) is joining the faculty at the University of Colorado Boulder (the the Eco &Evo Bio Dept); Phil just started a Presidential Management Fellowship at the CDC (in the Influenza Division); and Mike (McCoy) is moving from ECU to Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Read More …

(link)  Abstract. Pacific salmon spawning and rearing habitats result from dynamic interactions among geomorphic processes, natural disturbances, and hydro‐climatological factors acting across a range of spatial and temporal scales. We used a 21‐year record of redd locations in a wilderness river network in central Idaho, USA, to examine which covariates best predict the spawning occurrence Read More …

Elizabeth (website) has accepted a faculty position at St. Mary’s College of Maryland (left: Department of Biology) on the Chesapeake, and Anya (website) has accepted a faculty position at UC Davis (above: Bodega Marine Lab and Department of Evolution and Ecology) on the Pacific.  We are very excited for them both, having found their dream Read More …

Greg Jacobs successfully defended his dissertation this week in the Odum School of Ecology at UGa (Population-level consequences of environmental variation for migratory fishes).  Greg’s research examined migratory dynamics in two systems: sturgeon in the Niagara river and Chinook in the Middle Fork Salmon River.  Greg’s studies in both studies relied on sophisticated modeling approaches Read More …

(pdf)  Abstract: Phenotypic variation can lead to variation in the strength and outcome of species interactions. Variation in phenotypic traits can arise due to plastic responses to environmental stimuli, underlying genetic variation, or both, and may reflect differences in the focal organism or aspects of the extended phenotype (e.g., associated microbes). We used a reciprocal Read More …

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(pdf)  Abstract. In ecological meta-analyses, nonindependence among observed effect sizes from the same source paper is common. If not accounted for, nonindependence can seriously undermine inferences. We compared the performance of four meta-analysis methods that attempt to address such nonindependence and the standard random-effect model that ignores nonindependence.  We simulated data with various types of Read More …

(pdf)  Abstract 1. Despite the wide application of meta-analysis in ecology, some of the traditional methods used for meta-analysis may not perform well given the type of data characteristic of ecological meta-analyses. 2. We reviewed published meta-analyses on the ecological impacts of global climate change, evaluating the number of replicates used in the primary studies Read More …

(pdf)  Abstract: An animal’s movement rate (mobility) and its ability to perceive fitness gradients (fitness sensitivity) determine how well it can exploit resources. Previous models have examined mobility and fitness sensitivity separately and found that mobility, modelled as random movement, prevents animals from staying in high quality patches, leading to a departure from an ideal Read More …

Team Thalassoma’s second paper on moonlight and reproduction and recruitment patterns in T. hardwicke led by Captain Jeff S. Shima is out in Ecology (pdf).  Abstract: Most organisms reproduce in a dynamic environment, and life‐history theory predicts that this can favor the evolution of strategies that capitalize on good times and avoid bad times. When Read More …

We are delighted to welcome Dan Cryan (left) and Alex Primo (Center) to our lab.  Dan graduated from Stanford in 2018, and is currently an ORISE intern at the EPA in Rhode Island.  Alex graduated from UCSB in 2018, and worked with us in Moorea in 2019.  We’re looking forward to having them both here Read More …

[Better late than never — I forgot to post this earlier]  Elizabeth’s paper investigating the spatial distribution of damage on corals and its effects on healing and growth came out at the end of 2019 in Oecologia.   Abstract:  Many predators and herbivores do not kill their prey, but rather remove or damage tissue. Prey are Read More …

Phil defended his dissertation this month in the Biology Department at the University of Florida (Chameleons in a Changing Climate).  Phil’s work highlighted changing environments, thermal performance curves, and the responses of trophic chamelons, based upon his work in the East Usumbara Mountains in Tanzania.   He did a great job — and there was even Read More …

Abstract.  Colonization, including oviposition, is an important driver of population and community dynamics both within and across habitat patches. Most research has focused on the roles of habitat availability or quality on colonization and its outcomes. However, the spatial distribution of habitats also likely affects these processes. We conducted field experiments in Georgia, USA, using Read More …

We (Craig, Amy Briggs and Chao Song) taught our short-course on meta-analysis as part of the ELME (Enhancing Linkages between Math and Ecology) graduate program at the Kellogg Biological Station (Michigan State University). We had a great group of participants and terrific hosts (thanks to Kay and Ravi).  Kudos to everyone.    

Our collaborative grant on coral-associated-fish&invertebrates (CAFI) and the feedbacks between CAFI and corals builds on the field experiment led by Adrian (Stier and Osenberg 2010) and the modeling work led by Elizabeth (Hamman et al. 2017) and is collaborative between UCSB (Adrian Stier), Tulane (Scott McKinley), and UGA (CWO).  Elizabeth will be the post-doc on Read More …

Our team’s paper (pdf), led by Anya, on the interaction between muricids and vermetids came out today in MEPS.  Abstract: Predators, through their effects on prey densities, sizes, and behaviors, can shape ecological communities. Thus, quantitative assessments of predator−prey relationships are key to understanding these effects. Here, we documented the patterns and processes underlying the Read More …

The annual Odum Bake-Off was  a huge success, featuring the prize entry from Rebecca and Amy.  It was awesome (and was tasty too)!