As a marine ecologist, I have studied everything from barnacles to krill and have worked in temperate, tropical and polar environments. I am interested in food web dynamics and how marine populations fluctuate in light of a changing climate. Check out my research below.
CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECTS
Overwintering Success, Reproductive Development and Condition in Antarctic Krill
Euphasia superba, or Antarctic krill, are a keystone species in the Southern Ocean food web. They are preyed upon by several higher trophic level animals including whales, seals, penguins, fish and other seabirds. The future of krill populations remains unknown as they face the compounding pressures of a warming climate, predation, and fishing. My research as a Ph.D. student focuses on the factors that affect the reproductive development and physiological condition, or "health", of krill populations at the Antarctic Peninsula. Most of my studies take place during the winter time, which is a historically under-sampled time of year at the Antarctic Peninsula. I focus primarily on juvenile krill: a critically important, but poorly understood life history stage. To read about my research experiences in Antarctica, I encourage you to check out my blog.
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PREVIOUS RESEARCH PROJECTS
Reproductive Studies on Barnacles in the Bay of Panamá
As a National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) intern, I studied how environmental variation affects the reproductive cycle and brood size of Chtamalus spp., or the tropical barnacle. Working at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), I was interested in if and how temperature, tidal flow and intraspecific competition alter the reproductive success of tropical barnacles.
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Ingestion of Plastic Particulates by Reef Fish in Baja California Sur, México
As an undergraduate student at Western Washington University, I studied how plastic pollution impacts tropical marine fish in Baja California Sur, México. Specifically, I wanted to know if Abudefduf troschelii, or the Panamic sergeant major, would ingest plastic particulates if exposed to them, and if their tendency to do so changed as a function of life stage. A. troschelii is a common reef fish in the tropics and has a widespread population distribution. We looked at plastics that are commonly found in the ocean including polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polystyrene.
Population Dynamics of Harbor Seals in Bellingham, Washington
As an undergraduate student at Western Washington University I assisted in a project studying the population dynamics of the harbor seal, Phoca vitulina. As a research assistant, I spent two years monitoring harbor seal populations around Bellingham, Washington in an attempt to determine if the local population was impacted by the ongoing infrastructure development in the city.
Threats to Eelgrass Survival in Puget Sound, Washington
As an undergraduate student at Western Washington University, I spent two years working at the Shannon Point Marine Center in Anacortes, Washington studying the susceptibility of Zostera marina, or eelgrass, to a pathogenic protist in the presence of the herbivorous Lacuna snail. My project was part of a larger study looking at the primary factors impacting eelgrass survival in the Puget Sound, Washington.
