Bio
I am an advanced lecturer at Stanford University’s Hopkins Marine Station, where I teach courses in kelp forest ecology, statistics, and scientific computing. In general, I study drivers of spatial and temporal change in marine ecosystems. Ongoing and recent research projects include:
-examining the consequences of fisheries closures on fisher behavior
-understanding why some coral reefs fare better than their neighbors
-biodiversity and body size change, particularly in the context of recent human impacts
2024-25 Courses
- Between Pacific Tides: Invertebrate Zoology in Monterey Bay
OCEANS 161H, OCEANS 261H (Win) - Environmental Change and Marine Biodiversity
OCEANS 125H, OCEANS 225H (Spr) - Hopkins Marine Station Seminar
OCEANS 114H (Win) - Hopkins Marine Station Seminar
OCEANS 214H (Win) - Introduction to Research in Ecology and Ecological Physiology
OCEANS 47H (Spr) -
Independent Studies (4)
- Directed Instruction or Reading
OCEANS 198H (Aut, Win, Spr) - Research
OCEANS 300 (Aut, Win, Spr) - Teaching Practicum in Biology
OCEANS 290H (Win, Spr) - Undergraduate Research
OCEANS 199H (Aut, Win, Spr)
- Directed Instruction or Reading
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Prior Year Courses
2023-24 Courses
- Between Pacific Tides: Invertebrate Zoology in Monterey Bay
OCEANS 161H, OCEANS 261H (Win) - Environmental Change and Marine Biodiversity
OCEANS 125H, OCEANS 225H (Spr) - Hopkins Marine Station Seminar
OCEANS 114H (Win) - Hopkins Marine Station Seminar
OCEANS 214H (Win) - Kelp Forest Ecology
OCEANS 185H, OCEANS 285H (Sum) - Topics in Scientific and Statistical Computing
OCEANS 200H (Win)
2022-23 Courses
- Between Pacific Tides: Invertebrate Zoology in Monterey Bay
BIOHOPK 161H, BIOHOPK 261H (Win) - Ecology and Conservation of Kelp Forest Communities
BIOHOPK 185H, BIOHOPK 285H (Sum) - Environmental Change and Marine Biodiversity
BIO 125, BIOHOPK 125H, BIOHOPK 225H, OCEANS 125, OCEANS 225 (Spr) - Hopkins Marine Station Seminar
BIOHOPK 114H (Win) - Hopkins Marine Station Seminar
BIOHOPK 214H (Win) - Hopkins Marine Station Seminar
OCEANS 114 (Win) - Introduction to Research in Ecology and Ecological Physiology
BIOHOPK 47H, OCEANS 47 (Spr) - Topics in Scientific and Statistical Computing
BIOHOPK 200H (Win)
2021-22 Courses
- Ecology and Conservation of Kelp Forest Communities
BIOHOPK 185H, BIOHOPK 285H (Sum) - Experimental Design and Probability
BIOHOPK 174H, BIOHOPK 274H (Spr) - Historical Ecology at Hopkins Marine Station
BIO 166, BIO 266, BIOHOPK 166H, BIOHOPK 266H (Win) - Introduction to Research in Ecology and Ecological Physiology
BIOHOPK 47H (Spr) - People and Nature of Monterey Bay
BIOHOPK 119H, BIOHOPK 219H (Spr)
- Between Pacific Tides: Invertebrate Zoology in Monterey Bay
All Publications
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Sex-specific variation in species interactions matters in ecological communities.
Trends in ecology & evolution
2024
Abstract
Understanding how natural communities and ecosystems are structured and respond to anthropogenic pressures in a rapidly changing world is key to successful management and conservation. A fundamental but often overlooked biological characteristic of organisms is sex. Sex-based responses are often considered when conducting studies at organismal and population levels, but are rarely investigated in community ecology. Focusing on kelp forests as a model system, and through a review of other marine and terrestrial ecosystems, we found evidence of widespread sex-based variation in species interactions. Sex-based variation in species interactions is expected to affect ecosystem structure and functioning via multiple trophic and nontrophic pathways. Understanding the drivers and consequences of sex-based variation in species interactions can inform more effective management and restoration.
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.tree.2024.07.006
View details for PubMedID 39107207
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Scale dependence of coral reef oases and their environmental correlates.
Ecological applications : a publication of the Ecological Society of America
2022: e2651
Abstract
Identifying relatively intact areas within ecosystems, and determining the conditions favoring their existence, is necessary for effective management in the context of widespread environmental degradation. In this study, we used 3,766 surveys of randomly selected sites in the United States and U.S. Territories to identify the correlates of sites categorized as 'oases' (defined as sites with relatively high total coral cover). We used occupancy models to evaluate the influence of ten environmental predictors on the probability that an area (21.2 km2 cell) would harbor coral oases defined at four spatial extents: cross-basin, basin, region, and sub-region. Across all four spatial extents, oases were more likely to occur in habitats with high light attenuation. The influence of the other environmental predictors on the probability of oasis occurrence were less consistent and varied with the scale of observation. Oases were most likely in areas of low human population density, but this effect was evident only at the cross-basin and sub-regional extents. At the regional and sub-regional extents oases were more likely where sea-surface temperature was more variable, whereas at the larger spatial extents the opposite was true. By identifying the correlates of oasis occurrence, the model can inform the prioritization of reef areas for management. Areas with biophysical conditions that confer corals with physiological resilience, as well as limited human impacts, likely support coral reef oases across spatial extents. Our approach is widely applicable to the development of conservation strategies to protect biodiversity and ecosystems in an era of magnified human disturbance.
View details for DOI 10.1002/eap.2651
View details for PubMedID 35538862
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Historical comparisons of body size are sensitive to data availability and ecological context.
Ecology
2020
Abstract
Historical comparisons of body size often lack pertinent details, including information on the sampling protocol and relevant ecological covariates that influence body size. Moreover, historical estimates of body size that rely on museum specimens may be biased towards larger size classes due to collector preferences, and thus size thresholds have been used to focus attention on maximum body size. We tested the consequences of sampling design, ecological covariates, and size thresholds on inferences of body size change using field-contextualized historical records, rather than museum specimens. In 2014-2015, we revisited historical (1947-1963) size-frequency distributions of three gastropods (Tegula funebralis, Lottia digitalis / L. austrodigitalis, Littorina keenae) in the context of population density and tidal height. In general, gastropods declined in size. However, our inferences regarding body size decline were tempered when the variation between sampling units was taken into consideration, resulting in greater uncertainty around the estimate of proportional change in body size. Gastropod size was correlated with population density and tidal height, and these relationships varied over time. Finally, the magnitude and direction of body size change varied with the amount of data available for analysis, demonstrating that the use of size thresholds can lead to incomplete conclusions.
View details for DOI 10.1002/ecy.3101
View details for PubMedID 32455494
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A framework for identifying and characterising coral reef "oases" against a backdrop of degradation
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
2018; 55 (6): 2865–75
View details for DOI 10.1111/1365-2664.13179
View details for Web of Science ID 000447296300032
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Leveraging vessel traffic data and a temporary fishing closure to inform marine management
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
2018; 16 (8): 440–45
View details for DOI 10.1002/fee.1936
View details for Web of Science ID 000446011400004
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The Resilience of Marine Ecosystems to Climatic Disturbances
BIOSCIENCE
2017; 67 (3): 208-220
View details for DOI 10.1093/biosci/biw161
View details for Web of Science ID 000397164000005
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Ocean warming and the demography of declines in coral body size
MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES
2016; 560: 147-158
View details for DOI 10.3354/meps11931
View details for Web of Science ID 000390104900010
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Recent Trends in Local-Scale Marine Biodiversity Reflect Community Structure and Human Impacts
CURRENT BIOLOGY
2015; 25 (14): 1938-1943
Abstract
The modern biodiversity crisis reflects global extinctions and local introductions. Human activities have dramatically altered rates and scales of processes that regulate biodiversity at local scales [1-7]. Reconciling the threat of global biodiversity loss [2, 4, 6-9] with recent evidence of stability at fine spatial scales [10,11] is a major challenge and requires a nuanced approach to biodiversity change that integrates ecological understanding. With a new dataset of 471 diversity time series spanning from 1962 to 2015 from marine coastal ecosystems, we tested (1) whether biodiversity changed at local scales in recent decades, and (2) whether we can ignore ecological context (e.g., proximate human impacts, trophic level, spatial scale) and still make informative inferences regarding local change. We detected a predominant signal of increasing species richness in coastal systems since 1962 in our dataset, though net species loss was associated with localized effects of anthropogenic impacts. Our geographically extensive dataset is unlikely to be a random sample of marine coastal habitats; impacted sites (3% of our time series) were underrepresented relative to their global presence. These local-scale patterns do not contradict the prospect of accelerating global extinctions [2,4,6-9] but are consistent with local species loss in areas with direct human impacts and increases in diversity due to invasions and range expansions in lower impact areas. Attempts to detect and understand local biodiversity trends are incomplete without information on local human activities and ecological context.
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.cub.2015.05.030
View details for Web of Science ID 000358465600035
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Rapid Range Expansion of a Marine Ectotherm Reveals the Demographic and Ecological Consequences of Short-Term Variability in Seawater Temperature and Dissolved Oxygen
AMERICAN NATURALIST
2022
View details for DOI 10.1086/718575
View details for Web of Science ID 000766932200001
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Field stations as sentinels of change
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
2020; 18 (6): 320–21
View details for DOI 10.1002/fee.2231
View details for Web of Science ID 000554674700004
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Mapping human pressures on biodiversity across the planet uncovers anthropogenic threat complexes
PEOPLE AND NATURE
2020; 2 (2): 380-394
View details for DOI 10.1002/pan3.10071
View details for Web of Science ID 000647695600011
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Disturbances drive changes in coral community assemblages and coral calcification capacity
ECOSPHERE
2020; 11 (4)
View details for DOI 10.1002/ecs2.3066
View details for Web of Science ID 000536583400010
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Species richness change across spatial scales
OIKOS
2019; 128 (8): 1079–91
View details for DOI 10.1111/oik.05968
View details for Web of Science ID 000478622500002
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Recent Trends in Local-Scale Marine Biodiversity Reflect Community Structure and Human Impacts.
Current biology : CB
2015; 25 (14): 1938-43
Abstract
The modern biodiversity crisis reflects global extinctions and local introductions. Human activities have dramatically altered rates and scales of processes that regulate biodiversity at local scales [1-7]. Reconciling the threat of global biodiversity loss [2, 4, 6-9] with recent evidence of stability at fine spatial scales [10,11] is a major challenge and requires a nuanced approach to biodiversity change that integrates ecological understanding. With a new dataset of 471 diversity time series spanning from 1962 to 2015 from marine coastal ecosystems, we tested (1) whether biodiversity changed at local scales in recent decades, and (2) whether we can ignore ecological context (e.g., proximate human impacts, trophic level, spatial scale) and still make informative inferences regarding local change. We detected a predominant signal of increasing species richness in coastal systems since 1962 in our dataset, though net species loss was associated with localized effects of anthropogenic impacts. Our geographically extensive dataset is unlikely to be a random sample of marine coastal habitats; impacted sites (3% of our time series) were underrepresented relative to their global presence. These local-scale patterns do not contradict the prospect of accelerating global extinctions [2,4,6-9] but are consistent with local species loss in areas with direct human impacts and increases in diversity due to invasions and range expansions in lower impact areas. Attempts to detect and understand local biodiversity trends are incomplete without information on local human activities and ecological context.
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.cub.2015.05.030
View details for PubMedID 26166784