PhD 1994 Brown University
BS 1988 University of California, Berkeley
For several years, I have been researching the potential effects of climate change on intertidal organisms. Due to the tractability of the rocky shoreline ecosystem in the design and execution of experiments, it has served as a model system for the effect of climate change on species distributions.In particular, I investigated the heat stress physiology of a habitat forming organism, the California mussel, Mytilus californianus, in its natural habitat. This research demonstrated that temperature extremes, not the average environmental temperature, determine the severity of damage from thermal stress. These data indicate that the majority of analyses of the observed and potential effects of climate change on organisms are flawed, because they typically use the mean environmental temperature, not the extremes, as the metric of interest. Further, through the use of dynamic regression, this research demonstrated that synthesis of heat shock proteins in response to damaging temperatures can be much more prolonged than preciously realized, on the order of days after the heat event has passed. Current work focuses on developing tractable field assays of organismal performance in a statistically robust manner.
With the implementation of the northern Channel Islands Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), some of the most productive fishing areas were closed to sport and commercial fishing. Created to conserve marine ecosystems, loss of these fishing areas was not well received by the recreational fishing industry, as they remained skeptical about the benefits that MPAs may have for fisheries resources. For effective management of public resources, scientists must work with the local community to conduct research that involves their concerns and includes their involvement. I have formed a collaboration with Dr. Carrie Culver, California Sea Grant Extension, and a local sport-fishing boat captain, Captain David Bacon to assess the movement of a prized local sport fish, the kelp or calico bass, Paralabrax clathratus, in the northern Channel Islands. We are tagging kelp bass at Santa Cruz and Anacapa Islands with the aid of a local charter boat captain, and representatives from recreational fishing groups. We also work with the local community of boat captains, recreational fishers, and scuba divers to spot and report tagged fish. Representatives from California Fish and Game Recreational Fisheries Survey (CRFS) have agreed to help educate the public and local fishers on reporting tagged fish. Details can be found at here.
A full CV is available, in word and pdf format
Publications