Research

My research interests include (but are not limited to): Ecosystem Biology, Molecular Ecology, Biodiversity, Species Range Shifts, Metagenomics, Population Dynamics, Bioinformatics, Computational Modeling, Environmental Impacts, & Climate Change Response.

Gulf of Maine Kelp Forests

My Ph.D. research focuses on the kelp forests that line to coast of Maine. The forests are primarily made of two species - horsetail kelp (Laminaria digitata) and sugar kelp (Saccharina latissima). These foundation species create habitat, provide shelter, and are a food resource for other Gulf of Maine organisms. Alongside their ecological importance, these species have aquaculture value, as they rely on seed from wild kelp forests to generate their crop. Currently, sugar kelp is farmed in the Gulf of Maine, and horsetail kelp has the potential to be a farmed in the future.

However, climate change is threatening the survival of these species (with the Gulf of Maine being one of the fastest warming locations in the world) - and how the species respond can have a profound cascading effect on the rest of the ecosystem that they create. I have four main goals in my research: (1) to understand what our kelp forests look like right now - where are they, how much is there, and which organisms are present in the forests? To address these questions i am relying on visual surveys, environmental DNA, and biomass calculations. (2) to understand the population connectivity of the kelp forests along the coast. Understanding how genetically related pockets of these species are will allow us to make scientifically sound aquaculture decisions when it comes to harvesting and seeding our wild kelp beds while maintaining the natural diversity at the same time. (3) to understand the abiotic factors that drive the presence of kelp forests - as our climate continues to change, which factors are the most important to be aware of when thinking about the health of our ecosystem? Temperature, light, depth, chlorophyll, and wave action are all abiotic factors that can play a role in the presence of kelp forests. (4) to understand what the future of our kelp forests will look like. Taking into account the results of questions 1-3, we will project the kelp forests into the future - creating models that can aid in planning for a changing climate so we can make informed decisions moving forward.

Ocean Twilight Zone

This is where i will talk about mesopelagic environmental DNA.

Environmental Toxicology

ABOUT ECOTOX - coming soon!

Starfish and Sea Urchins

ABOUT THESIS - coming soon!