ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½

Our laboratory group studies the population dynamics of fishes and shellfishes, as well as the community ecology of estuarine systems. Our team’s funded/published research has emphasized: (1) quantifying connectivity among marine populations and ecosystems; (2) understanding the long-term effects of pulse and press disturbances using coastal fishes as a model system; (3) exploring the natural history, restoration ecology, and climate response of coastal habitats such as oyster reefs and seagrass meadows; (4) investigating the landscape ecology of seagrass meadows; and (5) the ecosystem and socioeconomic dynamics of expanding shellfish mariculture operations. Since 2010, we have also served as the primary caretaker of the Cape Lookout long-term shark survey based out of the Institute of Marine Sciences. I have contributed ~115 peer-reviewed papers that explore mechanisms of population and community variability within coastal ecosystems. These articles appear in journals such as Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Ecology, and BioScience. Over the last decade, our team has become increasingly engaged in coastal resource management in North Carolina.