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I am interested in many things, too many, it seems sometimes. I like to think of myself as an ecosystem ecologist, looking at the big picture and integrating all its main components. In doing so, I focus on the trophic routes that carbon and nutrients follow once taken up as plant biomass (i.e. trophic fate of primary production). Indeed, what ecosystems do is not as much a tale of how much they produce but of what happens with that production (i.e. where it ends up). And because we all face a serious environmental crisis and need to contribute towards finding sustainable solutions, I also want to understand how current anthropogenic impacts, such as eutrophication and increasing UV irradiance, may alter carbon and nutrient routes in ecosystems. |
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I am primarily a marine person, i.e. doing most of my field and experimental work in coastal ecosystems. But I am also deeply interested in seeing how the mechanisms found at that limited scale hold up when other marine (pelagic) and freshwater and terrestrial systems are brought into the picture. In fact, I have spent (and plan to spend) many hours in the library compiling data and trying to unveil patterns in carbon and nutrient flux across ecosystems. As Rob Peters put it, "There is no rigid, highly interactive chain of command in which each theory of lower generality confirms, but specifies, the trends in more general theories". And both approaches, community-specific and across communities, are needed in our quest towards a sustainable biosphere. |
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I am the lead technician in the Ecosystems lab, meaning I supervise and regulate the maintenance and organization of the laboratory and its personnel. I am the main investigator for a study on three coastal lagoons affected by Hurricane Ivan as well as a project involving the success and nutrient uptake of a restored coastal marsh. I assist the graduate students of the Ecosystems lab, and aid in other research as needed around the DISL community.
I am a graduate student at the University of South Alabama pursuing a Master’s in the Department of Marine Sciences. I attend classes full-time and devote the majority of my hours to working at the Sea Lab. My interests are focused on the parasites of crustaceans. I also have strong interests in molecular techniques, toxicology, and chemical ecology. |
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The bulk of my personal research has involved the parasitic relationship between the common grass shrimp, Palaemonetes pugio, and the metacercarial trematodes that infect them, Microphallus turgidus. This host-parasite system is found along the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean. I have investigated the system from many angles including vitellogenin (Vtg) uptake using Western blotting techniques, and lipid uptake through fluorescent observation of Benzo-a-pyrene (BaP) of exposed animals. My current Master's research involves a Brown pelican rookery established on a man-made island in the Mobile Bay. A population of P. pugio has developed on the island, however few parasites are found within this population. I am investigating whether an increase of nutrients is causing the absence of parasites at this location. Further examination of the Mobile Bay and Mississippi Sound are planned regarding salinity and possible metal and chemical contamination of these systems in addition to eutrophication. The ultimate goal is to better understand the dynamic of this host-parasite system in hopes of developing a regional assay for ecosystem management.
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I am a graduate of the University of South Alabama (Spring 05’) with Bachelor’s Degree in Biology specializing in Marine Biology. My interests are extremely varied and include deep-sea ecology, oceanography, fisheries, as well as engineering. Undergraduate research projects consisted of small-scale toxicology testing of hexazinone on Daphnia Magna, which I cultured in the lab, as well as assisting in the collection of water samples in the upper and lower Mobile Delta. Being a research technician in the Ecosystems lab, most of my time is spent sorting the fauna from benthic core samples or assisting in fieldwork. However, by the end of my stay, I hope to have a better understanding of technical methods associated with marine systems. Future plans include the possibility of obtaining a second degree in mechanical engineering and pursuing a career working with deep-sea submersibles.
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My research interests lie in metal accumulation in aquatic ecosystems. My Ph.D. thesis dealt with the use of the endemic Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile as a bio-indicator of metal contamination. My current research project focuses on measuring the concentrations of trace metals in water, sediment and several aquatic plants in 3 locations in the Gulf of Mexico (Mobile Delta - Alabama; Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve - Alabama and Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve - Mississippi) in order to evaluate the use of these producers as bio-indicators of metal contamination. I am also examining the effects of metal accumulation on a number of physiological and ecological properties of those producers (e.g. growth, photosynthesis) in order to improve our understanding of the impacts of metal pollution on important processes in |
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aquatic ecosystems, such as total productivity, food web structure, metabolism and nutrient cycling.
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I am a graduate from the Université de Liège (Belgium) with a master's degree in Oceanography. I came to the Sealab in January 2008 to begin a PhD in marine sciences. My future research will be focused on anthropogenic impacts on seagrass ecosystems in shallow lagoons along the Gulf of Mexico. Since I am an all-round field biologist with a strong interest in ecological modeling, I will be working on an ecosystem model describing the cycles of carbon and nutrients in these shallow lagoons. In the meantime, I indulge in my love for field work by starting up a seagrass restoration project in Little Lagoon, Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge, Gulf Shores, Alabama. |
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Past Personnel
Graduate Students
Andrea Anton, MS in Marine Sciences (University of South Alabama), 2007. The effects of eutrofication on the ecosystem services provided by seagrass meadows
Jason Stutes, Ph.D. in Marine Sciences (University of South Alabama), 2007. Seagrass (Halodule wrightii) communities of the Northwest Gulf of Mexico: Differences in production dynamics and primary consumption across a gradient of human impact
Amy Hunter, Ph.D. in Marine Sciences (University of Alabama), 2005. Effects of human induced nutrient enrichment (anthropogenic eutrophication) on the carbon cycle of marshes dominated by black needlerush, Juncus roemerianus.
Adrienne L. Dunsmuir (now A. L. Stutes) MS in Marine Sciences (University of South Alabama), 2004. Effects of simulated anthropogenic eutrophication on the primary production and metabolism of estuarine microphytobenthic community
Alina A. Corcoran, MS in Biology (University of Alabama), 2004. The effects of ultraviolet-B radiation and sediment nutrient enrichment on benthic microalgal communities in shallow coastal lagoons of the northwestern Gulf of Mexico.
REU Program Students
Jennifer Himmelstein: 2007 - University of Maryland. The influence of the trematode parasite Microphallus turgidus on the predator avoidance, predator choice, and digestion of the common grass shrimp Palaemonetes pugio.
Kelsey Pickard: 2006 - Colorado College. Effects of short-term shading and sediment fertilization on seagrass growth and density.
Amy Adcox: 2004 - University of South Florida. Flowering dynamics in two Thalassia testudinum populations.
Dustin Addis: 2003 - Auburn University. The effects UVB radiation on benthic microalgae
Nicole Morris: 2003- Jacksonville State University. The effects of nutrient additions on the growth dynamics of two salt pan species, Distichlis spicata and Salicornia bigelovii, in coastal Alabama
Todd Clardy: 2001- Troy University. The effects of short-term fertilization and shading on shoalgrass production.
Glenn Miller: 2000 - University of Alabama. The effects of seagrass loss on associated fish populations
Interns and Technicians
Nate Lemoine (Exxon Intern) 2007
David "Paddy" Patterson (Full-time Tech) 2004-2005
Mary-Elizabeth "Mairi" Miller (Full-time Tech) 2004-2005
Katy Blankenhorn: (Part-time Tech) 2004
Craig Newton: (Part-time Tech) 2001-2002
Beth Klees: (Exxon Intern and Part-Time Tech) 2002
Cassius Fishbein (High School Intern) 2002, 2003
Reid Carter (High School Intern) 2003
Chris Legget (High School Intern) 2003
Bug Illiff (High School Intern) 2001 |
