We conduct basic and applied research emphasizing:

 

Connectivity rates among marine populations and

ecosystems (e.g., larval dispersal, landscape ecology,

nursery contribution);

 

Understanding the long-term effects of pulse and press

disturbances using estuarine fishes as a model system; and

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Exploring the natural history, restoration ecology, ecosystem

services, and climate response of coastal biogenic habitats.  

 

These themes are directly related to the maintenance of coastal

ecosystems, and provide key data for management strategies of

nearshore fisheries. Primarily, we work in the benthic environments of coastal and estuarine ecosystems  (including seagrass meadows, oyster reefs, salt marshes, mangrove forests, and mud flats).

 

Additionally, we have conducted experiments related to recruitment processes and mechanisms, oil-spill oceanography, and shellfish mariculture as a social-ecological system. Research tools include manipulative field experiments, intensive field surveys, historical reconstructions, GIS simulations, ROVs, stable isotope analyses, population projection matrix models, geochemical tagging, acoustic tagging, and synthesis approaches.

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Recent Lab-Related News:

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2022: Congrats to Becca Van Hoeck for being named a 2023 Knauss Marine Policy Fellow

2022: Congrats to Joey Reustle for starting as an Assistant Professor at Hampton University

2022: Congrats to Stacy Zhang for starting as an Assistant Professor at North Carolina State University

2022: Congrats to Jeff Plumlee for starting as a Post-Doctoral Researcher at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab

 

2021: Congrats to Tyler O'Keefe for being awarded a 3-year James Foundation Fellowship

2021: Congrats to Jeff Plumlee for being awarded an ARPA Graduate Degree Completion Grant

2021: Congrats to Amy Yarnall for starting as an ORISE Post-Doctoral Researcher at the USACE

         Engineer and Research Development Center, Environmental Lab 

2021: Congrats to Zofia Knorek for being awarded a UNC Dissertation Completion Fellowship

 

2020: Congrats to Shelby Ziegler for starting as a Post-Doctoral Researcher at Moss Landing Marine Lab

2020: Becca Van Hoeck published her first lead-authored paper in MEPS on offshore reef soundscapes

2020: Amy Yarnall published her first lead-authored paper Oecologia on predator-prey interactions across           contiguous and fragmented landscapes

2020: Congrats to Jeff Plumlee for being awarded a NCSG minigrant (trophic ecology of sharks)

2020: Congrats to Shelby Ziegler for receiving a UNC Horizon Award

2020: Congrats to Matt Kenworthy for receiving a UNC Impact Award

2020: Congrats to Jim Morley for starting as an Assistant Professor at East Carolina University

2020: Congrats to Zofia Knorek for being awarded a 2-year CRFL grant (oyster-reef ecology)

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2019: Congrats to Matt Kenworthy for starting as a Post-Doctoral Researcher at Savannah State

          University

2019: Congrats to Danielle Keller for starting as a project manager with the USA Corps of Engineers

2019: Congrats to Zofia Knorek for being awarded a Smithsonian Institution Graduate Student Fellowship

2019: Congrats to Becca Van Hoeck for being awarded a PADI Foundation grant

 

2018: Congrats to Becca Gaesser for being awarded a Duke Energy Graduate Fellowship

2018: Congrats to Emory Wellman for being awarded an NSF GRF

2018: Congrats to Lauren Clance for being awarded best poster at the AFS Tidewater meeting

2018: Congrats to Shelby Ziegler for being named a GOMRI Scholar 

2018: Congrats to Danielle Keller for receiving a UNC Impact Award

2018: Rich Mahoney published his first lead-authored paper in JEMBE on seagrass edge effects

2018: Matt Kenworthy published his first lead-authored paper in CJFAS on estuarine-scale movement

          ecology

2018: Shelby Ziegler published her first lead-authored paper in Rest Ecol on oyster reef landscape 

          ecology 

2018: Congrats to Ian Kroll for starting as a Researcher at NOAA OAR

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2017: Danielle Keller published her first lead-authored paper in J Animal Ecol on animal-habitat

          relationships

2017: Congrats to Justin Ridge for starting as a Post-Doctoral Researcher at Duke University 

2017: Congrats to Michelle Brodeur for starting as the Science Communications Specialist for the North   

          Carolina Coastal Reserve / National Estuarine Research Reserve

2017: Congrats to Shelby Ziegler for being awarded a 2-year CRFL grant (marsh ecology)

2017: Congrats to Danielle Keller for being awarded a UNC Dissertation Completion Fellowship 

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2016: Congrats to Ian Kroll for being named a 2017 Knauss Marine Policy Fellow

2016: Congrats to Lauren Yeager for starting as an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas

2016: Ian Kroll published his first lead-authored paper in MEPS on geochemical tagging of oyster larvae

2016: Congrats to Danielle Keller for being selected as a NCSG/NCCR research fellow (seagrass ecology)

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2015: Michelle Brodeur published her first lead-authored paper in MEPS on abiotic and biotic drivers of

          eelgrass biomass

2015: Justin Ridge published his first dissertation chapter in Scientific Reports on oyster reef

          geomorphology

2015: Congrats to Martin Benavides for being awarded a 4-year scholarship from the Peruvian Council for

          Science and Technology

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2014: Congrats to Danielle Keller for being awarded a 3-year NSF Graduate Research Fellowship

2014: Congrats to Justin Ridge for being selected as a NCSG/NCCR research fellow (oyster reef ecology)

2014: Congrats to Justin Ridge for being selected to receive the Walter B. Jones Excellence in Coastal

          and Marine Graduate Research Award

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2013: Congrats to Ian Kroll for being awarded a 3-year NOAA-NMSF-Sea Grant Population Dynamics

          Fellowship

2013: Congrats to Justin Ridge for being awarded 2nd place in the NSF STEM Challenge

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2012: Congrats to Michelle Brodeur for being selected as a NCSG/NCCR Research Fellow (oyster reef

          ecology)

2012: Congrats to Michelle Brodeur for being selected to receive the Walter B. Jones Excellence in

          Coastal and Marine Graduate Research Award

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2011: Congrats to Michelle Brodeur for being awarded a 3-year NOAA-NERRs Fellowship