Coral Reef Resilience – How can we promote recovery of coral after disturbances to the reef that kill corals (e.g., storms, bleaching, predator outbreaks)?
Coral reefs are currently threatened by both natural and human-driven disturbances, and climate change scenarios suggest that the health of future reefs is uncertain. To better inform management and preservation of coral reef ecosystems, it is critical that we understand the mechanisms that support recovery of coral habitat after coral mortality events. Macroalgae (large, photosynthetic organisms that can attach and grow densely on the reef) can inhibit coral recovery by preventing recruitment and growth of corals after a disturbance, leading to a shift from coral to macroalgae. These macroalgal habitats do not support the same diversity of fish and other species as healthy coral reefs, and are thus undesirable on large scales. Shifts from coral to macroalgal-dominated reefs have been observed globally, and we are just beginning to understand the mechanisms that influence these transitions. In my dissertation, I studied the processes that are important in the establishment and persistence of macroalgae. Through an enhanced understanding of macroalgal persistence, we may be able to identify (and protect) key species and processes that are critical to promoting coral reef recovery.
Overall, my research highlights phenotypic characteristics of macroalgae and interactions between macroalgal and herbivore communities that can drive persistent macroalgal phase shifts in coral reef ecosystems. This information may be used to develop sustainable management and conservation strategies to preserve these valuable ecosystems and the services that they provide for local communities.
Conservation and Management – How can we promote resilient socio-ecological communities?
For too long, conservation and management goals have been at odds with human communities – part of the problem is our human tendency to remove ourselves from consideration when thinking about ecosystems. In a future where global problems such as over-fishing, deforestation and pollution threaten the health and survival of all living things, we must move towards more holistic and adaptive approaches that maximize the benefits to socio-ecological communities. My specific interests include collaboration with organizations seeking to develop specific science-based and community-led conservation and management practices that conserve ocean and land resources while ensuring the economic sustainability of local communities.