Category: Fellows

Stri fellow

I am a doctoral student in the Palaeobiology and Historical Ecology group at the University of Vienna. In my dissertation, Survival of the Smallest? I focus on how climate change and other human pressures influence growth and life history in black gobies – small, bottom-dwelling generalists that often swim under the scientific radar. Although not commercially targeted and may appear unremarkable, black gobies are key players in coastal ecosystems, offering valuable insights into how non-commercial species respond to long-term environmental change.

I use incrementally grown ear-stones (otoliths) to compare modern goby growth patterns with radiocarbon-dated fossil (Holocene) otoliths from sediments. These small, calcified structures grow throughout a fish’s life, recording seasonal growth like tree rings. As the only complex parts that regularly accumulate on the seafloor, otoliths offer rare archives of historical growth patterns, making them ideal for reconstructing long-term trends and establishing baselines of pre-industrial conditions.

Thanks to the James Van Tassell Fellowship, I am excited to temporarily swap the Mediterranean for the tropics. During my stay in Panama, I will use similar otolith-based methods to study growth and life history variation in cryptobenthic gobies from the Caribbean and the tropical eastern Pacific – ecologically essential reef fishes that, like their Adriatic relatives, leave behind a historical record that can help uncover how tropical ecosystems have changed through time.

STRI-bold fellow

I am a marine scientist interested in how oceanographic processes shape the structure and functioning of coastal marine communities. Specifically, I am drawn to understanding how nutrient subsidies modulate primary productivity and influence energy flow in coastal ecosystems.

At the O’Dea Lab, I explore the seasonal and regional variability of oceanographic dynamics along the coasts of the Eastern Tropical Pacific. As part of this work, I participate in oceanographic cruises during both the dry and rainy seasons off the Pacific coasts of Panama and Costa Rica aboard the S/Y Eugen Seibold. These expeditions aim to characterize wind-driven seasonal upwelling events that bring cold, nutrient-rich waters to the surface, as well as to study nearby regions that maintain warm, nutrient-poor conditions throughout the year.

Ultimately, I aim to pursue a PhD to investigate how these episodic nutrient inputs affect the efficiency of energy transfer through coastal food webs, comparing systems with stable oceanographic conditions to those influenced by upwelling.

Carmen’s fellowship is provided thanks to a generous donation from the Payne family.

STRI FELLOW

I am a PhD candidate in Dr. Xingchen (Tony) Wang Stable Isotope Biogeochemistry Lab at Boston College. My research aims to understand nitrogen cycling within corals and coral reefs as well as how anthropogenic influences and climate change affect nitrogen cycling in these systems by using stable isotopes. During my fellowship at the O’Dea lab, I will utilize the isotopic composition (δ¹⁵N) of organic nitrogen bound within coral skeleton that has recently been utilized to detect symbiosis in ancient corals. The basis of this proxy is that symbiotic corals are expected to exhibit lower δ¹⁵N compared to their non-symbiotic (aposymbiotic) counterparts due to internal nitrogen recycling, and this δ¹⁵N signal is preserved in coral skeleton. Yet, robust field studies are still needed to groundtruth its application in natural settings. I aim to exploit Panama’s unique collection of modern and fossil corals to rigorously test the δ¹⁵N symbiosis proxy. The findings are expected to shed light on the future of coral symbiosis in the face of intensifying climate change.

RaMP-UP Fellow

I recently graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a B.S. in Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution and a minor in Geographic Information Systems and Technology. I have a broad interest in marine systems and especially enjoy working with coastal invertebrates. My past research has been in better understanding the use of macroalgae as a food source and habitat on sandy beaches and the spatial distribution patterns of invertebrates. In the O’Dea lab, I will be working with Sacoglossans, which are sea slugs that can obtain energy from photosynthesis through the chloroplasts they consume from algae. I will be working with Kim Garcia to achieve a better understanding of how this trophic strategy, known as kleptoplasty, impacts the life histories of these organisms and how different environmental conditions can affect this strategy as well. In my free time, I enjoy going on hikes and runs, and love to draw and paint.

Me gradué recientemente de la Universidad de California en Los Ángeles con una licenciatura. en Ecología, Comportamiento y Evolución con mención en Sistemas de Información Geográfica y Tecnología. Estoy interesado generalmente en los sistemas marinos y especialmente disfruto trabajando con invertebrados costeros. Mis investigaciones anteriores han consistido en comprender mejor el uso de macroalgas como fuente de alimento y hábitat en playas arenosas y la distribución espacial de los invertebrados. En el laboratorio del Dr. O’Dea trabajaré con los sacoglosos, que son un grupo de babosas marinas que pueden obtener energía por medio de la fotosíntesis usando los cloroplastos que consumen de las algas. Trabajaré con Kim García para lograr entender mejor cómo esta estrategia trófica, conocida como cleptoplastia, impacta las historias de vida de estos organismos y también cómo diferentes condiciones ambientales pueden afectar esta estrategia. En mi tiempo libre, disfruto hacer caminatas y correr, y me encanta dibujar y pintar.  

PhD Student UC Santa Barbara and STRI Fellow

Reconstructing shark communities using dermal denticles preserved in reef sediments

What were shark communities like before humans? Ecological surveys and historical records demonstrate significant declines in Caribbean shark populations, yet pre-exploitation baselines are nonexistent. Dermal denticles – tiny, tooth-like scales lining the skin of elasmobranchs – can offer insight into shark communities on reefs. We have found denticles to be beautifully preserved in fossil and modern reef sediments, allowing morphometric analysis and classification. Denticle traits are also closely associated with shark ecology and can paint a picture of shark community composition. Evaluating the relative abundances of different denticle morphotypes in sediment samples across time and space can both supplement existing survey data – using time-averaged modern sediments – and assist in the reconstruction of pre-human shark baselines – using the recent fossil record. This previously unexplored data source may reveal what shark communities looked like prior to the advent of fishing, facilitating exciting and important assessments of the magnitude and ecological consequences of global shark declines and producing more meaningful conservation targets.

Save our seas         ~          Erin’s Website