Category: Fellows

Carmen Peréz Medina

Posted on by Aaron in Fellows

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.

Amanda Godbold

Posted on by Aaron in Fellows, Postdocs

STRI postdoctoral FELLOW

As a conservation paleobiologist, my research focuses on understanding metacommunity dynamics and the factors influencing biodiversity across different spatial and temporal scales. I am particularly intrigued by how these patterns vary with scale, with a primary emphasis on reef ecosystems and the complex roles of corals and sponges. At the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), I am committed to revitalizing aspects of the Paleontological Database Project (PPP), leveraging this robust resource to explore community-level dynamics, such as the processes of community reassembly following disturbances caused by the emergence of the Isthmus of Panama.

Heather Donnelly

Posted on by kimbornella in Fellows

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.

Sven Pallacks

Posted on by kimbornella in Fellows, Postdocs

STRI FELLOW

Recently, I have completed my PhD at the Autonomous University of Barcelona in Spain. During my doctoral studies, I have investigated the effects of ocean warming, acidification and deoxygenation on the Mediterranean ecosystem, by reconstructing plankton and mesopelagic fish dynamics beyond the temporal scale of instrumental records. With the STRI short-term fellowship, I would like to build on my PhD research, and further investigate the impacts of ongoing ocean deoxygenation on mesopelagic fish energetics. To do so, I am using their otoliths (ear-stones) which accumulate on the seafloor after they die. Comparing otolith morphometry and chemistry from either site of the Isthmus of Panama allows me to determine if mesopelagic fish body size, growth and habitat depth is affected in oxygen deprived waters, such as the pronounced Oxygen Minimum Zone off the coast of Panama in the Pacific Ocean. My research is driven by a fascination of these tiny, often overlooked but incredibly important fish, as they play a vital role in ocean food webs, carbon cycling and sustaining aquacultures.

Abhy Verdurmen

Posted on by Aaron in Fellows, Interns, Lab Alumni

Intern (SENACYT, STRI, University of Panama)

DSCF4024I’m a Biology undergraduate student at University of Panama profoundly interested in Marine Biology and paleontology, especially the evolution, adaptation and ecology of coral reefs. I’m working on a project that consists of reconstructing the Caribbean reef fish communities of the past, and my master tools for this research are fish otoliths. Otoliths have distinct shapes that enable us to identify fish families, sometimes even to the level of species and fossil otoliths may help us reconstruct the reef fish community of the Caribbean 7000 years ago (i.e. before human impacts). This information will provide a baseline that will enable us to compare “pristine” with modern reef fish communities.

Abigail Kelly

Posted on by Aaron in Fellows, Lab Alumni

STRI Pre-doc fellowDSCN1150 (1)

Abby is working on a project that explores how marine life, specifically molluscs, respond to the differing energy regimes of the Pacific and Caribbean sides of the Isthmus of Panama. The Pacific experiences coastal upwelling and high nutrient availability, corresponding to high productivity, while the Caribbean experiences no upwelling and low productivity. How do marine communities, which share many of the same species, differ between the Caribbean and Pacific sides?

 

Erin Dillon

Posted on by Aaron in Fellows

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