Marine Biodiversity Lab
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Matthew E. S. Bracken
Professor, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-2525 USA, m.bracken@uci.edu, +1 949.824.6976
Professional Preparation
1997 University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, WA, B.S. Biology
2003 Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, Ph.D. Zoology
2004-2005 University of California, Davis, CA, Postdoc Evolution & Ecology
2005-2007 University of California, Bodega Bay, CA, Postdoc Bodega Marine Lab
Appointments
2019-present Professor, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine
2014-2019 Associate Professor, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine
2013 Associate Professor, Marine & Environmental Sciences, Northeastern University
2007-2013 Assistant Professor, Biology, Northeastern University
Representative Publications
Lees, L.E., S.N.Z. Jordan, & M.E.S. Bracken. 2024. Kelps may compensate for low nitrate availability by using regenerated forms of nitrogen, including urea and ammonium. Journal of Phycology 60: 768-777. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpy.13459
Bracken, M.E.S., L.P. Miller, S.E. Mastroni, S.M. Lira, & C.J.B. Sorte. 2022. Accounting for variation in temperature and oxygen availability when quantifying marine ecosystem metabolism. Scientific Reports 12: 825. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-04685-8
Bracken, M.E.S. 2020. Complementarity in spatial subsidies of carbon associated with resource partitioning along multiple niche axes. Oecologia 193:425-436. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-020-04691-z
Bracken, M.E.S., J.G. Douglass, V. Perini, and G.C. Trussell. 2017. Spatial scale mediates the effects of biodiversity on marine primary producers. Ecology 98:1434-1443. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.1812
Bracken, M.E.S., R.E. Dolecal, and J.D. Long. 2014. Community context mediates the top-down versus bottom-up effects of grazers on rocky shores. Ecology 95: 1458-1463. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-2094.1
Bracken, M.E.S. & N.H.N. Low. 2012. Realistic losses of rare species disproportionately impact higher trophic levels. Ecol. Lett. 15: 461-467. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2012.01758.x
Bracken, M.E.S., E. Jones, & S.L. Williams. 2011. Herbivores, tidal elevation, & species richness simultaneously mediate nitrate uptake by seaweed assemblages. Ecology 92:1083-1093. https://doi.org/10.1890/10-1374.1
Stachowicz, J.J., R.J. Best, M.E.S. Bracken, and M.H. Graham. 2008. Complementarity in marine biodiversity manipulations: reconciling divergent evidence from field and mesocosm experiments. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 105:18842-18847. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0806425105
Bracken, M.E.S., S.E. Friberg, C.A. Gonzalez-Dorantes, and S.L. Williams. 2008. Functional consequences of realistic biodiversity changes in a marine ecosystem. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 105: 924-928. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0704103105
Elser, J.J., M.E.S. Bracken, E.E. Cleland, D.S. Gruner, W.S. Harpole, H. Hillebrand, J.T. Ngai, E.W. Seabloom, J.B. Shurin, and J.E. Smith. 2007. Global analysis of nitrogen and phosphorus limitation of primary producers in freshwater, marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Ecol. Lett. 10: 1135-1142. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2007.01113.x
Bracken, M.E.S. & K.J. Nielsen. 2004. Diversity of intertidal macroalgae increases with nutrient loading by invertebrates. Ecology 85:2828-2836. https://doi.org/10.1890/03-0651
Menge, B.A., J. Lubchenco, M.E.S. Bracken, F. Chan, M.M. Foley, T.L. Freidenburg, S.D. Gaines, G. Hudson, C. Krenz, H. Leslie, D.N.L. Menge, R. Russell, and M.S. Webster. 2003. Coastal oceanography sets the pace of rocky intertidal community dynamics. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 100: 12229-12234. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1534875100
Synergistic Activities
(1) Mentorship of independent research by undergraduate students (3 at Bodega Marine Lab, 7 at Northeastern University, 31 at UC Irvine) and participants in Oregon State University’s and Bodega Marine Lab’s REU programs (4 total, 3 under-represented minorities).
(2) Member, Expert Assessment Group for the Green List (EAGL) to evaluate the potential for inclusion of California’s Marine Protected Area Network on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Green List.
(3) Conducted public outreach and education as a 2014 Scientist-in-Residency Fellow at the Sitka Sound Science Center in Alaska, including a public lecture, interviews on the local NPR station, and teaching a week-long course in marine biology to elementary school students.
(4) Engaged in international collaboration in research and teaching as a 2015 Erskine Fellow at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand. Presented lectures on both research and outreach and contributed to undergraduate teaching.
(5) UC Irvine representative to the Orange County Marine Protected Area Council (OCMPAC), the local collaborative responsible for research, education, and enforcement in Orange County marine protected areas.
