Marine Biodiversity Lab
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
This document has been reviewed and revised by all lab members as of January 2021. <pdf>
Matt Bracken, Principal InvestigatorEmail: m.bracken@uci.edu
I am interested in linking community-level and ecosystem-level processes, especially in marine systems. Ecological communities are composed of suites of interacting species, and I study how those species mediate the transformation and flux of energy and nutrients. Like many complex systems, a functioning community can be greater than the sum of its parts, and my work highlights the emergent role of biodiversity as a driver of important ecosystem functions such as nutrient cycling (e.g., Bracken et al. 2011, Bracken & Williams 2013) and biomass accumulation (e.g., Bracken et al. 2017, Bracken 2020). I am also interested in the role of local-scale versus large-scale processes, spatial subsidies (Bracken et al. 2012, Bracken 2020), and non-traditional species interactions. For example, I have done quite a bit of research into the roles of consumers as mediators of nutrient availability in marine systems (e.g., Bracken & Nielsen 2004, Bracken et al. 2007, Bracken et al. 2018).
Hannah Hall, Assistant SpecialistEmail: hallh1@uci.edu
I am broadly interested in the ecological interactions required to maintain a healthy marine community and how these communities respond to environmental stress. I received my B.S. from Denison University, where I developed basic knowledge in ecosystem ecology and management, specializing in marine resource studies in Bocas del Toro, Panama. After graduating, I gained valuable working experience through scientific education and coral restoration internships in the Turks and Caicos Islands and Curaçao, respectively. Since then, I have earned my M.S. in marine ecology and conservation through the International Master of Science in Marine Biological Resources (IMBRSea) program associated with Ghent University. My master’s thesis contributed to ongoing research regarding the physiological implications and feasibility of transplanting temperate seagrasses during winter. I am now excited to bring my experiences with ecosystem engineering species to the University of California, Irvine, and assist in the NSF grant-funded project on linking seaweed species traits to marine ecosystem functioning.
Email: lkorob@uci.edu
I am studying how the functional traits of seaweeds – especially large brown algae – are associated with biomechanical properties, including stress and strain. In characterizing the attributes of species on local rocky shores, we make measurements such as attachment strength, % carbon, and the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio. How do these traits relate to strain, stress, and other biomechanical measurements? How do they relate to the position of those seaweed species along latitudinal and wave-exposure gradients? I am focusing on two large, brown seaweeds – the feather-boa kelp Egregia menziezii and the golden rockweed Silvetia compressa – both of which exhibit variation in morphology between northern and southern California.
Beatriz Alejandra Rios Rojas, Ph.D. StudentEmail: briosroj@uci.edu
I am interested in explaining how the distribution patterns of marine invertebrate assemblages are influenced by processes that operate at different spatial scales in marine environments. For example, environmental variables such as temperature and water quality may influence processes over larger scales, whereas biotic variables such as recruitment and interspecific relationships affect smaller-scale distribution patterns. Most of my research has been focused on polychaetes: as an undergraduate student I defined the distribution of symbiont sea worms inhabiting sponges in mangrove roots in La Restinga National Park, Venezuela, and as a Master’s student I determined how different types of sediment inputs affect the distribution of polychaetes associated with soft bottom habitats in the Gulf of Venezuela. As a Ph.D. student, I’m planning to study how dominant marine invertebrates influence coastal biogeochemistry (e.g., changes in pH and nutrients) and how those processes affect recruitment and community assembly on California rocky shores.
Bio 199 and UROP undergraduate researchers are helping out with a number of projects in the lab, including measurements related to functional traits of seaweeds.
Carolina Aguila, M.S. in Biology Student, Northeastern University (Fall 2009-Spring 2011)
Alex Badten, Undergraduate Researcher, UC Irvine (Fall 2016-Spring 2017)
Queenie Baetiong, Undergraduate Researcher, UC Irvine (Fall 2018-Spring 2019)
Matthew Barna, Undergraduate Researcher, UC Irvine (Spring 2018)
Samuel Bedgood, Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UC Irvine (Fall 2016-Fall 2021)
Kylla Benes, Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UC Irvine (Winter 2009-Fall 2016)
Genevieve Bernatchez, Assistant Specialist, UC Irvine (Fall 2014-Winter 2020)
Marcus Lira Campaigniac, NSF-ATE Scholar, Mt. San Antonio College (Summer 2021)
Alex Caramagno, Undergraduate Researcher, UC Irvine (Winter 2020-Spring 2021)
Rachel Chatfield, Undergraduate Researcher, UC Irvine (Fall 2015-Spring 2016)
Celeste Chen, Visiting Undergraduate Fellow, Carleton College (Summer 2019)
Marcy Cockrell, M.S. in Marine Biology, Northeastern University (Summer-Fall 2009)
James Douglass, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Northeastern University (Summer 2010-Summer 2012)
Annick Drouin, Visiting Ph.D. Student, Laval University (Summer-Fall 2011, Summer 2012)
Laura Elsberry, Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UC Irvine (Fall 2014-Summer 2019)
Robin Fales, Undergraduate Researcher (Winter 2015-Summer 2016) & Postdoctoral Scholar, UC Irvine (Summer 2023-Summer 2024)
Adam Fuller, M.S. in Marine Biology, Northeastern University (Summer-Fall 2008)
Jessica Garibay, Undergraduate Researcher, UC Irvine (Fall 2018-Spring 2019)
Brendan Gillis, M.S. in Biology, Northeastern University (Fall 2010-Spring 2014)
Amy Henry, Project Scientist, (Summer 2018)
Raechel Hill, Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UC Irvine (Summer 2019-Spring 2024)
Calvin Huang, Undergraduate Researcher & UROP Fellow, UC Irvine (Winter 2021-Winter 2023)
Michael Hutson, Research Intern (Summer 2011)
Sydney Jordan, Undergraduate Researcher, UC Irvine (Fall 2022-Spring 2023)
Samantha Klombies, Undergraduate Researcher, UC Irvine (Fall 2017-Spring 2018)
Tracy Le, Undergraduate Researcher, UC Irvine (Spring 2024)
Lauren Lees, Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Postdoctoral Scholar, UC Irvine (Fall 2018-Fall 2023)
Sierra LeTorneau, Undergraduate Researcher, UC Irvine (Fall 2021-Spring 2022)
Nat Low, Undergraduate Intern, Brown University (Summer 2010)
Joshua Lu, Undergraduate Researcher, UC Irvine (Fall 2021-Spring 2023)
Gaby Morton, Undergraduate Researcher, UC Irvine (Winter 2019-Spring 2019)
Stephanie Nava, Undergraduate Researcher, UC Irvine (Fall 2017-Spring 2018)
Brianne Nguyen, Undergraduate Researcher, SURP, & UROP Fellow, UC Irvine (Spring 2017-Spring 2018)
Jill Oates, Undergraduate Researcher & UROP Fellow, UC Irvine (Fall 2016-Spring 2018)
Desiree Olivas, NSF-ATE Scholar, Mt. San Antonio College (Summer 2024)
Lauren Pandori, Postdoctoral Scholar, UC Irvine (January-October 2020)
Valerie Perini, M.S. in Biology, Northeastern University (Spring 2010-Fall 2013)
Cassidy Purcell, Undergraduate Researcher, SURP, & UROP Fellow, UC Irvine (Fall 2018-Summer 2019)
Christine Ramsay, Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, Northeastern University (Fall 2011-Spring 2015)
Molly Roberts, M.S. in Marine Biology, Northeastern University (Summer-Fall 2011)
Isaac Rosenthal, Undergraduate Intern, Northeastern University (Summer 2012)
Vicky Selesnick, M.S. in Marine Biology, Northeastern University (Summer-Fall 2013)
Nathan Sinn, NSF-ATE Scholar, Mt. San Antonio College (Summer 2023)
Meili Soriano, Undergraduate Researcher and UROP Fellow, UC Irvine (Fall 2023-Spring 2024)
Natalie Strasburg, Visiting Scholar, STEM TP2 Program, Mt. San Antonio College (Summer 2018) & Undergraduate Researcher & SURP Fellow, UC Irvine (Fall 2019-Summer 2021)
Brian Taggart, M.S. in Marine Biology, Northeastern University (Summer-Fall 2010)
Misha Wahie, Undergraduate Researcher, UC Irvine (Winter 2020-Spring 2021)
Victor Ya, Undergraduate Researcher, UC Irvine (Fall 2016-Spring 2017)
Alan Yue, Visiting Scholar, STEM TP2 Program, Mt. San Antonio College (Summer 2017) & UCI Summer SURP Fellow (Summer 2019)
Robyn Zerebecki, M.S. in Marine Biology, Northeastern University (Summer-Fall 2009)
