While in our lab:

I am currently teaching BSC 2008 (Ecology, Evolution and Behavior – Biology for non-majors).  I am also working on a book project on the Venezuelan Llanos ecosystem, with specific emphasis on the conservation efforts that were initiated 30 years ago by my grandfather and other scientists who worked at Masaguaral, a research station and cattle ranch in the Llanos. Check out the website! www.masaguaral.org.

I just completed a Master of Science in Zoology with an emphasis on education. As a SPICE (www.spice.centers.ufl.edu/) fellow in 2005-2006, I worked with Sara Charbonnet at Westwood Middle school to develop inquiry-based labs for 6th grade students. We also initiated a yearly field trip to Seahorse Key Marine Lab aimed at students who have never seen the ocean before.

For my M.S. research, I investigated the relative effects of single and multiple stressors on primary production in seagrass ecosystems. I conducted my experiments in a mesocosm setting, which resembles field conditions but allows the control and manipulation of certain factors. I was interested in understanding how thermal stress, grazing and nitrogen inputs were altering primary production in seagrass ecosystems (both directly via growth suppression and indirectly via their effects on Labyrinthula zosterae, a disease-causing protist). I chose to work in this ecosystem because it is an important nursery for a variety of economically important species. Additionally, temperate seagrasses exhibit remarkable rates of primary production. They provide structure and shelter for a variety of marine organisms and they stabilize sediments in shallow coastal areas. They are unfortunately experiencing a worldwide decline. The proposed reasons for this decline are numerous. I am working on the publication of my manuscript. In essence, I found that thermal stress reduces the growth of both seagrasses and Labyrinthula zosterae. Additionally, higher average water temperatures induced early senescence, an effect that was separate from the reduction in overall growth. I also found that higher nitrogen inputs tended to boost the growth of Labyrinthula zosterae. Conceptually, my results suggested that multiple stressor effects were additive (not antagonistic or synergistic).

In the future, I hope to work with educators, policymakers and scientists to decrease the impacts of development, agriculture and industrial practices on coastal ecosystems.