Education
M.Sc. Fish Ecology, University of Waterloo (2002)
B.Sc. Honours Biology, University of Waterloo
(2000)
Research
Understanding the movement of energy through ecosystems
is fundamental to ecology, yet little is known
about this topic on the marine tropical flats
habitats. Globally, bonefish (Albula spp.) are
common inhabitants of shallow tropical marine
environments, occupying key nearshore habitats
including mangrove creeks, shallow sand and seagrass
flats, as well as deep water habitats with patch
reefs and larger reef tracks. In these systems,
bonefish represent the primary benthivore, moving
into shallow flats to feed on invertebrates and
small fish near coastal mangroves during high
tide, and then moving into deeper water to presumably
digest and defecate at low tide. Because of their
predictable movements and benthic lifestyle, it
is hypothesized that bonefish may play a key role
in the movement of nutrients and energy through
flats ecosystems. Efforts to ascribe energy movements
on flats to large invertebrates have been unsuccessful
beyond individual habitats, suggesting that larger
scale relationships between fish and their predators
and prey may be important in structuring flats
ecosystems. However, there have been few attempts
to link fish behaviour and bioenergetics with
ecosystem processes. The objective of my research
is to determine whether bonefish are indeed a
vector for the transport of energy through tropical
flats habitats and nearshore patch reefs. Specifically,
I will test the hypothesis that bonefish are a
keystone species in tropical marine systems. To
meet this objective, I will combine empirical
organismal and community level observations and
manipulative experiments that bring together leading
techniques in stable isotopes and biotelemetry,
as well as intensive modeling. Although bonefish
will be considered as the focal species in the
research, investigations into the role of other
flats inhabitants will also be examined. Field
research will occur on the flats of Eleuthera,
Bahamas and in the wetlab at the Cape Eleuthera
Institute (CEI).
|