Consumers and community assembly

Consumers have strong effects on the structure and function of ecological communities, but consumers are overexploited across many ecosystems worldwide. I investigate how consumers shape community assembly and the cascading consequences of their loss. 

Mechanisms of resilience

Disturbances to ecological communities are increasing in frequency and intensity with climate change, and understanding why some communities recover whereas others do not is critical to understanding resilience. My work identifies mechanisms that make communities resilient and how they may be altered by global change. 

Ecology of coral bleaching

Marine heatwaves are the defining challenge to coral reefs in the Anthropocene. However, the impacts of marine heatwave are heterogeneous across the seascape and within coral communities. I investigate the causes and consequences of variable effects of marine heatwaves on coral reefs. 

Habitat selection

Corals spend most of their lives attached to the reef benthos as sessile animals, but they begin their lives as mobile larvae that have one opportunity to select their habitat. I study how coral larvae choose habitats and the consequences of these choices for their future success.
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