Research Interests
Resilience to bleaching
The effects of thermal stress are not uniform across coral species and corals of different morphologies and species bleach to different extents as as result. We are beginning to understand the underlying mechanisms of resilience in certain species, within the context of an individual's physiology and genetic composition or physical refugia. I am interested in understanding how environmental variables like depth and hydrodynamics influence coral resilience across space, and what role corallivorous fish play in coral recovery through predation.
The effects of thermal stress are not uniform across coral species and corals of different morphologies and species bleach to different extents as as result. We are beginning to understand the underlying mechanisms of resilience in certain species, within the context of an individual's physiology and genetic composition or physical refugia. I am interested in understanding how environmental variables like depth and hydrodynamics influence coral resilience across space, and what role corallivorous fish play in coral recovery through predation.
Recovered Acropora hyacinthus at 17 m depth with evidence of corallivory. Photo credit: Erin Winslow.
A bleached and fluorescing Acropora hyacinthus. Photo credit: Erin Winslow.
Persistence of populations through time
To understand how and if coral reefs will persist into the future, it is imperative to understand how variation in an individuals' life history varies across coral taxa, size classes, depth, and space.
To understand how and if coral reefs will persist into the future, it is imperative to understand how variation in an individuals' life history varies across coral taxa, size classes, depth, and space.
Erin counting and sizing corals following a bleaching event on the North shore of Moorea. Photo credit: Journ Galvan.
Initial severity of the 2019 bleaching event in Moorea, French Polynesia. Photo credit: Andrew Thurber.
