Species declines and extinctions have been recorded across taxa as evidence of an ongoing global biodiversity crisis. Amphibians are at the forefront of these declines with nearly one third of amphibian species estimated to be at risk of extinction. While many factors contribute to population declines and extinctions, the role...
Disease acts as a powerful selective force in natural systems, driving the rapid evolution of resistance in the host. In the face of a myriad of pathogenic challenges in natural systems, hosts must balance the energetic needs of maintenance and reproduction with costly resistance mechanisms. In this dissertation I will...
Non-native ecosystem engineers, which modify the structure and function of their ecosystems, are often a particularly concerning and costly group of invasive species. Such organisms may have substantial impacts on ecosystem services, or the benefits that humans derive from their ecosystems. Many factors play a role in the invasion success...
Kelps are large brown algae in the order Laminariales and are foundation species that form the basis of kelp forests. Present across a quarter of the world’s coastlines, kelp forests provide diverse services to coastal communities, as habitat for commercially and culturally important species, as a food source for humans...