Ocean Acidification (OA) has emerged as a major threat to marine ecosystems, particularly regarding calcifying organisms. A growing body of literature describing laboratory investigations into pH stress indicates broadly deleterious effects for calcifiers, but responses vary greatly across taxa and can be influenced by variations in other environmental characteristics. Scaling...
Most benthic marine organisms have a bipartite life with an early pelagic stage that enables dispersal of offspring, connecting spatially separated populations, and a late stage where individuals reside in a benthic habitat. Settlement of pelagic offspring to bottom associated substrates is the process that connects the two life history...
Marine programs, particularly those related to marine conservation, utilize a suite of tools to offset the negative consequences of human activities on marine environments. However, among others, limited funding can represent a challenge for these programs in terms of achieving their desired outcomes. Using systems and organizational theory, this study...
Understanding of gene flow, connectivity, and diversity is critical to predict the stability of key marine species. The Oregon coast of the U.S.A. shows fine-scale levels of geographic variation in environmental stressors such as temperature, pH, and oxygen levels, prompting questions about the potential for local adaptation. In this thesis,...
Most benthic marine fishes have a biphasic life cycle with a dispersive pelagic larval stage that spends weeks to months in the plankton before metamorphosing into juveniles and settling to benthic habitats. The magnitude of mortality during the early life stages of marine fishes typically drives variability in year-class strength....
The defining feature of our planet are the oceans, which make up 70% of the Earth’s surface. The importance of the ocean cannot be understated: 50% of oxygen originates from phytoplankton; heat is absorbed and redistributed by ocean currents; and hundreds of millions of people rely on the ocean for...