I am a marine ecologist that works at the intersection of community and behavioral ecology. I focus on rocky intertidal  and kelp forest ecosystems and am interested in how species interactions and communities are affected by climate change, environmental variation, and marine diseases. I study how predators affect prey populations and prey behavior, and am particularly interested in the resulting consequences of these key interactions for the rest of the players in the ecosystem. 

As a Research Associate in the PISCO group (Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans, https://www.piscoweb.org/) at Oregon State University, I am a member of Bruce Menge and Jane Lubchenco's laboratory.  I am studying the ecological consequences of sea star wasting disease for intertidal communities from Oregon to Central California. The disease struck sea star populations from Mexico to Alaska, wiping out 60-90% of Pisaster ochraceus individuals in most populations.  I am using this large-scale natural experiment to determine how and when predators shape communities. This work is especially important as predators are increasingly threatened by human activities in all ecosystems. I am especially interested in the ways in which communities can be resilient or resistant to declines in these top predators, and how we can help manage systems to increase their resilience to human-related disruption.

As a leading member of the Pycnopodia Recovery Working Group, I was a lead author on the listing of the sunflower sea star as an endangered species through the IUCN Red List after its severe declines from wasting disease. I am actively working to understand and restore this species. This large predator has over 20 arms and can grow to the size of an extra large pizza. It is also a top predator, and its decline was followed by a rapid increase in its herbivorous sea urchin prey and a decline in kelp forests. My projects span from tracking populations to understand basic demographic information on this star to underwater fear experiments testing their effects on sea urchins and kelp. I am interested in whether this predator elicits a 'landscape of fear' for their prey. If so, reintroducing this predator may be a key tool for helping to restore healthy kelp forests.

As a science advisor and principal investigator to the Oregon Kelp Alliance (https://www.oregonkelp.com/), I am working to actively restore Oregon's once lush kelp forests by working with a diverse group of researchers, commercial divers, aquaculture specialists, marine tourism businesses, restaurants, local tribes, and more. We are testing and implementing several tools to reduce sea urchin densities and support kelp recovery. 

Email: [email protected]
Office: 3311 Cordley Hall
Mailing address: 2043 Cordley Hall, Integrative Biology, Oregon State University Corvallis, OR 97331

LubMenge Lab

I work closely with Bruce Menge at Oregon State University. We study rocky intertidal ecosystems and address problems in the global ocean. I am studying the consequences of sea star wasting disease for intertidal ecosystems.

STARK Group

 I work closely with my colleagues Kristy Kroeker (UCSC) and Aaron Galloway to study the effects of sunflower sea stars and sea urchins on kelp forest and urchin barrens in Sitka, AK. We are interested in how these predators affect prey behavior

My Family

When not out at the coast, I spend time with my family and play with my sons. Right now they like competitive swimming, soccer, and their dog Lucy.