I am a larval ecologist studying biological and physical processes that regulate the abundance and distribution of marine invertebrate populations. Most of my research has concentrated on marine organisms that are sedentary or sessile as adults, but that have a free-swimming planktonic larval stage of development that remains in the water column until ready to settle as a juvenile or adult. My scientific approach combines qualitative and quantitative studies of larval behavior, physical oceanographic processes, and analytical chemistry techniques (elemental tagging) to address questions about larval transport and exchange between populations inhabiting both estuarine and exposed coastal habitats. This has implications for understanding basic ecological processes and population dynamics (i.e., sustainability), the management of ecologically and commercially important species, and marine conservation and habitat management issues.

Larval Dispersal and Transport
Larval Swimming Ability and Behaviour
Marine Invertebrate Reproductive Ecology