I am a new graduate student in the UW Biology department. As an
undergraduate, I was occupied by the mechanics of invertebrates
living in the crashing waves of sandy beaches. When I returned to
the rocky west coast, the diversity of the seaweeds and seagrasses of
Puget Sound rapidly and unexpectedly diverted my interest a few rungs
down the trophic ladder. I have yet to work out a program of
research, but the questions that interest me most center on the role
of 'ecosystem engineers' in nearshore and intertidal systems. What
processes allow for the coexistence of diverse marine and estuarine
flora, when these species compete for the same resources: light and
dissolved nutrients? How do kelp canopies or seagrass beds affect
the likelihood of invasion in their communities; do their annual
lifecycles present peaks and troughs in the 'invasibility' of their
communities? I am excited to pursue these questions using a
combination of models and wet-footed fieldwork in the intertidal.
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