Biological Oceanography
Overview
Cameron Ainsworth
Associate Professor
Physical Oceanography
Fisheries Oceanography
Ph.D. University of British Columbia, 2006
Office Phone: 727.553.3373
Email: ainsworth@usf.edu
CV: View PDF
Fisheries and Ecosystems Ecology Lab Website
Dr. Cameron Ainsworth on Google Scholar
Research: Fisheries Biology; Ecosystem and Resource Management.
Dr. Ainsworth’s research is focused on understanding how human activities and climate
influence the structure and functioning of marine communities and developing new tools
and methodologies to support ecosystem-based management. As part of this research,
Dr. Ainsworth and his students employ a variety of statistical and numerical simulation
models to characterize trophic linkages in marine ecosystems, habitat use by fish
and invertebrates, and the influence of physical oceanography on the distribution
of marine life. His ongoing studies include a management strategy evaluation (MSE)
of Gulf of Mexico marine protected area design. The MSE approach is a type of closed-loop
policy analysis that simulates each part of Holling’s adaptive management cycle (stock
assessment, implementation of harvest rules, and policy evaluation). Key to this approach
is recognizing feedbacks from the ecosystem that occur in response to management actions
and evaluating tradeoffs with respect to socioeconomic and ecological policy objectives.
This work is being done in collaboration with NOAA as part of their Integrated Ecosystem
Assessment for the Gulf of Mexico, and other Gulf-area agencies. Another major project
ongoing in the Ainsworth lab is the evaluation of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
This study focuses on the short and long-term impacts of oil toxicity in the ecosystem,
as well as the impacts of mediation actions like the use of dispersants and fishery
closures.
In 2013, Dr. Ainsworth received a Sloan Research Fellowship, awarded to stimulate
fundamental research by early-career scientists and scholars of outstanding promise.
These two-year fellowships are awarded yearly to 126 researchers in recognition of
distinguished performance and a unique potential to make substantial contributions
to their field. Dr. Ainsworth is one of only two Sloan Fellowships awarded in the
state of Florida.
Mya Breitbart
Professor
Biological Oceanography
Ph.D. University of California, San Diego/San Diego State University, 2006
Office Phone: 727.553.3520
Email: mya@usf.edu
CV: View PDF
Breitbart Lab Website
Dr. Mya Breitbart on Google Scholar
Mya Breitbart on Twitter
Selected Works
Research: Genomics; Marine Microbiology; Wastewater Microbiology; and Virology.
In every milliliter of surface seawater, there are 1 million bacteria and 10 million
viruses. Microbes are very diverse, and play important roles in global carbon and
nutrient cycling. Dr. Breitbart has spent over a decade studying oceanic viral abundance,
diversity, and biogeography. Along the way, she played an integral part in developing
the scientific field of viral metagenomics, and her lab continues to expand the application
of this technique to new environments and research questions. The Breitbart lab uses
molecular techniques to examine the diversity, distribution, and ecological roles
of viruses and bacteria in a wide range of environments – including seawater, animals,
plants, insects, zooplankton, coral reefs, stromatolites, and reclaimed water.
Notable recent findings include the first discovery of viruses infecting zooplankton
(the most numerous animals in the ocean), the first identification of single-stranded
DNA viruses in invertebrates, the first multi-year study of viral abundance in the
open ocean, the discovery that plant viruses dominate human feces which enabled the
development of new indicators of fecal pollution, the identification of viral pathogens
potentially involved in marine mammal mortality events, and the creation of new methods
for identifying vector-transmitted viruses. Currently funded by an NSF Assembling
the Tree of Life grant, the Breitbart lab is now focusing on exploring the diversity
and ecology of single-stranded DNA viruses, whose widespread environmental distribution
has only recently been recognized.
In September 2013, Dr. Breitbart was selected by Popular Science magazine (October
issue), as one of their “Brilliant 10″—an annual feature profiling 10 young scientists
who are doing truly groundbreaking work in their fields. To identify those individuals
that the scientific community feels are the best, brightest, and most worthy of widespread
recognition, Popular Science magazine polls professional organizations and scientists
in the field.
Kendra L. Daly
Professor
Biological Oceanography
Ph.D., University of Tennessee, 1995
Office Phone: 727.553.1041
Lab Phone: 727.553.1207
Email: kdaly@usf.edu
CV: View PDF
Zooplankton Ecology Lab Website
Dr. Kendra L. Daly on Google Scholar
Southern Ocean Science Website
Research: Zooplankton Ecology; Gulf of Mexico and Antarctic Ecosystems; Low Oxygen
Regions in the Ocean; Ocean Observatories; Sensor Technology.
Dr. Daly's research interests focus on zooplankton ecology with the aim of understanding the physical and biological factors that control the abundance and distribution of zooplankton and the role of zooplankton in marine food webs, biogeochemical cycles, and fisheries oceanography. Recent projects include investigations of (1) the Gulf of Mexico lower trophic food web response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, (2) the role of marine snow in the sedimentation of Deepwater Horizon oil to the sea floor, and (3) ecosystem dynamics and predator-prey interactions in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica, using the SCINI remotely operated vehicle with a variety of sensors.
Dr. Daly is a 2015 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She also is Secretary of the Biological Oceanography section of AGU, Chair of the Ocean Observatories Initiative Facilities Board (OOIFB), a member of the International Science Advisory Board for Ocean Networks Canada, and serves on the NSF Regional Class Research Vessel Science Oversight Committee.
Frank E. Muller-Karger
Professor
Biological Oceanography and Remote Sensing
Ph.D., University of Maryland, 1988
Office Phone: 727.553.3335
Lab Phone: 727.553.1186
Email: carib@usf.edu
CV: View PDF
Institute for Marine Remote Sensing Lab Website
Research: Changes in Marine Ecosystems Using Field-based and Satellite Remote Sensing
Time Series.
Frank E. Muller-Karger is a biological oceanographer (Professor) at the College of
Marine Science, University of South Florida. He is of Hispanic descent via Puerto
Rico, and while born in the U.S. he grew up in Venezuela. Muller-Karger conducts research
on how marine ecosystems change in time. He uses time series of observations collected
by traditional oceanographic methods and by satellite sensors to study changes in
water quality, primary production, and biodiversity in coastal and marine environments.
This research helps in understanding how large-scale phenomena, like climate change
or other disturbances, affect ecosystems including people. The focus of his present
work is to assess the importance of continental margins, including areas of upwelling,
river discharge, and coral reefs in the global carbon budget. Muller-Karger combines
the observations from different satellites to measure ocean color, sea surface temperature,
winds, salinity and sea surface elevation and how these change. He uses field-based
time series to measure the vertical structure of plankton and how particles settle
in the ocean. Much of this work focuses on improving methods to measure the diversity
of phytoplankton using remote sensing.
Muller-Karger has worked hand-in-hand with K-12 teachers and students and the public
to showcase these new technologies and to highlight the importance of the ocean in
our daily lives. He has a keen interest in linking science and education, and in addressing
the problem of under-representation of minorities in scientific research programs.
Muller-Karger was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve on the U.S. Commission
on Ocean Policy in 2001. In 2005, he was appointed to the Ocean Studies Board of the
National Research Council/National Academies. He previously received the NASA Jet
Propulsion Laboratory Award for Outstanding Contributions and the NASA Administrator
Award for Exceptional Contribution and Service for supporting development of satellite
technologies for ocean observation. From August 2007-August 2009 he served as Dean
of the School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST) at the University of Massachusetts
Dartmouth. He has B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in marine science and a Masters degree
in management, and has authored or co-authored over 120 scientific publications. He
speaks fluent Spanish and German.
Steve Murawski
Population Dynamics/Marine Ecosystem Analysis
Professor and St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership
Peter R. Betzer Endowed Chair
Ph.D., University of Massachusetts-Amherst, 1984
Office Phone: 727.553.3367
Email: smurawski@usf.edu
CV: View CV
COMIT Website
C-IMAGE Website
Research: Population dynamics of exploited marine species; impacts of fishing and
other anthropogenic stresses on marine ecosystems; ecosystem modeling and analysis.
Dr. Murawski is a fisheries biologist and marine ecologist involved in understanding the impacts of human activities on the sustainability of ocean ecosystems. He has developed approaches for understanding the impacts of fishing on marine fish complexes exploited in mixed-species aggregations. Additionally, his work on impacts of marine protected areas and other management options has formed the scientific basis for resource management regulation both nationally and globally. Such assessments can help inform management regulations to rebuild animal populations from the effects of overexploitation, oil spills and other chemical contaminants, loss of juvenile nursery areas, nutrient enrichment, climate change and other stressors.
Dr. Murawski currently serves as Director and Principal Investigator for the Center for Ocean Mapping and Innovative Technologies (COMIT), a cooperative agreement between the NOAA Office of Coast Survey and USF to develop technologies to map undersea ocean and coastal regions. He was also Director of the Center for Integrated Analysis and Modeling of Gulf Ecosystems (C-IMAGE), which was funded by grants from the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative to study effects of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. His research interests are varied and center around the theme of acquiring actionable science that can influence public policy and help achieve sustainable marine ecosystems.
Dr. Murawski formerly served Chief Scientist of the National Marine Fisheries Service and has a long record of achievement in providing scientific information necessary for sustainable use of living marine resources. He is the recipient of the Department of Commerce Gold Medal, the Senior Executive Service Meritorious Rank Award, and is an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, among many other awards.
Ernst B. Peebles
Associate Professor
Biological Oceanography
Office Phone: 727.553.3983
Lab Phone: 727.553.1296
Email: epeebles@usf.edu
CV: View PDF
Selected Publications: View PDF
Research: Biological Oceanography/Marine Resource Assessment.
Dr. Peebles’ research foci include: 1) spatio-temporal interactions between coastal
fishes and their prey, particularly as these are affected by freshwater flows to the
coast and other physical processes, to manage environmental flows into estuaries and
to develop community-level metrics for establishing the extent of eutrophication in
coastal water bodies; 2) use of stable isotope analysis to investigate factors that
influence coastal biomass pathways to identify site fidelities and movements that
determine geographic habitat connectivity; and 3) DNA barcoding and hydrodynamic models
to our effort to characterize habitat connectivity during egg and larval stages.
In a related effort, we have been using otolith microchemistry (LA-ICP-MS) to connect
adult fish to the geographic regions they used as nursery habitat and to detect exposure
of individual fish to stressful events such as oil spills.
Brad Seibel
Professor
Biological Oceanography
Office Phone: 727.553.3403
Email: seibel@usf.edu
CV: View PDF
Research: Physiological response of marine animals to extreme environments, ocean
acidification, deoxygenation and warming, polar and deep-sea biology, biology of mollusks.
My research employs a unique suite of field and laboratory techniques and approaches
to assess the ecological consequences of climate change, including ocean acidification,
deoxygenation and warming, and the role of animal energetics in ecosystem dynamics.
I carry out broad comparative physiology studies to determine the limits to evolution
and ecology. Physiological mechanism provides a foundation upon which ecosystem responses
to climate change and consequences for biogeochemical cycles can be understood. My
studies compare organisms across size, depth, latitudinal and phylogenetic lines,
from microzooplankton to macronekton, ctenophores to fishes, from the poles to the
equator and from the abyssal plains to the ocean surface. We strive to integrate
across levels of organization, from mitochondria to ecosystems. I focus on the physiology
of individual species and what this can teach us about their origin, behavior, ecology,
diversity and the ecosystems in which they live.
Chris Stallings
Associate Professor
Biological Oceanography
Ph.D. Oregon State University, 2007
Office Phone: 727.553.3371
Email: stallings@usf.edu
CV: View PDF
Fish Ecology Laboratory Website
Fish Ecology Laboratory on Facebook
Research: Ecology; Marine conservation and management efforts.
Research in Dr. Stallings’ lab focuses on basic concepts in ecology, yet includes
a strong applied component to inform marine conservation and management efforts. Overarching
efforts seek to estimate the abundance of marine organisms and examine the ecological
processes that drive population and community dynamics. His lab’s questions are often
framed to evaluate the effects of human activities, such as fishing and coastal development,
on ecological systems. Therefore, much of the research is field-intensive and involves
both experimental and large-scale observational approaches. However, the lab also
incorporates an extensive laboratory component through mesocosm experiments and use
of stable isotope analysis. Moreover, the Stallings Lab explores large datasets, using
multivariate statistics and GIS to reveal broad-scale ecological patterns that may
be further explored through focused regional field studies.