Biological Oceanography
Biological oceanographers study the ecology of the oceans. Their goal is to obtain a predictive understanding of the activities and distributions of marine organisms, from viruses to whales. Research in this field is often interdisciplinary, because the physics and chemistry of the ocean have important effects on organisms. Within biological oceanography, researchers use a variety of approaches. The currency of investigations may be the numbers of individuals of various species, the concentration of a nutrient, or the distribution of a gene.
The program allows students to participate in research both in the laboratory and in the field. Many students get to participate in oceanographic cruises and some have the chance to work in the laboratories of our colleagues around the world. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of many of the questions biological oceanographyers investigate, we often collaborate with chemical, geological, and physical oceanographers.
Frequently, we collaborate with colleagues at other institutions in this country (e.g. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, the University of Washington) and abroad (e.g. Ifremer, France; the University of Southampton, U.K.; Max Plank Institute for Marine Microbiology, Germany).
Our students also present the results of their research at professional meetings, for example, Ocean Sciences and the Benthic Ecology Meetings.
Research Highlights:
Dr. Baco-Taylor
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ecology, evolution, population genetics, and conservation of benthic marine invertebrates
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ecology and evolution of chemosynthetic ecosystem fauna, especially those on deep-sea whale falls
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ecology and island biogeography of seamount fauna, focusing on deep-sea corals
Dr. Huettel
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ecology of shelf sedimentary environments
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coastal zone production and consumption processes
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coastal zone production and consumption processes
Dr. Kostka
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microbial ecology of a variety of ecosystems from the coastal ocean to the terrestrial subsurface;
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ecology of saltmarshes, seagrass beds, and mangrove forests;
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interactions between plants, macrofaunas and microorganisms;
Dr. Thistle:
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study of the organization of soft-bottom communities at all depths in the ocean;
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species' range sizes in the dep sea (Thistle);
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meiofaunal ecology, particularily that of harpacticoid copepods;
Dr. Wetz:
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impact of climatic and anthropogenic perturbations on coastal plankton dynamics;
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nutrient and organic-matter cycling in coastal waters;
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algae as a biofuel feedstock (with Dr. Kostka);