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Education and Training:
Research Interests: My research interests lie primarily in two areas: (1) experimental biogeography, and (2) the potential impacts of climate change on natural communities. I use coordinated field and laboratory experiments to explore how large-scale variation in environmental factors influences species interactions, community dynamics, and species geographic ranges. I work primarily in marine intertidal communities, where study organisms and their interactions are diverse and easily manipulated. Research in my lab addresses both ecological and evolutionary processes and often emphasizes mechanistic understanding at the organismal and sub-organismal level. Ongoing projects include: The biogeography of species interactions. How do species interactions vary across thermal and latitudinal gradients? What are the ecological, physiological, and evolutionary forces that shape this variation? How do variations in species interactions affect community dynamics across large spatial scales and/or in an era of climatic changes? My recent work along the Pacific coast has focused on latitudinal variation in the interaction between a predatory whelk (Nucella canaliculata) and an intertidal mussel (Mytilus californianus). My studies suggest that drilling behavior in this whelk varies substantially between the coasts of California and Oregon. Because Nucella produces egg capsules with crawl-away juveniles, dispersal potential is limited, and local selection may generate differences among populations along the coast. I am continuing these studies with the goal of better understanding the ecological consequences of low gene flow and local adaptation in marine communities.
Regulation of species' geographic range limits. What climatic and biotic factors set geographic range limits and to what extent can these boundaries be overcome through adaptation and/or phenotypic plasticity? What ecological and evolutionary processes facilitate and impede range extensions? In New England, I have been using larval rearing experiments and field studies to test factors that control the northern range limit of the mud fiddler crab (Uca pugnax) near Cape Cod, Massachusetts. In California, I am addressing related questions with the volcano barnacle (Tetraclita rubescens), a species that has undergone a range extension along the coast of central California during the past 25 years.
Influence of climatic and oceanographic variation on marine benthic communities. Many predictions have focused on how climate change might impact species through the direct effects of environmental stress on demographic rates. These models treat species as independent units and often neglect the fact that organisms are embedded within complex webs of interacting species. I am intrigued by the possibility that some of the most immediate and important impacts of climate change could arise through changes in key species interactions. Using field and laboratory experiments, I have shown that the effect of a keystone predator, the sea star Pisaster ochraceus, is regulated by small changes in water temperature (~3°C). Thus, long-term shifts in cold-water upwelling patterns could generate community-level effects through impacts on this keystone predator. The location of Bodega Marine Laboratory within a major upwelling center, and the lab's research strengths in coastal oceanography (Bodega Ocean Observing Node), make this an ideal place for exploring links between oceanographic processes and community dynamics. In addition to thermal effects on species interactions, I continue to be interested in how variation in bottom-up forces affects invertebrate reproduction, recruitment, and growth.
Interested in joining the Sanford Lab? I am a new faculty member in the Section of Evolution and Ecology and I am looking for bright and enthusiastic students who are fascinated by the ecology and evolution of marine organisms. My lab offers opportunities for students at all levels. Undergraduate Students: Bodega Marine Laboratory has developed an exciting Summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program. As a faculty mentor in this new REU program, I work closely with an undergraduate conducting research in my lab during nine weeks of the summer. For more information, please see our REU web page. As my research develops at Bodega Marine Lab, I anticipate additional research opportunities will be available for motivated undergraduates. If you have a solid academic record and think you might like to get involved in the lab, please let me know. Graduate Students: I welcome inquiries from prospective graduate students. My lab group is based full-time at Bodega Marine Laboratory and I accept students through the Graduate Group in Ecology and the Population Biology Graduate Group. I enjoy working with students who share interests with me, but I am also committed to training students who are independent thinkers and creative scientists. Thus, I expect my students to develop and pursue an exciting thesis of their own design (with my input and encouragement, of course!). As our lab grows I look forward to supporting collaborative group projects, as well. Experimental field studies are the backbone of my research and I insist that my students test hypotheses in the field whenever possible. This is easily done given our location within the Bodega Marine Reserve and our proximity to many other superb field sites along the California coast. I am also convinced of the value of complementary lab studies, and the outstanding seawater facilities at BML create opportunities for a variety of larval rearing and mesocosm experiments. I encourage my students to take an integrative approach to their thesis, and to seek training in other disciplines where appropriate. For example, I am very interested in how physiology and population genetics can inform ecological questions and I welcome students with interests in developing skills in these areas. Meet my current students: |
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