Academic Background:

Graduated in 2001 from Miami Killian Senior High School

 

Graduated in 2005 from Duke University in Durham, NC with a B.A. in Political Science & a B.S. in Biology

             Undergraduate Advisors: Dr. Susan Lozier

             Biology Major Advisor: Dr. Jim Reynolds

 

During my Duke tenure I spent a semester abroad in Fall 2003 at James Cook University in Townsville, Australia

 

In Fall 2005 I entered the Graduate Program in Ecology & Evolution at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ

             Graduate Advisor: Dr. Rebecca Jordan

 

In April 2007 I completed my qualifying examination to become a Ph.D. Candidate

             Qualifying Committee: Drs. Rebecca Jordan, Peter Morin, Julie Lockwood, & Steven Handel

 

Statement of Research Interests and Experience:

 

My graduate research reflects my interests in conservation biology, invasion ecology, and restoration ecology. Specifically, I am interested in research questions that promote our understanding of the mechanisms that drive the dynamics of populations and diversity across the landscape. South Florida provides an excellent system for me to explore my research interests.

             South Florida is the only subtropical landmass in the continental United States. It features a variety of habitats found nowhere else in the world that are dominated by plants of Caribbean origin. These very habitats are also among the most imperiled in the world owing to burgeoning urban expansion and one of the largest regional pools of naturalized plant and animal species. Given these circumstances, South Florida offers an expansive laboratory to study conservation biology and invasive ecology as well as a prime opportunity to employ restoration ecology theory and practice.

 

Past Research:

             As an undergraduate, I studied species richness and woody plant density of Florida Keys rockland hammock patches. The endeavor was part of a larger attempt to create a restoration blueprint for a severely degraded rockland hammock site. As a result of this work, I was able to define a gradient of hammock species diversity across the Florida Keys. This gradient was then used to help explain the potential mechanisms controlling the diversity of individual hammock patches.

 

Current Research:

As a graduate student, I am investigating potential competitive interactions between native and invasive fish species in the Florida Everglades. Native sunfish are economically valued as a game fish and serve important predatory functions in the structuring of fish assemblages in freshwater wetlands. The Spotted Tilapia is a noxious invasive fish from West Africa that has spread into natural areas after coming to dominate fish communities in man-made canals throughout the region. Both groups are substrate spawners requiring individual territories for mating and raising young. I am seeking to understand the potential for interspecific competition for spawning habitat between these two groups of fish. By quantifying the outcomes of interspecific territorial disputes I will be able to offer a mechanism for the success of Spotted Tilapia as invaders in South Florida, as well quantify the potential for deleterious population impacts on sunfish as optimal spawning habitat becomes scarce.

             Additionally, I have been working in New Jersey and New York to survey and map invasive plant populations along trails in public conservation areas. This work aims to correlate land-use history, visitor frequency, and environmental attributes to invasion in temperate deciduous forest. Simultaneously, this work is geared towards using hikers and other park visitors to collect information that will be useful to land managers in finding and controlling invasive populations. The experiences of vested citizens participating in the role of data collector are also a topic of research in terms of how this impacts their environmental stewardship and their view of science.

 

Future Directions:

                I plan to continue studying the interactions of native communities and invasive populations. Specifically, I would like to study the relationship between species richness and community invasibility. Observational and empirical studies of this relationship in South Florida can help inform resource managers seeking to conserve rare populations and control invasive species. Additionally, this research can aid the development of restoration ecology theory and yield positive contributions for conservation efforts throughout the Caribbean basin. I am also interested in the biogeography of the Caribbean, and specifically what factors contribute to the patterns of diversity and distribution throughout the region.