Researchers

Bio

My research concerns the biogeographical shifts of nearshore crab species in the western Atlantic Ocean in response to climate change. Ocean temperatures are expected to increase to unprecedented levels (as well as become more variable) by the end of the century, and nearshore environments are among the most threatened ecosystems under future climate regimes. Crabs are critical components of nearshore-benthic food webs and have been shown to significantly alter the structure of coastal assemblages, but early life stages that rely on shallow environments as nurseries for development are particularly vulnerable to significant fluctuations in environmental parameters. I have compared the physiological limits of different near-shore crab species when exposed to prolonged hypoxia and higher temperatures, and I am currently analyzing historical ranges through time while uncovering possible biases in the data. Potential future work may consider the predicted variability caused by climate change by looking at the effects of cold shocks on nearshore species.