The San Pedro Basin (SPB) contains thousands of DDT-production waste barrels dumped on the seafloor from 1947 to 1961. DDT, a harmful pesticide now banned, still impacts California marine life. This study evaluates the relationship between these waste barrels, DDX concentrations (DDT + related metabolites), and benthic macrofaunal assemblages. It a...
The deep sea, once considered homogeneous and devoid of life, has undergone a transformative shift in understanding since the 19th-century HMS Challenger expedition, with advancements in technology contributing to our growing knowledge of this vast and biodiverse habitat, which comprises 96% of habitable space on Earth and remains largely unexplore...
Understanding the diversity, phylogenetic relationships, and evolutionary transitions within Acrocirridae, a clade of polychaete worms, is crucial for unraveling the complexities of benthic-pelagic evolutionary transitions in marine ecosystems. In this study, we describe four new species, erect a new genus to accommodate two of these species, and p...
A dramatic global decline in oyster reef habitat has led to widespread deployment of oyster restoration projects. Efforts are underway to move away from polluting methods like plastic mesh bags in oyster deployments. Additionally, increasing pressure on our estuaries from recreational boat wakes and intensified storms requires more robust structure...
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Published in PeerJ
During a survey of benthic diatoms from the coral reefs of the Indian Ocean (Scattered Islands) and Pacific Ocean (Tuamotu Archipelago), an interesting monoraphid diatom was observed and examined by light microscopy and various electron microscopy methods including Focus Ion Beam milling. Our thorough analysis revealed the similarity of this diatom...
Late Cretaceous (late Campanian) diatom assemblages from the Campbell Plateau (Zealandia), southwest Pacific Ocean, obtained from Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) Leg 29 Site 275, contain well-preserved specimens of two enigmatic diatom species currently assigned to the genus Ktenodiscus; Micrampulla parvula originally described from the Maastricht...
Published in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution
Detecting changes in population trends depends on the accuracy of estimated mean population growth rates and thus the quality of input data. However, monitoring wildlife populations poses economic and logistic challenges especially in complex and remote habitats. Declines in wildlife populations can remain undetected for years unless effective moni...
This project examines the development of a smart boat which could serve as a possible marine research apparatus. The smart boat consists of a miniature vessel containing a low-cost microcontroller to live stream a camera feed, GPS telemetry, and compass data through its own WiFi access point. The smart boat also has the potential for autonomous nav...
Plastics have become a major source of marine pollution, which threatens food safety and quality, human health, and marine ecosystems. Due to the drastic negative effects of plastics in a marine environment, alternative biodegradable plastics are being generated that are more eco-friendly and have less environmental impact. Though some of these pla...
