A cutting-edge molecular lab
and launching point to the
Eastern Tropical Pacific
In one of the wildest places
in Central America
I am interested in the evolution and the ecology of marine organisms, particularly sea urchins, but also fishes, crustaceans, and corals. I focus on the processes that give rise to new species, and I use molecular tools to reconstruct the history of populations and of genes. Typically, this...
As STRI director for 34 years, a lot of innovative things were enabled under my watch. One of the most important was the addition of the five peninsulas to the Barro Colorado Nature Monument, which created a buffer zone around Barro Colorado Island and added research areas that allow for...
My lab’s research focuses on coastal marine ecology with an emphasis on host-parasite and consumer interactions, infectious diseases and biological invasions. I focus on how trophic interactions such as parasitism and predation alter populations, community structure and ecosystems. Parasites are...
A rocky intertidal zone and sandy beach
at the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal.
Scientists first discovered the shiny sea critter in 2009. Genetic testing suggested it crossed the canal on more than one occasion.
Thousands of years of hunting has turned a substantial meal into a bite-sized snack.
Large numbers of small algae-grazing sea urchins and fish may take the place of larger grazers to prevent algae from overgrowing reefs, a new study shows.
