Students

My research investigates the biodiversity of seabirds along the coast of North and Central America. Specifically, I study how the ecology/biodiversity of ~150 seabirds has changed within and between ecoregions over the last 50 years. I am also creating species distribution models for the 20 most prevalent species found using data collected from the open-access platform, OBIS (Ocean Biodiversity Information System). 

In my research I use a multibeam echosounder and several hours of underwater video, obtained with a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), to map and describe the biophysical structure and ecological landscape of mesophotic coral ecosystems in Veracruz, Mexico. I also use oceanographic information to assess functional aspects of the deep landscapes that together will allow me to assess the ecological integrity of these ecosystems.

The objective of the present study is to evaluate whether SCUBA diving and free diving have had a negative impact. The focus of the present study was to determine whether SCUBA and free diving negatively impact hermatypic corals in a site of the Anegada de Adentro reef within the Veracruzan Reef System National Park in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico at 5-10 m depth. A combined method was designed that included quarterly monitoring (August 2020 to September 2021) based on photo-transects, point-by-intersection transects and transects in 1 m wide bands to estimate coral diseases.