Wading Through Research

 When most people think of the Florida Keys, they picture clear blue water, white sand, and vibrant coral reefs. But beneath the surface lies a far more intricate and dynamic landscape built from the shifting balance among coral reefs, seagrass meadows, sand flats, and hard-bottom communities. Together, these habitats form a mosaic that sustains the rich biodiversity of the Keys—from sea turtles and manatees to the small forage fish that fuel coastal food webs. In the Seascape Ecology Lab, we investigate how this mosaic is arranged across the seafloor and how its spatial structure influences ecological processes. A central objective is to produce science that supports ecosystem-based management in the region. This includes contributing scientific guidance to the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, where updated spatial data are crucial to inform decisions about expanding marine protected areas, particularly in seagrass-rich areas that play key roles in coastal resilience and ...

  Working in the Everglades means working at the intersection of ecology, culture, and uncertainty. The fishery of Everglades National Park is one of the most iconic in the world—yet it is also one of the most data-limited. Despite its global recognition and ecological importance, we have remarkably few formal studies describing basic population dynamics for many recreationally important species, particularly within Florida Bay. This gap presents a challenge for fisheries management, but also an opportunity to rethink how knowledge is generated. Much of my work focuses on bridging two frameworks that have historically operated in parallel: Western scientific monitoring and the lived, place-based knowledge of fishing guides. Everglades fishing guides spend hundreds of days on the water each year, often returning to the same flats, channels, and shorelines across decades. Through this repeated exposure, they develop a fine-scale understanding of fish behavior, habitat use, seasonal...