Graduated Student, McGill UniversityMaster in Science, Neotropical Environment Option
Supervisors:
McGill University
Ph.D. Andrew Gonzalez
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Ph.D. Héctor M. Guzmán
In general, I am interested in tropical marine environments, connectivity and conservation. I focus my study in Octocoral species, soft corals form the Tropical Eastern Pacific, looking at species abundance distributions, and population dynamics of native and invasive species.
My study takes place in Coiba National Park, the biggest protected area in the Republic of Panamá, The park was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO and it is part of the Tropical Eastern Pacific Biological Corridor which connects five oceanic islands; Mal Pelo and Gorgona (Colombia), Galapagos (Ecuador), Isla Cocos (Costa Rica) and Coiba in Panamá.
Octocoral are sessile marine organisms that are distributed patchily in rocky coral communities with high-energy water movement. Not much is known about their biology, interactions, or reasons for their patchy distribution across the marine corridor. Here are some of the 34 species found at Coiba:
Above: Muricea austera
Left: Pacifigorgia irene, Leptogorgia alba, Pacifigorgia rubicunda and the invase Carijoa risseii