Coral Evolution in the Atlantic Ocean

Although much of diversity of marine organisms in the Atlantic is found in the Caribbean Sea, coral reefs are also found along the coasts of Brazil, West Africa and on mid-Atlantic islands.  My PhD work has focused on the biodiversity and connectivity of Atlantic corals found in areas outside of the Caribbean. 

Several corals species have a wide distribution across the Atlantic, but it is unclear whether this broad distribution reflects continued genetic exchange between geographically distant populations.  Understanding how peripheral populations are connected to one another and to more central populations, such as those in the Caribbean, can shed light on how distantly corals are capable of dispersing and what types of barriers limit dispersal in the Atlantic.

I have also worked on the phylogenetics of the endemic corals of Brazil.   Visit Explorations Magazine for a summary of this work.

Paleocene/Eocene Thermal Maximum 

The Paleocene/Eocene Thermal Maximum was a time of  rapid increase in global temperatures 55 million years ago.  Global warming at this time was associated with changes in the biota (extinctions and radiations), as well as in ocean chemistry. For my Master's thesis I used stable isotopes to reconstruct the patterns of deep ocean circulation before, during and after this episode of rapid climate change.  What we found was that atmospheric warming triggered events that fundamentally changed ocean circulation, causing a positive feedback that led to further warming.  This study suggests that abrupt changes in ocean circulation can take place very quickly, but that reversal to "normal" conditions may considerably longer - essentially permanent from a human perspective.

Visit Explorations Magazine for more.