Marine Biologist : Christina Toms

Introducing Marine Biologist Christina Toms!

Christina's research interests cover many subjects including behavioral ecology, animal behavior and marine conservation, population genetics, foraging ecology, behavioral neuroscience, among others. During her Master’s program she discovered the importance of examining consistent individual differences in animals as an avenue to explain animal behavior and to explore the importance of such variation in ecological context.

Christina's PhD research was on wild bottlenose dolphins in Pensacola Bay, FL. There are many bay, sound and estuary bottlenose dolphins populations in the Northern Gulf of Mexico for which there is little or no population information. Without baseline data, threats to populations cannot be evaluated. Therefore, the first part of her dissertation was to create a baseline of population abundance data in a relatively unstudied area. She completed a year of mark-recapture surveys using photo ID techniques to evaluate seasonal fluctuations in abundance. She aims to expand to evaluate movement patterns and population genetics of bottlenose dolphins between nearby inshore and coastal waters to help improve our understanding of the complex overlapping nature of bottlenose dolphin population structure.

Ultimately, I aim for my research to fill important data gaps and relate to broader applications to better inform management and conservation decisions

(from Christina's LinkedIn)

Education:

University of Central Florida (2011 - 2015)

• PhD; M.A. in Conservation Biology

  • • Activities and Societies: University of Central Florida Biology Graduate Student Association (BGSA), The Graduate Student Association at UCF

    • Physiological Ecology and Bioenergetics Lab

University of Southern Mississippi (2008 - 2011)

• M.A. in Experimental Psychology

  • • Activities and Societies: Co-Administrator for the Gulf Coast Student Chapter (GCSC) of the Society for Marine Mammalogy (SMM)

    • Active in two labs:

      • Marine Mammal Behavior and Cognition Lab

      • Behavioral Neuroscience Lab

• Univeristy of Hawaii System (2000 - 2004)

  • B.A. in Marine Science & Psychology

    • Activities and Societies: Marine Options Program (MOP)