Habitat Use and Movement
Habitat and movement determine when, where, and how species interact, shaping the structure and dynamics of aquatic communities. My research combines otolith microchemistry with multi-scale catch data to uncover the patterns and drivers of fish distributions. By linking the movements of individual fishes across habitats to population-level patterns across entire landscapes, I connect local community dynamics to broader ecological processes. These insights are especially important in the face of climate change and species invasions, which are reshaping habitats and altering the ways organisms move, interact, and persist.
Lionfish Movement across thermal habitat
Invasive lionfish threaten native reef ecosystems throughout the Atlantic. Using otolith microchemistry, we trace the habitats lionfish occupy over their lifetimes, revealing how they move across reef and seagrass environments. This work sheds light on the mechanisms that allow invasive predators to spread and persist in new ecosystems.- Related works
- Airey, ME., Fogg, AQ., Drew, JA..(2023). Invasive lionfish dispersal between shallow- and deep-water habitats within coastal Floridian waters. Biological Invasions. Check it out here!
Thermal Habitat use of native lake fishes
Freshwater fishes are often classified into thermal guilds, groups of species adapted to particular temperature ranges, but individual behaviors can deviate from these expected norms. Using otolith microchemistry combined with environmental data, we track how species utilize thermal habitats, revealing both individual ecologies and the thermal flexibility of each species. These patterns help us understand how thermal behavior influences species interactions, community structure, and resilience to climate change.
We are currently analyzing how a recreationally important, cold-water fish, Brook Trout utilize thermal habitat across a broad range of mixing regimes in Adirondack lakes. Paired with characterizing the thermal habitat use of a whole community of lake fish, we explore thermal guild flexability and fidelity.
Habitat use acros lakes and landscapes
Catch data provide a powerful window into how fish use habitats within lakes and across broader landscapes. By analyzing spatial patterns of abundance and habitat preferences, we uncover the drivers of fish distributions and the ways species link sites, habitats, and ecosystems. These insights highlight how local communities fit into larger-scale ecological networks.
Stay tuned for our work that analyzes site and habitat use across 20 years in a system with continuing invasive species management. Or check out recent work conducted by a mentee that investigates how benthic macroinvertebrate communities are influenced by artificial wood!