Benthic-pelagic Coupling

Many rocky intertidal invertebrates spend half of their life cycle as plankton feeding and growing in the ocean. However, the complex processes that drive their delivery from the nearshore ocean to rocky shores remain relatively unknown. Using a meta-ecosystem framework, I am investigating how invertebrate larvae (barnacles and mussels) and their food supply (phytoplankton and particulate matter) flow from pelagic to benthic habitats. In collaboration with Professor Ricardo Scrosati and his lab at St. Francis Xavier University and Dr. Julius Ellrich from the Alfred Wegener Institute, I am evaluating two leading hypotheses for this type of benthic-pelagic coupling in Oregon and Nova Scotia. My methods include field sampling, laboratory processing, and remote sensing to collect data on invertebrate larvae recruitment, intertidal slope, upwelling, sea surface temperature, surf zone width, phytoplankton abundance, and particulate matter concentration. I have received support from Oregon State University, the National Science Foundation, and Sigma Xi for this project. The maps and photos below show our field sites and intertidal slope sampling on both coasts.