My research in ecology has focused on the dynamics of species in marine systems and the role they play at ecosystems scales. Two recurring themes in my research are the implications of species interactions for community and ecosystem dynamics, and the contribution of climate change to species dynamics. My interests can be broadly grouped into four areas: (1) the interplay between species and productivity in coastal marine ecosystems, (2) the implications of ocean acidification in coastal marine ecosystems, (3) identifying the causes and consequences of variability in marine populations and (4) understanding the relative impacts of genetic and demographic factors to extinction risk.
I train PhD students who are interested in testing ecological and evolutionary concepts and pursuing new discoveries in marine ecosystems. Students in my lab have used a diversity of methods in their work, including mathematical models, genetics and -omics, biogeochemistry, and microscopy. There is a diverse group of faculty across multiple departments whose work is related to the ecology of the oceans, and the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole is our affiliate.
University of Washington
Seattle
PhD - Zoology
1993
University of North Carolina
Chapel Hill
MS - Marine Sciences
1987
University of Illinois
Champaign-Urbana
BS - Biology
1984
The Diversity and Functional Capacity of Microbes Associated with Coastal Macrophytes.
The Diversity and Functional Capacity of Microbes Associated with Coastal Macrophytes. mSystems. 2022 Oct 26; 7(5):e0059222.
PMID: 35993708
The evolutionary past and the uncertain future of foundational species.
The evolutionary past and the uncertain future of foundational species. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2022 08 16; 119(33):e2211134119.
PMID: 35939678
Functional Insights into the Kelp Microbiome from Metagenome-Assembled Genomes.
Functional Insights into the Kelp Microbiome from Metagenome-Assembled Genomes. mSystems. 2022 Jun 28; 7(3):e0142221.
PMID: 35642511
Spatial organization of the kelp microbiome at micron scales.
Spatial organization of the kelp microbiome at micron scales. Microbiome. 2022 03 24; 10(1):52.
PMID: 35331334
Conceptual Exchanges for Understanding Free-Living and Host-Associated Microbiomes.
Conceptual Exchanges for Understanding Free-Living and Host-Associated Microbiomes. mSystems. 2022 Feb 22; 7(1):e0137421.
PMID: 35014872
Differential impacts of alternate primary producers on carbon cycling.
Differential impacts of alternate primary producers on carbon cycling. Ecology. 2021 09; 102(9):e03455.
PMID: 34166524
Magnitude and Predictability of pH Fluctuations Shape Plastic Responses to Ocean Acidification.
Magnitude and Predictability of pH Fluctuations Shape Plastic Responses to Ocean Acidification. Am Nat. 2021 04; 197(4):486-501.
PMID: 33755541
The dynamics and stoichiometry of dissolved organic carbon release by kelp.
The dynamics and stoichiometry of dissolved organic carbon release by kelp. Ecology. 2021 02; 102(2):e03221.
PMID: 33048348
Oxygen metabolism shapes microbial settlement on photosynthetic kelp blades compared to artificial kelp substrates.
Oxygen metabolism shapes microbial settlement on photosynthetic kelp blades compared to artificial kelp substrates. Environ Microbiol Rep. 2021 04; 13(2):176-184.
PMID: 33372322
The dynamics and stoichiometry of dissolved organic carbon release by kelp.
Weigel BL, Pfister CA. The dynamics and stoichiometry of dissolved organic carbon release by kelp. Ecology. 2020 Oct 13; e03221.
PMID: 33048348
Frances Straus Mentorship Award
University of Chicago
2018
Miller Postdoctoral Fellow
University of California at Berkeley
1993 - 1995