Research Interests

Cephalopods are a key component of marine food webs, providing sustenance for fishes, seabirds, and marine mammals worldwide. Cephalopods are also of increasing economic importance as evidenced by the rapid rise in their global landings over recent decades. Despite their potential to influence the dynamics of commercial and conservation species through trophic pathways, there are critical gaps in our understanding of the role of cephalopods in marine ecosystems. My research begins to these address gaps by evaluating the role of squid from a region-specific, single species context to a broad-scale, systems-level perspective. My doctoral research will provide baseline data on the commander squid, Berryteuthis magister , inhabiting the eastern Bering Sea ecosystem. In particular, this work will examine the feeding ecology and trophic position of B. magister and the potential physical factors regulating their abundance. My doctoral work will also explore the ecological role of squid within an ecosystem context to (1) explore the hypothesis that squid predation may act as an impediment to marine fish recruitment, (2) identify potential ecological and economic trade-offs associated with harvesting cephalopods from marine systems, and (3) evaluate the hypothesis that global cephalopod production has increased in response to reductions of predator biomass.

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