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Microbial ecology of reef cyanobacteriaCyanobacteria are biogeochemically important components of coral reefs, but little is known about factors influencing their abundance and composition in reef ecosystems. We examined the abundance and diversity of cyanobacteria along the west coast of Hawaii’s Big Island to determine their response to anthropogenic inputs. Our results showed that community structure may be affected by runoff from terrestrial habitats, and sediment and pelagic cyanobacterial communities respond differentially to environmental change. link
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Dietary shifts in California condorsAs an undergraduate, I worked with a team studying dietary shifts in California condors from the Pleistocene to modern times. Using stable isotope analysis, we found that condors fed on both terrestrial megafauna and marine mammals during the Pleistocene. Following marine mammal hunting during the 1700’s, condor diets shifted primarily to terrestrial mammals, most notably cattle. Since this study, efforts have been made to reintroduce marine mammals as a significant portion of condor diets. link
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