Kristin M Aquilino

University of California, Davis | UCD · Bodega Marine Laboratory

Restoring endangered marine species to self-sustaining population levels is a critical test of modern human society. Rising to meet this challenge requires 'All-Hands-On-Deck' approaches and scalable applications of knowledge, skills, and tools integrated from multiple fields. For example, the white abalone (Haliotis sorenseni) restoration program...

Significance The pH of the global ocean is decreasing due to the absorption of anthropogenically emitted CO 2 , causing ocean acidification (OA). OA negatively impacts marine shellfish and threatens the continuing economic viability of molluscan shellfish aquaculture, a global industry valued at more than 19 billion USD. We identify traits linked t...

A restoration program including wild population surveys, captive breeding, health monitoring, recovery site preparation, and recovery modeling has been implemented to restore white abalone (Haliotis sorenseni) populations in California. White abalone once supported a lucrative fishery and are now endangered, nearing extinction at less than 1% of ba...

Environmental heterogeneity contributes to coexistence by allowing species with different traits to persist when different species perform best at different times or places. This interaction between niche differences and environmental variability may also help explain relationships between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, but few data are av...

Background/Question/Methods Heterogeneity in environmental conditions has long been thought to promote coexistence by providing opportunity for niche partitioning. Likewise, environmental heterogeneity may intensify the expression of niche differences in diverse communities and therefore mediate ecological processes. In particular, we were intere...

Seaweeds provide food and shelter for countless species of invertebrates. Many studies show how particular species of seaweed facilitate particular invertebrates, but few examine the simultaneous effects of multiple seaweeds, despite the fact that algal composition and diversity are known to vary considerably. We conducted laboratory experiments to...

The importance of herbivores and of plant diversity for community succession and recovery from disturbance is well documented. However, few studies have assessed the relative magnitude of, or potential interactions between, these factors. To determine the combined effect of herbivory and surrounding algal species richness on the recovery of a rocky...

Background/Question/Methods The direct effects of producer species diversity on primary production are now widely appreciated. However, the food web and community consequences of these effects are less well understood. Plants serve as both food and habitat for mobile animals and thus indirect effects of plant diversity on the composition and functi...

Background/Question/Methods A growing body of work illustrates the importance of plant diversity for primary productivity. The effects of herbivory on plant biomass and diversity are also well-documented. However, few studies have assessed the relative importance of these factors. Further, because many animals use plants as food and habitat, plant...

Ecology Letters (2010) 13: 194–201 A rapidly accumulating body of research has shown that species diversity consistently affects the functioning of ecosystems. The incorporation of trophic complexity and the extension of this research to larger scales and natural ranges in species diversity remain as important challenges for understanding the true...

This study shows that, even on exposed, wave-swept, rocky shores in a nutrient-replete upwelling ecosystem, mussels (Mytilus californianus) facilitate the growth of the seaweed Porphyra perforata by enhancing nutrient concentrations in the nearby water column. In field surveys on emergent substrate in the mid-intertidal zone, we found ten times gre...

Many theoretical and empirical studies have shown that species diversity in a trophic level can impact the capture of limited resources in ways that cascade up or down a food web. Only recently, however, have ecologists begun to consider how diversity at multiple trophic levels might act in concert to have opposing or reinforcing effects on resourc...