Research

     My research focuses on the ecology of coastal marine fishes on both temperate rocky reefs and tropical coral reefs, although I have studied a variety of other organisms, including seaweeds and hummingbirds. My major research interests include population dynamics -- particularly the mechanisms that naturally regulate population sizes -- and community ecology -- particularly the mechanisms that affect and maintain local species diversity -- especially in the context of sustaining fisheries and conserving biodiversity.
     Since 1991, my lab has worked mostly at the marine lab on Lee Stocking Island, Bahamas (left), operated by the Perry Institute for Marine Science.  We have been funded mostly by the National Science Foundation and NOAA's National Undersea Research Program.