Abstract:
The Reef Ecology Lab in KAUST’s Red Sea Research Center explores many aspects of movement ecology, ranging from adult migrations to intergenerational larval dispersal. This talk will explore, in some general terms, which groups of coral reef associated animals have high levels of endemism in the Red Sea. This is tied closely to establishing patterns of biodiversity and biogeography in the Arabian region. It will include some highlights of new species recently described in the region. For some taxonomic groups, genetic and genomic patterns are investigated to help understand how the distributions of these organisms originated and how the distributions are maintained. The talk will highlight some of the features that make the Red Sea so unique, such as the environmental conditions that mirror climate change forecasts for other reef regions, how how the Red Sea fits in the larger picture of biogeography of the Indian Ocean.

Speaker Bio:
Mike received a Zoology degree from the University of Arkansas in 2001. He then attended James Cook University in Australia to pursue graduate studies in coral reef ecology, specializing in life history and ecology of butterflyfishes. He was awarded the PhD in 2007. Mike accepted a postdoctoral fellowship at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), where he focused on larval connectivity in coral reef fishes. During his time at WHOI, Mike began working in the Red Sea in 2008 in partnership with a new university in Saudi Arabia - the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). When KAUST began hiring faculty, Mike was the first marine science faculty member appointed by the founding director of the Red Sea Research Center. He joined KAUST in July 2009. Mike has authored more than 120 peer-reviewed articles and 3 book chapters, and he has co-edited one book, Biology of Butterflyfishes. His research focuses on advancing our understanding of Red Sea coral reefs and more broadly making contributions to movement ecology, which is a critical aspect of developing conservation plans in the marine environment. He is particularly interested in connectivity questions ranging from larval dispersal to large distance migrations of adult fishes.

This seminar is presented by the Aquatic Chemical Ecology Center