Huge thanks to my incredible co-authors at @montereybayaquarium.org @ucscscience.bsky.social and others not on here, and to the handling editor and anonymous reviewers whose feedback greatly improve the manuscript. (8/8)

Photos of our study area highlight the pronounced expansion of mussels towards lower intertidal zones (A and B are from Stillwater Cove), which increased mussel accessibility for foraging sea otters. (7/8)

This figure shows it all – under alternate hypothetical scenarios where urchins and mussels didn't increase, sea otter energy intake for the local population would have been much lower than what we actually observed. Mussels and urchins both contributed to elevated levels of energetic gain. (6/8)

Around the timing of the sea star wasting event (SSW), there was a sudden urchin boom resulting from a behavioral shift (which we previously described) in the subtidal. The mussel increase lagged by ~2-3 years, probably due to the time for mussels to recruit, survive, and grow. (5/8)

Mussel populations expanded throughout the rocky intertidal after (red) the loss of Pisaster and extended into lower tidal zones, increasing their accessibility for foraging sea otters. (4/8)

In Monterey, CA mussel populations surged due to predatory release from sea stars, creating a prey surplus for sea otters. (3/8)

In 2013, a sea star wasting event decimated populations of Pisaster ochraceus along the west coast of North America, leading to indirect effects on sea otters. (2/8)

Our dive interns have a direct impact on kelp forest research and conservation. They play an important role in collecting data on the biodiversity and function of kelp forests, and how sea otters contribute to their recovery.

I’ll soon be recruiting at all levels – stay tuned for opportunities! In the meantime, I’m delighted to mentor students applying for fellowships such as the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, NSF Postdoc, Smith Conservation Fellowship, and others. Please reach out! (2/2).

#newPI #newFaculty

Link to the #OpenAccess paper:

doi.org/10.1111/cobi...

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This study was part of a @ucsb NCEAS #MPA synthesis working group. (5/5)
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#California #Conservation #Ecosystems #OceanBiodiversity #Synthesis #beaches #kelpforest #marinereserve #rockyreefs #surfzone #CoastalEcosystems #Fisheries

👉Conservation performance significantly increased with increasing MPA age and habitat diversity. (4/5)

👉Targeted fish species biomass was significantly higher in 22 out of 59 MPAs (37%), although 46 (78%) had elevated biomass in MPAs. (3/5)

👉At the scale of California's MPA network, targeted (i.e., fished) fish biomass was significantly greater inside no-take MPAs compared with areas that allowed take.
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👉Three out of 4 regions exhibited significantly higher targeted fish biomass inside no-take MPAs. (2/5)