Jessica Dutton

As an ecological physiologist, I am broadly interested in the relationship between individual tolerances and environmental variability in marine species, and how such patterns are reflected across spatial and temporal scales. I graduated with my Ph.D. in 2009, and my doctoral research focused on the tolerances and distribution patterns of native and invasive Mytilus mussels along the northeastern Pacific latitudinal gradient.

 

My postdoctoral research in the Hofmann Lab currently addresses the influences of ocean acidification and temperature in polar/sub-polar marine invertebrates. Polar ecosystems are particularly threatened by current and predicted climate changes in the marine environment. By studying the effects of OA and temperature on key trophic species such as pteropods, we may identify some of the physiological challenges and regulatory pathways that will play a role in survival under changing ocean conditions.

 

I am also very interested in the roles of policy and communication in addressing marine environmental issues. In 2009, I participated in the Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship, sponsored by NOAA’s National Sea Grant Program. At UCSB, I am working with the Ocean Acidification Training and Research Consortium (http://oceanacidification.msi.ucsb.edu), which will work to develop multidisciplinary collaborations within the broad marine science community and to communicate information on OA research and news.