Craig A. Layman (CV) Updated November 2011
cal1634@yahoo.com
I received my B.A. from the University of Virginia in 1996 with a triple major in Biology, Environmental Science and Economics. I continued at UVA and received a M.S. in Environmental Science with a thesis focused on coastal fish assemblages on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. I received my Ph.D. under Kirk Winemiller at Texas A&M in 2004 with a dissertation focused on food webs of a tropical floodplain river in Venezuela. I also spent two years as the Donnelley Environmental Fellow at Yale University in David Post's lab. I started at FIU in 2006 as an assistant professor.

Craig A. Layman

Caroline Peyer, Ph.D. Student (CV Updated July 2011)
cpeye001@fiu.edu

I obtained my Biology Diploma from the University of Lausanne, Switzerland in 2006. For my Diploma project, I conducted an experimental study on prey-predator interactions between mangrove-associated fishes at NOAA/NMFS/RSMAS Miami under the guidance of Dr. Joseph Serafy. Currently, I am pursuing my Ph.D. at Florida International University, under the supervision of Dr. Craig A. Layman. My research interests encompass the effects of body size on the habitat use and diet of ecologically and economically important coastal fishes, especially schoolmaster snapper (Lutjanus apodus) and gray snapper (L. griseus). Additionally, I am interested in examining mechanisms that drive intrapopulation variation and individual specialization in resource use of coastal predators, as well as investigating their effects on the faunal community composition in shallow seagrass beds of The Bahamas.

Caroline Peyer

Lauren Yeager, Ph.D. Candidate (Website)
lyeag001@fiu.edu
I received my B.S. from Eckerd College in 2006 with majors in Marine Science and Spanish. From 2006-2007, I studied back-reef fish communities of the Mexican Caribbean funded by a Fulbright grant, working out of the Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados del I.P.N. I am currently pursuing my Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at F.I.U. under the direction of Dr. Craig Layman. My primary research interests lie in the field of landscape ecology and understanding the ecological consequences of environmental variation. Specifically, I am interested in how human alterations to landscapes affect structure and function at multiple levels of ecological organization (e.g., individual, population, community and ecosystem).

Lauren Yeager

Elizabeth Stoner, Ph.D. Student
e_stoner@skidmore.edu
I received my B.A. in Environmental Science with a concentration in biology with honors from Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY in 2008. During my time in school, I studied in South Caicos, TCI at the Marine Resources Center with the School for Field Studies, and conducted independent research on the effects of anthropogenic nutrient effluent on the diversity and abundance of mangrove organisms. For my senior thesis, I evaluated whether sub-lethal effects of copper sulfate impacted the foraging behavior and diet of bluegill sunfish in upstate New York. For my Ph.D work, I am continuing my exploration of the effects of human-mediated disturbances on ecosystems. Specifically, I am evaluating how anthropogenic nutrient loading may drive 'blooms' of the epibenthic native invader, Cassiopea jellyfish, and how these animals may affect benthic community structure and ecosystem function of seagrass habitats. My research takes place on Abaco Island, Bahamas under the direction of Dr. Craig Layman at Florida International University.

Elizabeth Stoner

Zack Jud, Ph.D. Student
zackjud@gmail.com

After completing my B.S. in Biology at the University of Scranton (Scranton, PA), I entered the M.S. program in Biology at Florida Institute of Technology (Melbourne, FL), working under the guidance of Dr. Jon Shenker. For my M.S. thesis, I examined the diets of juvenile tarpon in east-central Florida’s man-made mosquito control impoundment marshes to determine how anthropogenic disturbance affected feeding and prey selection (paper pdf).

In the fall of 2008, I began my doctoral work under Dr. Layman at FIU. My research in the Layman Lab focuses on anthropogenic influences in estuaries and coastal river systems. The bulk my work is carried out in the Loxahatchee River Estuary, near Jupiter, FL. I study a diverse variety of human interactions in this system, including the effects of anthropogenically altered freshwater inflow on common snook movements, the assembly of benthic infaunal communities following large- and small-scale oyster reef restoration projects, and the potential impacts of invasive species on estuarine ecosystems. Most recently, I documented the first estuarine intrusion of invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish in the western Atlantic and Caribbean (paper pdf).

Zack Jud

Sean Giery, Ph.D. Student
stgiery@gmail.com
Sean is developing a project on how anthropogenic alterations of coastal ecosystems may alter the mate signaling system in Gambusia mosquitofish. Sean has a broad interest base that sweeps from evolutionary ecology to the philosophy of science.

Sean Giery

Robin Abbey-Lee
rabbe002@fiu.edu
I completed my BA at Oberlin College in 2009 with a major in Biology. I am interested in predator-prey interactions and the tradeoffs that prey species face. Particularly, I am interested in examining the effects of resident versus transient predation pressures on prey, through both density mediated and trait mediated pathways. I will be using reef fish communities on Abaco Island, Bahamas as my study system.

Robin Abbey-Lee

Chrisitina Acevedo, Undergraduate Researcher cacev005@fiu.edu
Christina is studying the trophic ecology of juvenile grunts, including how it is affected by density dependence and aspects of seascape ecology.

Christina Acevedo

Joey Peters, Undergraduate Researcher jpete012@fiu.edu

Joey has a broad interest in ecology and conservation biology, and is currently spearheading the monitoring one of our most recent tidal creek restoration projects.

Joey Peters

Serina Sebilian, Undergraduate Researcher ssebi001@fiu.edu
Serina is fascinated by how humans are altering coastal ecosystems. She is currently focused on the impacts of nutrient loading on the density of zooxanthellae in Cassiopea jellyfish tissues.

Serina Sebilian

Jessica Lee, Undergraduate Researcher jlee008@fiu.edu
Jessica is working on a project on dock piling fouling communities, describing how they change along an estuarine salinity gradient.

Jessica Lee