Current Graduate Students
Danielle Whalen (PhD student)
Northeastern University, BS Marine Biology, minor in Psychology
Research Interests:
I study plant communities in Pacific Northwest coastal dunes, focusing on native plant populations. In the early 20th century, European colonizers planted two species of dune-building beachgrasses, Ammophila arenaria, native to Europe, and A. breviligulata, native to the U.S. Atlantic coast and Great Lakes, to stabilize shifting sand, prevent erosion, and buffer storms. This action inadvertently set off a cascade of ecological changes that persist to this day. The two non-native beachgrasses not only captured sand and built tall foredunes, but they also had dramatic effects on endemic plant species, creating novel plant communities that have no historical equivalent. Yet, Pacific coast dune ecosystems are notoriously understudied, which has hindered our ability to understand, manage, and restore these widespread coastal habitats and the ecosystem services they provide. My research aims to fill this gap by exploring the legacy of a century of beachgrass invasions on native dune plant communities and the possible processes important to their conservation and restoration. Before joining the Hacker lab, I studied rocky intertidal community ecology and parental effects as the lab manager of Dr. Geoffrey Trussell's lab at Northeastern University.
Louiza Wise (MS student)
Northeastern University, BS Environmental Engineering
Research Interests:
I study the distribution of vegetation, and its associated impacts, on constructed dynamic revetments in the Pacific Northwest. Dynamic revetments are a nature-based technique for shoreline stabilization in which large volumes of cobble stones are placed on the face of a beach. First introduced as an engineering concept in the 1970s in the Netherlands to combat erosion from boat waves, dynamic revetments mimic nature's gravel beaches and help to protect shorelines by dissipating incident wave energy, thereby reducing potential for erosion and overtopping. As a relatively new concept, there are currently only five constructed dynamic revetments in the Pacific Northwest, leading to many significant gaps for researchers and practitioners. One such gap is the understanding of what species grow on dynamic revetments and how both the constructed revetments impact the existing ecological community and how nascent vegetation may impact the stability of the revetment. Answering these critical questions will help improve our ability to effectively protect our coasts: both built and natural. Prior to OSU, I worked at a coastal protection research organization, The Emerald Tutu, building and testing floating wetlands for shoreline protection and water quality enhancement.
Ian Clifford (PhD Student)
The College of Idaho, BA Environmental Studies, Creative Writing/English
Research Interests:
I study the intersection between population genetics, plant functional morphology, and invasion ecology using a recently discovered hybrid beachgrass (Ammophila arenaria x A. breviligulata) in the U.S. Pacific Northwest as a model. The hybrid was formed between Ammophila arenaria (European beachgrass) and A. breviligulata (American beachgrass), two beachgrass species introduced to Pacific Northwest dunes a century ago. The hybrid beachgrass has some intermediate and some extreme characteristics of its parent species that affect its spread, growth, and competition. While previous research has compared the hybrid with its parent species, there is still little known about its intraspecific variation. My research will determine whether hybrid populations along the Pacific Northwest coast differ in their generation types and parentage patterns, including whether there are consequences for functional morphological traits important to competition and dune building. Prior to OSU, I attended The College of Idaho, where I studied the morphometrics and ecological niches of the desert parsley Lomatium multifidum/dissectum species complex under Dr. Don Mansfield.
Former Graduate Students
21. Zecharian Meunier, PhD Integrative Biology 2017–2023, NSF GRFP, Provost Graduate Fellowship. Thesis title: The roles of Recruitment, Species Interactions, and Oceanographic Context in Structuring Rocky Intertidal Communities of the Pacific Northwest and Atlantic Canada.
20. John Stepanek, MS Integrative Biology 2018–2023, NSF GRFP. Thesis title: Carbon Storage in U.S. Pacific Northwest Coastal Dunes: The Role of Invasive Beachgrasses and Sand Supply.
19. Risa Askerooth, MS Integrative Biology 2020-2023, NW CASC Internship. Thesis title: The Range, Abundance, Spread, and Biophysical Effects of a Novel, Invasive Beachgrass Hybrid, Ammophila arenaria × A. breviligulata, on U.S. Pacific Northwest Coastal Dunes.
18. Rebecca Mostow, PhD Integrative Biology 2016–2022, NSF GRFP, Provost Graduate Fellowship. Thesis title: Hybridization of Non-Native Dune-Building Beachgrasses on the U.S. Pacific Northwest Coast: Characterization of Functional Morphology, Hybrid Swarm Composition, and Ecological Consequences of Ammophila arenaria x A. breviligulata.
17. Katya Jay, PhD Integrative Biology, 2016-2021. Thesis title: Investigating the Role of Dune Grasses, Carbon Storage, and Marine Nutrient Subsidies to the Functions and Services of U.S. Atlantic Coastal Dune Ecosystems.
16. Caitlin Magel, PhD Integrative Biology 2015-2020, NSF NRT Fellowship. Thesis title: Ecosystem Functions of Pacific Northwest Estuaries: The Role of Ocean and Watershed Drivers in Eelgrass and Coho Salmon Dynamics.
15. Vanessa Constant, PhD Integrative Biology 2014-2019. Thesis title: Coastal Dunes as Meta-ecosystems: Connecting Marine Subsidies to Dune Ecosystem Functions on the U.S. Pacific Northwest Coast.
14. Reuben Biel, PhD Zoology 2011–2017, Provost Graduate Fellowship, EPA STAR Fellowship. Thesis title: Coastal Dune Ecology, Geomorphology, and Ecosystem Services: How Invasive Beachgrasses, their Interactions, and Sediment Dynamics Shape U.S. Pacific Northwest Dunes.
13. Jennifer Motley, MS Marine Resource Management 2014-2017 (Co-advisor: Fiona Tomas Nash). Thesis title: Local and Regional Patterns in Eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) Communities Along an Upwelling-Productivity Gradient in Oregon Estuaries, USA.
12. Alison Barner, PhD Zoology 2010–2016, EPA STAR Fellowship (Co–advisor: Bruce Menge). Thesis title: Predictability and Constraints on the Structure of Ecological Communities in the Context of Climate Change.
11. Lindsay Carroll, MS Marine Resource Management 2013–2016. Thesis title: Evaluating Coastal Protection Services Associated with Restoration Management of an Endangered Shorebird in Oregon, U.S.A.
10. Jessica Reimer, MS Zoology 2011–2014 (Co–advisor: Bruce Menge). Thesis title: Patterns of Macrophyte Wrack Deposition on Sandy Beaches of the Pacific Northwest Coast, U.S.A.
9. Jeremy Henderson, MS Zoology 2010–2013. Thesis title: Direct Effects and Tradeoffs Affect Vegetative Growth and Sexual Reproduction in an Invasive Seagrass Experiencing Different Disturbance Regimes.
8. Phoebe Zarnetske, PhD Zoology 2006–2011, NSF IGERT Fellowship (Co-advisor: Eric Seabloom), Thesis title: The Influence of Biophysical Feedbacks and Species Interactions on Grass Invasions and Coastal Dune Morphology in the Pacific Northwest, USA.
7. Margot Hessing–Lewis, PhD Zoology 2005–2011, NERRS Graduate Fellowship (Co–advisor: Bruce Menge), Thesis title: Context Dependent Eelgrass-Macroalgal Interactions in Upwelling-Influenced Estuaries.
6. Orissa Moulton, MS Zoology 2008–2010. Thesis title: Surfgrasses (Phyllospadix spp.) as Dynamic Foundation Species for Macroinvertebrates Along the Oregon coast.
5. Paulina Guarderas, MS Environmental Science 2004-2007 (Co-advisor: Jane Lubchenco), Thesis Title: Marine Conservation in Latin America and the Caribbean: An Analysis of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).
4. Lorena Wisehart, MS Environmental Science 2003-2006. Thesis Title: Impacts of Oysters on Eelgrass (Zostera marina L.): Importance of Early Life History Stages in Response to Aquaculture Disturbance.
3. Nathan Reynolds, MS Environmental Science WSU Vancouver 2002-2009.
2. Rebecca Martin, MS Environmental Science WSU Vancouver 2003-2005. Thesis Title: Identifying Common Stream Characteristics Using Geomorphological Associations on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest: Implications for Management and Restoration.
1. Tabitha Reeder, MS Environmental Science WSU Vancouver 2000-2002. Thesis Title: Removing a Nonindigenous Marine Plant (Spartina anglica): Importance of Habitat Type and Consistent, Long-term Control on Regrowth and Reinvasion.