Joshua G. Smith

Great work by the research team with the @montereybayaquarium.org's Sea Otter Program! You can read the full paper in Science Advances, detailing how a sea star collapse resulted in a mussel bonanza for sea otters, www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... #ecosystems #MarineLife

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)

Keystone interdependence: Sea otter responses to a prey surplus following the collapse of a rocky intertidal predator Keystone interdependence occurs when shifts in one keystone species affect another, linking ecosystems across boundaries.

One of my favorite papers of my career is out in @science.org Science Advances, and we're on the cover! In this study, we introduce a new ecological process called keystone interdependence, where the loss of one keystone species can extend across ecosystems to indirectly affect another... (1/8)

A Monterey Bay Aquarium dive intern writes something on a white underwater clipboard while hovering upside-down in a murky kelp forest

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.

Postdoctoral Scholar in Quantitative Marine Ecology University of California, Santa Cruz is hiring. Apply now!

it's a hard and sad time in science / higher ed in the US right now. on the other hand, lots of PhDs are looking for work, so I wanted to share—

I'm hiring a postdoc!

it's a two-year position at UCSC to do (preferably Bayesian) modeling of marine ecosystems: recruit.ucsc.edu/JPF01892

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

I’m ✨ elated ✨ to share that I’ll be joining the faculty at UC Santa Cruz this fall as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology! My lab at UCSC will study subtidal and nearshore community ecology (1/2).

9 out of 10 sunflower sea stars were wiped out — but B.C. researchers say fiords provided refuge | CBC News B.C. researchers have found that the fiords of the Central Coast may be providing refuge for the critically endangered sunflower sea star, a discovery that could have implications for wider ecosystems...

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Academic Coordinator I for the Guide to the Geographic Approach program, Department of Geography University of California Santa Barbara is hiring. Apply now!

Check out this new job possibility! @ucsb.bsky.social is seeking an academic coordinator on a super exciting new GIS/data science curriculum project recruit.ap.ucsb.edu/JPF02916
#gischat #geosky

We are now accepting applications for our paid 2025 kelp forest scientific diving #internships at @montereyaq.bsky.social! 🤿 Must be a current student or recent grad (grad students are eligible!). Apply at the link below by February 7 recruiting2.ultipro.com/MON1023MBAF/...

#kelpforest #ecology

Conservation benefits of a large marine protected area network that spans multiple ecosystems Marine protected areas (MPAs) are widely implemented tools for long-term ocean conservation and resource management. Assessments of MPA performance have largely focused on specific ecosystems individ...

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)

Our study published today in @society4conbio.bsky.social shows that the conservation performance of marine protected areas (MPAs) accrues across ecosystems in individual MPAs and in a large MPA network. We synthesized decades of monitoring data collected across four ecosystems and found... (1/5)

A school of blue rockfish swim in the Kelp Forest exhibit at Monterey Bay Aquarium. Their gray and white patterned scales stand out in stark contrast against the darker golden brown blades of the kelp.

Is California’s network of science-based marine protected areas (MPAs) effective at conserving marine fish populations? The answer is a resounding yes, according to a new study from the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS). conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...