- Room 615, Davy Building, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA
- +44 1752 584981
- nicola.foster@plymouth.ac.uk
Profiles
Dr Nicola Foster
Lecturer in Marine Biology
School of Biological and Marine Sciences (Faculty of Science and Engineering)
Biography
Biography
I am a Lecturer in Marine Biology at the University and I study coral populations across a broad depth range, from shallow, tropical coral reefs (<30 m), to the relatively unexplored mesophotic coral ecosystems (30-200 m), and beyond to the cold-water corals of the deep sea (>200 m). I am particularly interested in variation in diversity and community structure along the depth gradient, and the horizontal and vertical connectivity of populations via larval dispersal, and the implications of this on conservation and management of the marine environment.
Currently, I am working on two key projects. I am investigating the changes in diversity and distribution of mesophotic reefs in the British Indian Ocean Territory in relation to depth and oceanographic drivers. In this project, I will assess the genetic connectivity of sessile reef species across the depth gradient from shallow to mesophotic depths to determine the potential of mesophotic reefs to resupply shallow reefs with larvae following mortality. In the second project (DeepLinks), we are investigating how patterns of population connectivity vary with depth in the deep sea, and how this influences species diversity, using a combination of molecular techniques, modelling and community analysis.
Qualifications
2019 Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
2019 Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practise, University of Plymouth
2007 PhD University of Exeter - Population dynamics of the dominant Caribbean reef-building coral, Montastraea annularis.
2002 MSc University of Wales, Bangor - Marine Environmental Protection.
2000 BSc (Hons) University of Wales, Bangor - Marine Biology.
Professional membership
International Society for Reef Studies
Society for Conservation Biology
Marine Biological Association
Deep-sea Biology Society
Key publications
(2008) 'Competitive effects of macroalgae on the fecundity of the reef-building coral Montastraea annularis' Marine Ecology Progress Series 367, 143-152 , DOI
Teaching
Teaching
Teaching interests
I teach a podule on Marine Conservation Genetics as part of the MBIO505 (Marine Conservation Theory) module on the MSc Marine Conservation Degree. I am also currently involved in delivering occasional lectures within a selected number of modules within my department (MBIO221 Marine Molecular Biology, MBIO315 Biological Oceanography, MBAM5106 Advanced Research in Marine Biology, MBAM5108 Marine Ecology and Conservation), and I also assist with practical sessions, fieldtrips and workshops.
Research
Research
Research interests
My broad research interests focus on marine ecology, population dynamics, population connectivity and conservation genetics. In particular, I am interested in using population genetic studies to inform conservation planning and management of the marine environment.
Grants & contracts
Researcher/Co-investigator - Garfield Weston Foundation: Conservation strategies for biodiversity hotspots and safe havens in a changing climate: oceanographic drivers of ecosystem variability in the Chagos Archipelago (£1,000,000; 2019-2021).
Publications
Publications
Key publications
(2008) 'Competitive effects of macroalgae on the fecundity of the reef-building coral Montastraea annularis' Marine Ecology Progress Series 367, 143-152 , DOI
Key publications are highlighted
Journals
Articles
(2020) 'A review of a decade of lessons from one of the world’s largest MPAs: conservation gains and key challenges' Marine Biology , DOI Open access
(2020) 'Evidence of fostering in an internally brooding sea anemone' Ethology 126, (12) 1141-1147 , DOI Open access
(2019) 'A framework for the development of a global standardised marine taxon reference image database (SMarTaR-ID) to support image-based analyses' PLOS ONE 14, (12) e0218904-e0218904 , DOI Open access
(2019) 'Automated identification of benthic epifauna with computer vision' Marine Ecology Progress Series 615, 15-30 , DOI Open access
(2019) 'Temporal stability of Orbicella annularis symbioses: A case study in the Bahamas' Bulletin of Marine Science 95, (2) 289-304 , DOI Open access
(2018) 'Bridging the divide: Social-ecological coherence in Marine Protected Area network design' Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems , DOI Open access
(2017) 'Defining the qualitative elements of Aichi Biodiversity Target 11 with regard to the marine and coastal environment in order to strengthen global efforts for marine biodiversity conservation outlined in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14' Marine Policy , DOI Open access
(2017) 'Assessing the ecological coherence of a marine protected area network in the Celtic Seas' Ecosphere 8, (2) , DOI Open access
(2016) 'Symbiodinium biogeography tracks environmental patterns rather than host genetics in a key Caribbean reef-builder, Orbicella annularis' Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 283, (1842) 20161938-20161938 , DOI Open access
(2016) 'An experimental comparison of three towed underwater video systems using species metrics, benthic impact and performance' Methods in Ecology and Evolution 7, (7) 843-852 , DOI Open access
(2015) 'Time-related expression profiles for heat shock protein gene transcripts (HSP40, HSP70) in the central nervous system of Lymnaea stagnalis exposed to thermal stress' Communicative & Integrative Biology 8:3, Open access
(2015) 'Status of management effort in 153 marine protected areas across the English Channel' Mar Pollut Bull 94, (1-2) 168-175 , DOI
(2015) 'Adiponectin and Insulin in Gray Seals during Suckling and Fasting: Relationship with Nutritional State and Body Mass during Nursing in Mothers and Pups' Physiol Biochem Zool 88, (3) 295-310 , DOI
(2015) 'Erratum to: Widespread prevalence of cryptic Symbiodinium D in the key Caribbean reef builder, Orbicella annularis' Coral Reefs 34, (2) 533-533 , DOI
(2015) 'Widespread prevalence of cryptic Symbiodinium D in the key Caribbean reef builder, Orbicella annularis' Coral Reefs 34, (2) 519-531 , DOI
(2014) 'Familial strife on the seashore: aggression increases with relatedness in the sea anemone Actinia equina' Behav Processes 103, 243-245 , DOI Open access
(2014) 'Quality assurance in the identification of deep-sea taxa from video and image analysis: response to Henry and Roberts' ICES Journal of Marine Science 71, (4) 899-906 , DOI
(2013) 'Coral-characterized benthic assemblages of the deep Northeast Atlantic: defining "Coral Gardens" to support future habitat mapping efforts' ICES JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE 70, (3) 511-522 , DOI
(2013) 'Hurricane-Driven Patterns of Clonality in an Ecosystem Engineer: The Caribbean Coral Montastraea annularis' PLOS ONE 8, (1) , DOI Open access
(2013) 'Using species-area relationships to inform baseline conservation targets for the deep North East Atlantic' PLoS One 8, (3) , DOI Open access
(2012) 'Connectivity of Caribbean coral populations: complementary insights from empirical and modelled gene flow' Molecular Ecology 21, (5) 1143-1157 , DOI
(2009) 'Damage to the reefs of Port Honduras Marine Reserve, Belize, during the 28 May 2009 earthquake' Coral Reefs 29, (1) 19-19 , DOI
(2008) 'Competitive effects of macroalgae on the fecundity of the reef-building coral Montastraea annularis' Marine Ecology Progress Series 367, 143-152 , DOI
(2007) 'Sexual vs. asexual reproduction in an ecosystem engineer: the massive coral Montastraea annularis' Journal of Animal Ecology 76, 384-391
(2005) 'Patch dynamics of coral reef macroalgae under chronic and acute disturbance' Coral Reefs 24, (4) 681-692 , DOI
Chapters
(2021) 'Changes in coral reef ecosystems as an indication of climate and global change' Climate Change Elsevier 427-443 , DOI
(2015) 'Changes in coral reef ecosystems' in Letcher TM Climate change: Observed impacts on planet earth. Elsevier Science 183-193 Publisher Site