- Room 615, Davy Building, Drake Circus
- +44 1752 584981
- nicola.foster@plymouth.ac.uk
Profiles
Dr Nicola Foster
Research Fellow
School of Biological and Marine Sciences (Faculty of Science and Engineering)
Role
I am a post-doctoral researcher on the NERC-funded Deep Links project (www.deeplinksproject.wordpress.com). Deep Links is a collaborative project between Plymouth University, the University of Oxford, the JNCC and the British Geological Survey. During this project, we will investigate 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
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
Teaching interests
I am 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 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 - NERC Grant: Influence of population connectivity on depth-dependent diversity of deep-sea benthic biota (£574,000; 2015-2018)
Key publications are highlighted
Journals
Articles
2019
'Automated identification of benthic epifauna with computer vision'
Marine Ecology Progress Series
615,
15-30
, DOI
PEARL
2018
'Bridging the divide: Social-ecological coherence in Marine Protected Area network design'
Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems
, DOI
PEARL
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
PEARL
2017
'Assessing the ecological coherence of a marine protected area network in the Celtic Seas'
Ecosphere
8,
(2)
, DOI
PEARL
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
PEARL
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
PEARL
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,
PEARL
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
'Status of management effort in 153 marine protected areas across the English Channel'
Mar Pollut Bull
94,
(1-2)
168-175
, 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
PEARL
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: Journal du Conseil
70,
(3)
511-522
, DOI
2013
'Using species-area relationships to inform baseline conservation targets for the deep North East Atlantic'
PLoS One
8,
(3)
, DOI
PEARL
2013
'Hurricane-Driven Patterns of Clonality in an Ecosystem Engineer: The Caribbean Coral Montastraea annularis'
PLOS ONE
8,
(1)
, DOI
PEARL
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
2015
'Changes in coral reef ecosystems'
in Letcher TM
Climate change: Observed impacts on planet earth.
Elsevier Science
183-193
Publisher Site