Southeast Ecological Science Center

Benthic Ecology

The Benthic Ecology Group has an active research program examining fauna living in and on the seafloor in a variety of natural and artificial marine habitats, including deep-sea and shallow-water corals, chemosynthetic seeps, shipwrecks, marine canyons and wetland communities. Current projects focus on community structure, biodiversity, trophic structure, and habitat connectivity of marine benthic ecosystems. In addition to increasing general knowledge, the data acquired through these projects can assist with management and conservation efforts for fragile marine communities, including corals and wetlands.

Current Research

DISCOVRE PROJECT - Diversity, Systematics, and Connectivity of Vulnerable Reef Ecosystems

Trophic coupling and habitat connectivity among coral reef, mangrove, and seagrass fishes and benthic invertebrate communities of the Virgin Islands National Park (VIIS) and Coral Reef National Monument (VICR)

Synthesis of the potential environmental impacts associated with offshore sand dredging for beach and coastal restoration

Contact information:

USGS | SESC - Benthic Ecology

amandad@usgs.gov

Recent Publications

Hargrove, John S., Parkyn, Daryl C., Murie, Debra J., Demopoulos, Amanda W. J., and Austin, James D. (2012). Augmentation of French grunt diet description using combined visual and DNA-based analyses. Marine and Freshwater Research 63, 740–750. [Journal Abstract]

Demopoulos, A.W.J., and Strom, D.G., 2012, Benthic community structure and composition in sediment from the northern Gulf of Mexico shoreline, Texas to Florida: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2012–1153, 15 p.

White, H.K., P. Hsing, W. Cho, T.M. Shank, E.E. Cordes, A.M. Quattrini, R.K. Nelson, R. Camilli, A.W.J. Demopoulos, C.R. German, J.M. Brooks, H.H. Roberts, W. Shedd, C.M. Reddy, and C.R. Fisher. 2012. Impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on a deep-water coral community in the Gulf of Mexico. PNAS. doi:10.1073/pnas.1118029109. [Journal Abstact]

Ross, S.W., Demopoulos, A.W.J., Kellogg, C.A., Morrison, C.L., Nizinski, M.S., Ames, C.L., Casazza, T.L., Gualtieri, D., Kovacs, K., McClain, J.P., Quattrini, A.M., Roa-Varón, A.Y., and Thaler, A.D., 2012, Deepwater Program: Studies of Gulf of Mexico lower continental slope communities related to chemosynthetic and hard substrate habitats: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2012–1032, 301 p.

McClain Counts, J.P., and Demopoulos, A.W., 2012, Connectivity of tropical marine ecosystems: An overview of interdisciplinary research to understand biodiversity and trophic relationships in the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2012-3016, 2 p.

Demopoulos, A.W.J., Gualtieri, D.J., Neils, A., and Huge, D., 2011, Comprehensive summary of beach renourishment and offshore sand removal impacts for Florida: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2011–1135, 183 p.

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Benthic Ecology

Current Research

Recent Publications