Rosenberg Institute Seminar Series - Sarah Goodnight

Sarah Goodnight, Ecologist/Postdoctoral Fellow, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center

Cross-habitat detection and monitoring of marine invertebrate invasions in California: a 12-year synthesis 

Abstract: California’s estuaries are hotspots of species invasions due to high commercial and recreational activity, which vector nonindigenous species (NIS) into vulnerable nearshore ecosystems. Comprehensive monitoring across habitats is critical for detecting new introductions and evaluating the impacts of NIS on native communities. This talk presents data from a long-term monitoring program conducted by the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) and Moss Landing Marine Lab (MLML) in collaboration with California’s Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) that aims to detect invertebrate invasions in California’s estuaries and evaluate geographic patterns in NIS community structure and overall prevalence. Using these data, we report novel NIS detections in California from the past 12 years, examine the key vectors driving these introductions, and determine which habitats are reservoirs of NIS across the state. We also investigate native vs. NIS community structure and patterns of diversity across spatial and temporal scales.  

Bio: Sarah is a postdoctoral ecologist at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) who is interested in leveraging non-indigenous species (NIS) monitoring data to examine how NIS community structure varies across different environments and spatial scales, and how NIS presence impacts native diversity. Prior to her work at SERC, Sarah completed a postdoc at George Mason University and her PhD at Florida Atlantic University, where her research focused on interactions between hosts and their native and invasive parasites. She specializes in invertebrates in her research (but has a soft spot for amphibians).