Cheryl Miller

Graduate Student

Biological Oceanography
Major Professor: Dr. Nancy Marcus

Department of Oceanography
Florida State University
Tallahassee, Florida 32306-4320

Research

My research interests involve marine benthic landscape ecology and the application of bioindicator organisms to the assessment of nutrification/eutrophication in coastal habitats. I am co-advised by Dr. Nancy Marcus and Dr. Brian Lapointe of Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute (HBOI); and I am currently working as a research assistant at HBOI on a project to investigate the distribution, composition and ecology of harmful algal blooms (HAB) on southeast Florida reefs. The primary objectives of my doctoral research are to assess the short-term and long-term ecological effects of harmful algal blooms upon reef epibenthos with particular emphasis upon comparative effects of three HAB species on scleractinian and octocoral recruitment, growth, and survivorship.

coral photo Our project was mentioned in two newspaper articles, one on Monday, December 27, 2004 in the Boca Raton News and the other on Tuesday, December 28, 2004 in the Miami Herald. The Weather Channel also plans to run a story discussing our research using our video footage.