I am a Professor in the Department of Oceanography at Florida State University. I have been at FSU for 10 years. I spent 11 years at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution prior to coming to FSU.
Research Focus:
Gaining insight into the factors that regulate the distribution and abundance of marine organisms is a central focus of Biological Oceanography. Unlike traditional studies which have emphasized the importance of environmental factors e.g. food, temperature, and predators, I am most interested in the role that intrinsic factors i.e. genetics play in regulating the life history patterns of species. My research focuses on the phenomenon of dormancy in marine copepods and includes studies of resting eggs which accumulate in the sea bed and the CV dormancy exemplified by Calanus. Dormancy is an important phase in the life cycle of many species because it synchronizes active periods of the life cycle with favorable conditions in the environment and enables survival during periods of adversity. Accumulations of dormant stages in the sea bed of coastal waters provide a seed bank for planktonic populations.
We conduct work in our laboratory on the main campus at Florida State University and in the field. Sites in recent years have included the Gulf of Mexico, coastal waters off northern California, Narragansett Bay, and the Gulf of Maine.
Recent Publications:
Marcus, N. H. 1995. Seasonal study of planktonic copepods and their benthic resting eggs in northern California coastal waters. Marine Biology 123: 459-465.
Marcus, N. H. 1996. Ecological and evolutionary significance of resting eggs in marine copepods: Past, present, future studies. Hydrobiologia 320: 141-152.
Chen, F. and N. H. Marcus. 1997a. Subitaneous, diapause, and delayed-hatching eggs of planktonic copepods from the northern Gulf of Mexico: morphology and hatching success. Marine Biology 127: 587-598.
Stalder, L. and N. H. Marcus. 1997b. Zooplankton responses to hypoxia: behavioral patterns and survival of three species of calanoid copepods. Marine Biology 127: 599-608.
Marcus, N. H., R. V. Lutz, and J. P. 1997c. Chanton. Impact of anoxia and sulfide on the viability of eggs of three planktonic copepods. Marine Ecology Progress Series 146: 291-295.
Accepted for Publication:
Marcus, N. H. and F. Boero. Minireview: The importance of benthic-pelagic coupling and the forgotten role of life cycles in coastal aquatic systems. Limnology and Oceanography
Marcus, N. H. and R. Lutz. Longevity of subitaneous and diapause eggs of Centropages hamatus (Copepoda:Calanoida) from the northern Gulf of Mexico. Marine Biology
Courses Taught:
If you want to know more you can have a look at my CV .
