Research

Oceaneering ROV Global Explorer

Cryptic Biodiversity of Mesophotic Reefs

Mesophotic coral reef ecosystems, found at depths between approximately 30 and 150 meters, host a rich and largely unexplored community of cryptobenthic invertebrates—organisms that live within the reef structure. These small, often overlooked animals remain poorly studied in the Gulf of Mexico, largely due to the challenges of accessing and sampling depths: scuba diving has limited bottom time, and remotely operated vehicle (ROV) video fails to capture all benthic organisms due to their small size.

My Ph.D. research focuses on using Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures (ARMS) to characterize cryptic biodiversity and population connectivity of mesophotic reefs within the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS) and to determine how they are ecologically connected, as well the environmental factors that drive community composition. ARMS are a standardized, passive sampling device that offers a non-invasive and replicable way to collect organisms that naturally colonize reef habitats over time.

This work is funded by NOAA and in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History.

Octocoral Reproductive
Biology

As our understanding of the environmental and physical processes driving mesophotic species distributions in the Gulf has deepened, I've become increasingly interested in physiological mechanisms underlying these broader ecological patterns. We know little about how octocorals reproduce, disperse, and select suitable habitats in deep-sea environments. My research employs gene expression analysis to investigate sex determination and reproductive timing in mesophotic octocorals. Understanding these fundamental processes is essential for accurately describing population dynamics, assessing vulnerability to anthropogenic disturbances (e.g., oil spills), and evaluating recovery potential.

Through collaborative efforts with experts across institutions, we are characterizing the reproductive biology of mesophotic and deep-sea octocorals throughout the Gulf of Mexico and the greater Caribbean, with implications for conservation and ecosystem management in these vulnerable habitats.

WHOI/MISO/NDSF HOV Alvin

Cryptic Biodiversity of Hydrothermal Vents

An active off-axis hydrothermal vent field was recently discovered 750m east of the East Pacific Rise Axis at 9º 50'N. This vent field is thought to have avoided lava flow from the 2005-2006 eruption, thus serving as a possible source of larvae to recovering on-axis vents.

Through collaborative investigations, we aim to characterize the biological communities at YBW-Sentry Vent Field. I have also deployed ARMS at the East Pacific Rise Axis to test if the ARMS metabarcoding approach is consistent with and/or complimentary to the successful Mullineaux sandwich method in characterizing hydrothermal vent communities. We also aim to contribute to hydrothermal vent fauna's barcode reference library by sampling multiple benthic habitats at the East Pacific Rise and the Western Galapagos Spreading Center.

Publications

Google Scholar

Maloney, R. T.,Ye A. Q., Saint Pre, S-K., Alisch, T., Zimmerman, D.M., Pittoors, N.C., and de Bivort, B.L. 2024. Drift in Individual Behavioral Phenotype as a Strategy for Unpredictable Worlds. bioRxiv 2024.09.05.611301; DOI:10.1101/2024.09.05.611301.

McCartin, L.J., Saso, E., Vohsen, S., Pittoors, N.C., Demetriades, P., McFadden, C., Quattrini, A., and Herrera, S. Nuclear eDNA metabarcoding primers for anthozoan coral biodiversity assessment. 2024. PeerJ ; DOI:https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.18607.

Herrera, S., Chadwick, W.W., Jackson, M.G., Konter, J., McCartin, L., Pittoors, N., Bushta, E., Merle, S.G. 2023. From basalt to biosphere: Early non-vent community succession on the erupting Vailulu'u deep seamount. Frontiers in Marine Science. 10. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2023.1110062.

McDermort, J.M., Parnell-Turner, R., Barreyre, T., Herrera, S., Downing, C., Pittoors, N.C., Pehr, K., Vohsen, S.A., Dowd, W.S., Wu, J., Marjanoic, M., Fornari, D. 2022. Discovery of active off-axis vents at 9º 54’N East Pacific Rise. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 119. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2205602119.

Maciejewski, M.F., Meyer, K.S., Wheeler, J.D., Anderson, E.J., Pittoors, N.C., Mullineaux, L.S. 2019. Helical swimming as an exploratory behavior in competent larvae of the eastern oyster larvae (Crassostrea virginica). Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. 510: 86-94. DOI: 10.1016/j.jembe.2018.10.007.

FKt230812-Dive562MissionControl-20230819-Ingle-8291_edited.jpg

Alex Ingle, Schmidt Ocean Institute

Research Expeditions

2024 R/V Atlantis. HOV Alvin. AUV Sentry. AT50-21. Monitoring hydrothermal fluid origin, crustal permeability and seafloor morphology. Leg 3. East Pacific Rise 9º 50’N, Pacific Ocean. Starboard Observer on HOV Alvin dive AL5237, Port Observer on dive AL5241. 34 days.

2023 R/V Falkor (too). ROV SuBastian. FKt230812. Hydrothermal Vents of the Western Galapagos. Galapagos. 30 days. ROV Watch Leader.

2023 R/V Falkor (too). ROV SuBastian. FKt230417. Health Diagnostics of Deep-Sea Corals. Puerto Rico. 19 days.

2023 R/V Atlantis. HOV Alvin. AUV Sentry. AT50-07. Monitoring hydrothermal fluid origin, crustal permeability and seafloor morphology. Leg 2. East Pacific Rise 9º 50’N, Pacific Ocean. Starboard observer on HOV Alvin dive AL5147. 29 days.

2021 R/V Point Sur. ROV Global Explorer. ConnectivitY of CoraL Ecosystems (CYCLE). U.S. Gulf of Mexico. 13 Days.