Students may choose to work with any Department of Biological Science faculty.   With permission from the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies, students may also work with Affiliated Faculty from FSU's Coastal and Marine Laboratory.

FACULTY

W. Ross Ellington   Physiological and biochemical adaptations of marine invertebrates. Don R. Levitan   Evolutionary ecology of marine invertebrates; population biology.

Janie L. Wulff   Roles of predators, physical disturbance, and competition in shaping sponge faunas.

AFFILIATED FACULTY

Felicia Coleman (Costal and Marine Laboratory) Reef Fish Ecologist Kevin Craig (Costal and Marine Laboratory) Fish Ecologist Dean Grubbs (Costal and Marine Laboratory) Elasmobranch Ecologist Chris Koenig (Costal and Marine Laboratory) Reef Fish Ecologist

Marine biological research in the Department of Biological Science has three main foci: 1) the use of marine organisms as effective models for investigating basic processes relating to neurobiology, cellular & subcellular mechanisms, behavior, and ecology; 2) the identification of morphological, physiological, behavioral, and evolutionary adaptations of living organisms to the unique milieu of the marine environment; 3) the assessment of mechanisms underlying the operation of marine populations and communities as they pertain to fisheries and other living marine resources. The investigators draw upon the running seawater facilities of the nearby FSU Marine Laboratory, featuring access to diverse organisms and habitats of a pristine, undeveloped coastline. Complementary expertise stems from participation in biannual international conferences in addition to interactions with colleagues in the Department of Oceanography and the National Marine Fisheries Service and visiting researchers hosted by the William and Lenore Mote Eminent Scholar Chair in Fisheries Ecology.