The impacts of marine invasive species, though still relatively uncommon, tend to be more widespread than their freshwater counterparts due to a relatively open and connected ocean environment.  As marine invasions increase in frequency, predicting colonization sequences of marine invaders has become a core focus of resource managers and the use of species distribution models (SDMs) for the study of invasive species biology is becoming more prevalent.  The development of hybrid models combining mechanistic and phenomenological approaches attempt to address both the potential distribution of as well as timing of invasions, however, there remains a substantial lack of readily accessible tools to create such models.

The motivation behind this study is to develop a unique hybrid SDM to understand the invasion process which can be used to help prevent marine invasions from occurring. The proposed hybrid SDM will:

• help determine which physical oceanic parameters are most influential in the spread of marine invasive species
• enable resource managers predict the spread of invasive species through the use of the model
• elucidate connectivity and explore the invasability of a region based on computer simulation
• factor temporal life history parameters of a species, such as fecundity, mortality, lifespan, and larval duration
• base simulations on a cellular automaton algorithm
• be applicable to marine invasions in any region of the world

The proposed study will present a suite of case studies which demonstrate the use of the hybrid SDM.  Case studies include predicting the spread of the panther grouper (Chromileptes altivelis) in the Atlantic, analyzing the invasability of the eastern Pacific and Mediterranean to lionfish, and the role of hurricanes in the spread of lionfish in the Caribbean.

The Fishing Tournament Scholarship provided PhD tuition support and allowed me to advance the preliminary work done during my masters to develop a comprehensive, three-dimensional biophysical model to forecast the invasion patterns of marine species.  The model has since been used to forecast marine invasions around the globe and has been widely published in international academic journals. After completing my PhD, I joined the faculty in the Department of Biological Sciences at NSU where I am currently an Associate Professor.  I teach a variety of undergraduate and graduate courses, mentor many MS students, and am active in several areas of research conducted by NSU's Guy Harvey Research Institute and the DEEPEND|RESTORE Consortium as well as continued work on biophysical ocean models.