Biodiversity
Our research of biodiversity focuses on the causes and consequences of biodiversity. Specifically, why are there so many species, what drives variation in the number of species vary across space and time, how do similar species coexist, and how does biodiversity affect ecosystem function?
Examples of this research include studies on how predators drive biodiversity (Stier et al. 2017, Stier et al. 2013, Stier et al. 2014), the development of new tools to analyze biodiversity data (Stier et al. 2016), and examining the role of mutualist diversity in driving the performance of corals (Stier et al. 2012, Stier et al. Coral Reefs verm). We also study the interface between biogeography (variable species diversity in space) and food web ecology (organisms consuming one another). For example, we have show that higher dispersal capacity of predators creates unique species rich predator communities on small isolated islands in the south pacific (Stier et al. 2014)
Selected Publications
Stier A.C., Lee S.C., O’Connor M.I. 2019. Temporal variation in dispersal modifies dispersal-diversity relationships in an experimental seagrass metacommunity. Marine Ecology Progress Series. 613:67-76. PDF
Stier A.C., Stallings C.D., Samhouri J.F., Albins M.A., and G. Almany. 2017. Biodiversity effects of the predation gauntlet. Coral Reefs. PDF
Stier A.C. Bolker B., and C.W. Osenberg. Disentangling sampling effects from ecological process in analysis of beta diversity. 2016. Ecosphere. 7:e01612. DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.1612. PDF
Rudman S.M., Rodriguez-Cabal M., Stier A.C., Sato T., Heavyside J., El-Sabaawi R.W., and G.M. Crutsinger. 2015. Local adaptation mediates top-down and bottom-up control in aquatic ecosystems.DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2015.1234. Proceedings of the Royal Society B. PDF
Stier A.C.=, Hein A. M.=, Parravicini V.‡, and M. Kulbicki M.‡. 2014 Biogeography Drives Marine Food Web Structure. Nature Communications. 5. doi:10.1038/ncomms6575. PDF
Stier A.C., K.M. Hanson, S.J. Holbrook, R.J. Schmitt, A.J. Brooks. 2014. Predation and landscape characteristics independently affect reef fish community organization. Ecology. 95: 1294-1307. PDF
Stier A.C. and Leray M. 2014. Predators alter community organization of coral reef cryptofauna and reduce abundance of coral mutualists. Coral Reefs. 33: 181-191. PDF
