Fri, November 8, 2019 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS RESEARCH LABORATORY (AERL). IOF Seminar Series
Speaker: Patrick T. Martone
Professor, UBC Botany & Biodiversity Research Centre
Location: AERL Theatre
Calcified “coralline” algae play important roles in the ecology of marine communities worldwide: competing for space, creating habitat, and chemically attracting animals. Unfortunately, coralline species can be difficult – or even impossible – to differentiate by eye, severely limiting our understanding of their biodiversity, ecology, and evolution. Our recent work has revealed surprising patterns in the repeated evolution of segmented fronds from crustose ancestors and in the ecology of coralline crust communities in coastal ecosystems.
Dr. Patrick Martone is a seaweed biologist, a professor in the UBC Botany department, a curator in the Beaty Biodiversity Museum, and a principal investigator with the Hakai Institute. His research focuses on the biomechanics, ecology, physiology, and taxonomy of marine macroalgae.