Department of Marine Biology  
www.marinebiology.edu  

 

Prospective Students | Current Students | Former Students | Visitors


MARB Home

Degree Programs

Current Students

Graduate Students

Faculty

Alvarado-Bremer
Armitage
Davis
Edwards
Iliffe
Kanz
Landry
Marshall
Metz
O'Neal
Quigg
Ray
Rooker
Rowe
Schulze
Schwarz
Wardle
Würsig

Contact Information

MARB Links

Research Programs

Marine Biology Graduate Program

 


Marine Biology Faculty


Jaime Alvarado-Bremer
5007 Avenue U
Galveston TX 77551
(409)740-4958 

alvaradj@tamug.edu

 

Education
1994 Ph.D. University of Toronto. Graduate Department of Zoology.
1988 M.Sc. University of Toronto, Graduate Department of Zoology
1983 B. Sc. Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana, Mexico  

Research Interests:
Conservation and population genetics of aquatic organisms with emphasis on large pelagic fishes primarily tunas and swordfish; molecular systematics and phylogenetics and biogeography of fishes; Adaptive significance of molecular and morphological traits; Studies of clinical genetic variation;  implications of variance in reproductive success variance on the patterns of genetic variation of populations; genetics in mariculture.

Courses Taught:   
Mariculture
Conservation Biology

 


Anna R. Armitage

Assistant Professor
5007 Avenue U
Galveston TX 77551
(409)740-4842
(409)740-5002 FAX
armitaga@tamug.edu

Coastal and Wetlands Ecology Lab

Research Blog

Graduate Affiliation: 
Department of Rangeland Ecology and Management (http://rangeland.tamu.edu/), Texas A&M University

Education: 
B.S. (Marine Biology) - University of California Los Angeles (1995)
Ph.D. (Biology) – University of California Los Angeles (2003)

Specialty:
Coastal and wetlands community ecology in salt marshes, tidal mudflats, and seagrass beds, with particular focus on changes in trophic structure following habitat restoration, nutrient enrichment, and other human disturbances.

Research Interests:
Anthropogenic nutrient enrichment impacts many coastal ecosystems, and a major component of my research addresses how nutrient supply influences trophic interactions in tidal marshes, seagrass beds, and coral reef habitats. I evaluate the impacts of nutrient enrichment and habitat restoration on marine communities using two general approaches: 1) characterizing responses of species assemblages (e.g., epiphytic microalgae, benthic macrophytes, epifauna), and 2) evaluating changes in herbivory and predation patterns. I have quantified trophic responses to enrichment or habitat restoration through direct measures of fitness, predation rates, and herbivory pressure, and am currently using isotopic signatures to evaluate food web structure.

Courses Taught:
Coastal Plant Ecology
Seminar in Marine Biology

 


Randall W. Davis

Professor
5007 Avenue U, Room
Galveston TX 77551
(409)740-4712   davisr@tamug.edu

 

Graduate Affiliation:
Department of Wildlife & Fisheries Science, Texas A&M University

Education:
B.S. (Biology, High Honors) - University of California, Riverside ( 1974 ) 
Ph.D. (Physiology) - University of California, San Diego (1980)

Research Interests:
Physiological ecology of marine mammals and birds, comparative physiology and behavior of diving vertebrates, animal energetics and locomotory performance.

Courses Taught:   Physiological Ecology of Marine Mammals

Publications

 


Patricia Edwards
Lecturer
207C CLB
Pelican Island
Mitchell Campus
(409)740-4458
edwardsp@tamug.edu
 

Education: 
B.S. Texas A&M University at Galveston (2001)
MMRM Texas A&M University (2004)

Courses Taught:  Biostatistics, Succeeding in Sciences, Competitive Rowing

 


Thomas M. Iliffe

Professor
5007 Avenue U
Galveston, Texas 77551

(409)740-4454
(409)740-5001 FAX
iliffet@tamug.edu

 

www.cavebiology.com

 

 

The student Biospeleology- photo gallery

Graduate Affiliation: Department of Wildlife & Fisheries Science, Texas A&M University

Education
B.S. - Penn State University (1970) 
M.S. - Florida State University (1973)  
Ph.D. - University of Texas Medical Branch (1977)

Specialty:
Marine Cave Biology and Diving Research. Biodiversity, ecology, biogeography and evolution of marine cave fauna; conservation biology and endangered species; technical scientific diving including cave, nitrox, rebreather and trimix diving.

Research Interests:
My primary research involves biodiversity surveys of the animals inhabiting saltwater caves. I have led research expeditions for studies of the biology of marine and freshwater caves to the Bahamas, Belize, Mexico, Jamaica, Canary Islands, Iceland, Balearic Islands, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Galapagos, Hawaii, and numerous other locations in the Indo-Pacific; in addition to 9 years of studies on Bermuda's marine caves. This research has resulted in the discovery of more than 250 new species of marine animals, mostly crustaceans, inhabiting caves on islands in the Atlantic, Caribbean and Indo-Pacific. While a number of these animals are exceptionally primitive “living fossils”, others are related to deep sea forms. Amazingly, many of these cave-limited species have close relatives inhabiting caves on opposite sides of the Earth. Much of my research involves uses of specialized diving techniques including cave diving using sidemounted tanks (to lower the diver’s profile) and closed-circuit rebreathers (to lengthen bottom times and reduce diver disturbance by exhaust bubbles). Additional information on my cave research can be found on my website at:

Courses Taught: Introduction to Scientific Diving, Methods in Research Diving, Biospeleology, Tropical Marine Ecology

 


James E. Kanz

Associate Professor
5007 Avenue U, Rm.102
Galveston, TX 77551
(409)740 4535 
kanzj@tamug.edu

 

Education: 
B.A. - University of Washington (1966) 
Ph.D - Tufts University (1973) 

Specialty:
Invertebrate neurobiology.

Research Interests:
Respiratory pumping in the marine snail, Aplysia.

Courses Taught:   Cell Biology, Comparative Physiology, Physiological Ecology, Fish Physiology, Animal Behavior, Sociobiology of Reproduction, Comparative Animal Physiology, Evolutionary Biology, Biochemistry.

 


André M. Landry, Jr.

Director, Sea Turtle & Fisheries
Ecology Research Laboratory
5001 Avenue U, St. 104
Galveston, Texas 77551
(409)740-4989
landrya@tamug.edu

 

 

Sea Turtle and Fisheries Ecology Lab

Graduate Affiliation:
Department of Wildlife & Fisheries Science, Texas A&M University

Education: 
B.S. - Zoology, Tulane University (1968) 
M.S. - Texas A&M University (1971) 
Ph.D. - Texas A&M University (1977) 

Specialty:
Life History and ecology of sea turtles and demersal nekton of the Gulf of Mexico.

Research Interests:
Life history and population status of sea turtle stocks of the Gulf of Mexico and life history and ecology of demersal nekton, with emphasis on species taken in trawl fisheries.

Courses Taught:  Ichthyology, Field Ichthyology

 


Christopher D. Marshall
Assistant Professor
5007 Avenue U,
Suite 152A,
Galveston, Texas 77551
(409)740-4884
(409)740-5002 FAX
marshalc@tamug.edu

Ecological Morphology Laboratory

Education: 
B.Sc.  (Biology) - Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA (1990)
M.Sc.  (Marine Biology) - Nova Southeastern University  Oceanographic Center, Dania, FL  (1992)
Ph.D.  (Functional Morphology) - University of Florida, Gainesville, FL (1997)

Specialty:  
Vertebrate Functional Morphology and Biomechanics

Research Interests:
My area of research is comparative functional organismal biology and ecomorphology. My research program integrates morphology and behavioral performance studies of vertebrates to understand organismal adaptations to their environment.   Specifically I am interested in how vertebrates detect, acquire, ingest and digest food, and how these systems affect behavioral performance and foraging ecology.  Such studies integrate several research tools including classic animal dissections, histology, electron microscopy, kinematics (motion analysis), electromyography and other electrophysiological techniques. Recent research topics investigate the feeding apparatus and foraging behavior in benthic foraging marine mammals.  Other interests include: comparative neurobiology, and the evolution and function of sensory systems.

Courses Taught:   Natural History of Vertebrates, Introductory Biology

 


Tasha L. Metz
Lecturer
207A CLB
Pelican Island
Mitchell Campus
(409)740-4431
metzt@tamug.edu

 

Education: 
B.S. Texas Christian University (1995)
M.S. Texas Christian University (1997)
Ph. D. Texas A&M University (2004)

Courses Taught: BIOL 111 and BIOL 112

 

 


Clifford O'Neal
Lecturer
onealc@tamug.edu

 

Education: 
B.S. Texas A&M University at Galveston (1996)
M.S. Louisiana State University (2000)
Ph. D. Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (2005)

Courses Taught: Aquatic Animal Nutrition

 

 


Antonietta Quigg

5007 Avenue U
Galveston TX 77551
(409)740-4990
(409)740-5002 FAX
quigga@tamug.edu
 

 

Phytoplankton Dynamics Laboratory

Graduate Affiliation: Department of Oceanography, Texas A&M University

Education
Ph.D., Biological Sciences, Monash University, Australia, 2000 B.Sci. (Honors) Biochemistry, La Trobe University, Australia, 1990. 
B.Sci. Majors in Biochemistry and Chemistry. La Trobe University, Australia, 1990.

Specialty:
Elemental dynamics on physiology, primary productivity and phytoplankton community composition in coastal ecosystems.

Research Interests:
Impact of trace metal and nutrient (N, P) enrichments, cycling and dynamics on physiology, primary productivity, and community composition in coastal ecosystems. Development of bioassays using ecologically relevant marine fauna, for toxicity studies and bioremediation. Ecological stoichiometry – biology of elements from molecules to the biosphere. Evolution of phytoplankton and development in the field of geobiology through interdisciplinary research.

Courses Taught:  
undergraduate: Marine Botany, Directed Studies, and Seminar in Marine Biology; post-graduate: Special topics in Marine Sciences, Biological ocean cruises

Selected Publications:
    Quigg, A. and Wardle, W. J. 2004 Marine Botany – course handbook. Texas A&M University. 264pp.

   Ho, T-Y. Quigg, A. Finkel, Z.V. Milligan, A. Wyman, K. Falkowski, P.G. and Morel, F.M.M. 2003 On the elemental composition of some marine phytoplankton. J. Phycology 39: 1-15.

   Falkowski, P. G. Katz, M. E. Knoll, A. H. Quigg, A. Raven, J. A. Schofield, O. and Taylor, F. J. R. 2004 The evolutionary history of eukaryotic phytoplankton. Science 305: 354-360. PDF

   Raven JA, Andrews M, Quigg A. 2004 The evolution of oligotrophy in relation to the breeding of crop plants for low input agricultural systems. In Aspects of Applied Biology 72, pp. 99-100, published by the Association of Applied Biologists, c/o Warwick HRI, Wellesbourne, Warwick CV35 9EF, UK

    Quigg, A. Finkel, Z.V. Irwin, A.J. Reinfelder, J.R. Rosenthal, Y. Ho, T-Y. Schofield, O. Morel, F.M.M. and Falkowski, P.G. 2003 The evolutionary inheritance of elemental stoichiometry in marine phytoplankton. Nature 425: 291-294. PDF

    Quigg, A. and Beardall, J. 2003 Protein turnover in relation to maintenance metabolism at low photon flux in two marine microalgae. Plant, Cell and Environment 26: 1-10. PDF

   Quigg, A. Beardall, J. and Wydrzynski, T. 2003 An investigation of the photosynthetic O2 - evolving reactions in two marine microalgae as a function of the photo flux during growth. Functional Plant Biology 30: 301-3008 PDF

 


Dr. Sammy M. Ray
Professor (Emeritus)
5001 Avenue U
Galveston TX 77551
(409)740-4526
rays@tamug.edu

 

Website: OysterSentinel.org

Graduate Affiliation:
Department of Wildlife & Fisheries Science, Texas A&M University

Education: 
A.A. - Mississippi Delta Junior College (1940) 
B.S. (Zoology) - Louisiana State University (1942) 
M.A. (Biology) - Rice University (1952) 
Ph.D (Biology) - Rice University (1954) 
U.S. Navy 1942-1945 - Pharmacist's Mate I/C

Specialty:
Marine Biology, Oyster Biology, Oyster Aquaculture and Hatcheries Invertebrate Pathology, Environmental Impact Assessment and Coastal Zone Management

 


Jay R. Rooker

Associate Professor
5007 Avenue U
Galveston, Texas 77551
(409)740-4744
(409)740-5002 FAX
rookerj@tamug.edu

 

Fisheries Ecology Lab

 

 

 

Graduate Affiliation:
Department of Wildlife & Fisheries Science, Texas A&M University

Education:
Ph.D. University of Texas (1997) 
M.S. University of Puerto Rico (1991) 
B. A. Gustavus Adolphus College (1985) 

Specialty:
Ecology of estuarine, coastal, and pelagic fishes; recruitment processes, particularly factors affecting early life growth and survival; life history and migration studies; analytical approaches to fish demography.

Research Interests:
My research centers on the community and population ecology of aquatic organisms, with a special emphasis marine fishes. I am particularly interested in linkages between habitat selection, individual responses, and survival during early life stages. My work is both laboratory and field-based, and I typically use both quantitative and experimental approaches to elucidate the importance of biotic and abiotic factors that influence early life growth, condition, and survival. The scope of my research has expanded significantly in the last decade, and we are currently using a variety of natural markers to solve ecological problems. For example, otolith chemistry is being used to retrospectively determine the environmental histories of marine fishes. The premise of otolith chemistry is that certain elements or isotopes are incorporated into otoliths in proportion to their concentrations in the environment, and thus we use these elemental fingerprints to distinguish individuals from different environments or regions. Also, we are using dietary tracers (stable isotopes, fatty acids) to investigate marine food web structure since consumer tissues reflect the isotopic and fatty acid composition of prey in a predictable. These natural biomarkers provide time-integrated or long-term measures of diet, and both approaches afford information on source(s) of organic matter supporting local food webs as well as trophic relationships of associated consumers.

Courses Taught:
Undergraduate: Marine Ecology, Fisheries Techniques
Graduate: Current Concepts in Marine Biology and Ecology, Ecology of Coral Reef Fishes

Current and Recent Research Projects:

Stock structure and mixing rates of Atlantic bluefin tuna: insights from otolith chemistry  read more

Movement and stock structure of blue marlin in the Gulf of Mexico using pop up satellite tags  read more

Early life history of billfishes in the Gulf of Mexico

Assessement of bathymetric highs as habitat of newly settled red snapper

Recruitment and patterns of habitat use by newly settled southern flounder

Characterization of mid-shelf banks in the NW Gulf as essential habitat of reef fishes  read more

Otolith chemistry of istiophorids in the western Atlantic

Bioaccumulation of mercury in large pelagic fishes  read more

Ecological significance of Sargassum to fisheries productivity  read more

Origin and mixing rates of red drum in Texas determined by otolith chemical analysis

Early life survival strategies and capabilities of hatchery and wild stocks

Rooker Lab
Richard Kraus, Ph.D. (Assistant Research Scientist)
Jessica Beck (Ph.D. candidate)
Joe Mikulas (M.S. student)
Ryan Schloesser (M.S. student)
Jeff Simms (M.S. student)
Josh Harper (M.S. student)

Former graduate students and post-docs
Jason Turner (Ph.D. 2004), Current position: Assistant Professor, University of Hawaii at Hilo

Richard Kraus (Post-doc 2003-2006), Current position: Assistant Professor, George Mason University (Aug 06)

Lindsay Glass (M.S. 2006), Current position: PhD. student, North Carolina State University

Yan Cai (M.S. 2005), Current position: Lecturer, Foundation College of Xiamen University, China

R. David Wells (M.S. 2002), Current position: Ph.D. Candidate, Louisiana State University

Matt Johnson (M.S. 2000), Current position: Ph.D. Candidate, University of South Alabama

Bert Geary, M.S. (2000), Current position: Research Technician, Texas A&M University

Selected Publications

 


Gilbert T. Rowe

Professor
Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Chief Academic Officer
Regents Professor
218 CLB, Pelican Island Mitchell Campus
5007 Avenue U, Rm 354
Galveston,  TX 77551
(409)740-4527 CLB
(409)740 4847 Ft. Crockett
(409)740-5001 FAX
roweg@tamug.edu

 

Dr. Rowe's Laboratory for  Deep-Sea Biology

Graduate Affiliation:
Department of Oceanography, Texas A&M University

Education:
Ph.D. -Duke University, Zoology, 1968
M.Sc. -Texas A&M, Oceanography, 1966
B.Sc. -Texas A&M, Zoology, 1964

Experience:
Head, Marine Biology, Texas A&M University, 2003-present
Professor, Oceanography, Texas A&M University, 1987-2002
Head, Oceanography, Texas A&M University, 1987-1993
Head, Oceanographic Sciences Division, BNL, 1985-1987
Oceanographer, Brookhaven National Laboratory, 1979-1987
Associate Scientist, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 1973-1979
Assistant Scientist, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 1969-1973
Postdoctoral Fellow, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 1968-1969
Research Associate, Florida State University, 1968

Specialty:
Benthos and biogeochemical processes

Research interests:
Deep Gulf of Mexico benthos, cycling of organic carbon and nitrogen, benthic-pelagic coupling, models of carbon cycling in benthic food webs

Courses Taught: Benthic Ecology, Biological Oceanography

 


Anja Schulze

Assistant Professor
5007 Avenue U
Galveston TX 77551 
(409)740-4540
schulzea@tamug.edu
 

 

 

Marine Invertebrates Lab

Graduate Affiliation:
Department of Oceanography, Texas A&M University

Education:     
Ph.D. Biology, University of Victoria, Canada 2001
Diplom, University of Bielefeld, Germany 1995

Specialty:
Ecology and evolution of marine invertebrates

Research Interests:
Phylogeny and population genetics of polychaete and sipunculan worms
Reproduction and development of marine invertebrates
Evolution of hydrothermal vent and cold seep fauna

Courses taught:
Undergraduate: MARB 435 – Marine Invertebrate Zoology

Selected Publications:
Schulze, A., Cutler, E. B. & Giribet, G. 2007. Phylogeny of sipunculan worms: a combined analysis of four gene regions and morphology. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 42: 171-192. PDF

Schulze, A. 2006. Phylogeny and genetic diversity of palolo worms (Palola, Eunicidae) from the tropical north Pacific and the Caribbean. Biological Bulletin, 210: 25-37.  PDF

Southward, E. C., Schulze, A. and Gardiner, S. L. 2005. Pogonophora (Annelida): form and function. Hydrobiologia, 535/536: 227-251. PDF

Schulze, A. and Halanych, K. 2003. Siboglinid evolution shaped by habitat preference and sulfide tolerance. Hydrobiologia, 496: 199-205. PDF

Schulze, A. 2003. Phylogeny of Vestimentifera (Siboglinidae, Annelida) inferred from morphology. Zoologica Scripta, 32: 321-342. PDF

 


John R. Schwarz

Professor of Marine Biology/Oceanography 
Director of the Seafood Safety Laboratory 
5007 Avenue U,
Rm 103D
Galveston, Texas 77551
(409)740-4453
schwarzj@tamug.edu

 

 

Seafood Safety Lab

Graduate Affiliation: Department of Oceanography

Education:
B.S. - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (1967)
Ph. D. - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (1972), 

Specialty:
Seafood Microbiology/Microbial Ecology

Research Interests:
Field and laboratory investigations of seafood-associated pathogenic microorganisms with respect to public health; development and evaluation of rapid molecular techniques for detecting microorganisms; ecological studies of microorganisms in the estuarine environment; current studies focus on species of the genus Vibrio.

Courses Taught:  Genetics, Microbiology

 


William John Wardle

Associate Professor (Retired)
5001 Avenue U,
Room 152B
Galveston, TX, 77551
(409)740-4719
(409)740-5001 FAX
wardlew@tamug.edu

Graduate Affiliation:
Department of Wildlife & Fisheries Science, Texas A&M University

Education
B.S. (Biology with Chemistry minor) - Lynchburg College, Virginia (1963) 
M.S. (Marine Biology) - Texas A&M University (1970) 
Ph.D. (Biology) - Texas A&M University (1974)

Specialty:
Marine algae and parasites.

Research Interests:
Marine algae, including phytoplankton , seaweeds, and benthic microalgae. Symbiotic, and especially parasitic relationships among marine organisms. Marine molluscs, their biology and ecology, and their use in filtration of industrial wastewater pollutants.

 

 


Bernd Würsig

Professor
Regents Professor
4700 Ave U, Bldg. 303 
Galveston, TX 77551
(409)740-4413
(409)740-4717 FAX
wursigb@tamug.edu

 

 

Lab Website:  Marine Mammal Research Program

Graduate Affiliation:
Department of Wildlife & Fisheries Science, Texas A&M University

Education: 
B.Sc. (Zoology) - Ohio State University (1971) 
Ph.D. - State University of New York at Stony Brook (1978) 

Specialty:
Würsig enjoys teaching and studying the social and foraging strategies of whales and dolphins.

Research Interests:
Long-term studies of the behavioral ecology of dolphins, porpoises & whales. Elucidating differences of foraging techniques in different environments. Flexibilities of adaptation in social marine mammals & in social animals in general.

Courses Taught:  Biology of Marine Mammals, Cetacean Behavior Ecology

 

 

 

 

Emergency Communications - E2 Campus Emergency Response Plan


State of Texas  ◦   Statewide Search
Privacy Statement  ◦   Legal Notices  ◦   Accessibility  ◦   Compact with Texans  ◦   Open Records
Texas Homeland Security  ◦   TAMU Homeland Security  ◦   Annual Security Report
 
Texas A&M University at Galveston, P.O. Box 1675 Galveston, Texas 77553
© 2008 All rights reserved. Contact Webmaster.