Betsy Barber

MSc. Candidate (2010 -)

BSc. (honours) Marine Biology, University of Maine at Machias (2009)
Contact: betsy.barber@maine.edu

Project: Role of predation as a source of early post-settlement mortality of marine invertebrates in rocky subtidal areas of the southwest Bay of Fundy.

Predation during early post-settlement is thought to be an important process affecting juvenile recruitment.  Variability in recruitment can influence both the distribution and abundance of adults within a community.

Using a new monitoring tool developed to quantify species diversity within a given site, we will determine the effect of predation on the community as a whole as well as on individual species.  This will help further our knowledge on whether predation regulates early post-settlement mortality, and will contribute to management decisions in the southwest Bay of Fundy.