Olivia’s Library
I'm a molecular ecologist who uses molecular tools to detect pathogens and non-native species in coastal ecosystems before they become management problems.
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Recent Works
The Prevalence of Two Known Pathogens of Atlantic Blue Crab Callinectes sapidus (Rathbun, 1896) in Coastal Adriatic, Aegean Sea, and Atlantic Iberian Coast
International collaboration testing whether the rapidly expanding Mediterranean population of invasive blue crab carries the pathogens endemic to its native North American range; CsRV1 was absent throughout, while Hematodinium sp. was widespread outside the Aegean. Sequence analysis placed those strains with European and Mediterranean lineages rather than American ones, indicating local acquisition rather than co-invasion.
Investigating the Ability of a Viral Pathogen of Callinectes sapidus to Infect Other Crabs in the Genus Callinectes and in Panopeid Prey Species
The virus CsRV1 is found in blue crabs throughout their range but nearly disappears in tropical waters, and this study tests whether that pattern reflects a narrow host range or something about the tropical environment itself. Through experimental infections of related swimming crabs and mud crab prey species, alongside field surveys in the Indian River Lagoon and Chesapeake Bay, the work asks which species CsRV1 can actually infect and where the virus might persist unnoticed.
A Tropical Coastal Lagoon Serves as Spawning Habitat for Multiple Callinectes spp.
Seven species of swimming crab were trapped in Puerto Rico's Torrecilla Lagoon, and the widespread presence of females carrying late-stage ovaries, egg masses, and egg remnants indicates the lagoon serves as spawning habitat for several of them. The study also establishes size at maturity for the two most abundant species, filling a basic life-history gap that has long stood in the way of evidence-based management of the island's artisanal crab fishery.
Tropical Disease Ecology in Callinectes spp.: Assessing Environmental Factors and Pathogen Prevalence in Puerto Rico
This study screened five species of swimming crab from Puerto Rico for a parasitic dinoflagellate (Hematodinium perezi) and three viruses, reporting the first detections of H. perezi in four Callinectes species and extending its known range into the Caribbean. Salinity and temperature emerged as consistent predictors of infection across both temperate and tropical systems, and H. perezi was found to co-occur positively with the virus CsRV2 — a possible interaction between the two pathogens.The Atlantic blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) supports commercial and artisanal fisheries from Canada to Uruguay, and managing those fisheries requires understanding what drives population fluctuations, including disease.
Passive Versus Active eDNA Sampling: A Field Comparison of Methods for Detecting Non-Indigenous Species on Marine Structures
Passive eDNA samplers promise a cheaper and simpler way to survey communities on structures that are difficult and expensive to reach, but the approach is new enough that its performance against established methods remains largely untested. This field experiment benchmarks passive samplers (sponges and filters soaked in place for 24 hours) against active methods (water filtration and plankton tows), scoring each against the true fouling community recovered from settlement plates on the three criteria that decide whether a protocol gets adopted: how much of the community it detects, how long it takes to deploy, and what it costs.
I'm open to new opportunities in marine disease ecology, molecular monitoring, aquaculture and fisheries science. Get in touch! I'm always glad to talk about the work!