Project Manager
April Cook (M.S., 2012)
acook1@nova.edu
Position:
Project Manager for DEEPEND
Research Scientist
Education:
2012 M.S. Marine Science, College of William & Mary, Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS)
2000 B.S. Marine Science, Coastal Carolina University
Research Interests:
I am currently the Project Manager for the DEEPEND Consortium (www.deependconsortium.org), which is a five year project funded by the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative. As Project Manager, I organize field sampling activities, administrate program subawards, and organize consortium meetings and reporting activities. I also serve as a Research Scientist, assisting with deep-sea fish identification and distributional analyses. My main area of interest focuses on a group of deep-sea fishes called the swallowerfishes (Family: Chiasmodontidae). Their common name reflects their ability to swallow prey larger than themselves as shown in this image. My current work on this family focuses on the taxonomy, distribution, diet, and reproduction of the species collected from the Gulf of Mexico.
Publications:
Cook, A.B., Bernhard, A.M., Boswell, K.M., Bracken-Grissom, H., D'Elia, M., deRada, S. et al. (2020). A multidisciplinary approach to investigate deep-pelagic ecosystem dynamics in the Gulf of Mexico following Deepwater Horizon. Front. Mar. Sci. 7:548880. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2020.548880
Frank, T.M., Fine, C.D., Burdett, E.A., Cook, A.B., & Sutton, T.T. (2020). The vertical and horizontal distribution of deep-sea crustaceans in the Order Euphausiacea in the vicinity of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Front. Mar. Sci. 7:99. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2020.00099
Moore, J.A., Fenolio, D.B., Cook, A.B., & Sutton, T.T. (2020). Hiding in plain sight: Elopomorph larvae are important contributors to fish biodiversity in a low-latitude oceanic ecosystem. Front. Mar. Sci. 7:169. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2020.00169
Richards, T.M., Gipson, E.E., Cook, A., Sutton, T.T., & Wells, R.J.D. (2018). Trophic ecology of meso- and bathypelagic predatory fishes in the Gulf of Mexico. ICES J. Mar. Sci. 76(3):662-672. https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsy074
Burdett, E.A., Fine, C.D., Sutton, T.T., Cook, A.B., & Frank, T.M. (2017). Geographic and depth distributions, ontogeny, and reproductive seasonality of decapod shrimps (Caridea: Oplophoridae) from the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. Bull. Mar. Sci. 93(3):743–767. https://doi.org/10.5343/bms.2016.1083
Judkins, H., Vecchione, M., Cook, A., & Sutton, T. (2017). Diversity of midwater cephalopods in the northern Gulf of Mexico: comparison of two collecting methods. Mar. Biodiv. 47(3):647-657. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-016-0597-8
Mohan, J.A., Sutton, T.T., Cook, A.B., Boswell, K.M., & David Wells, R.J. (2017). Influence of oceanographic conditions on abundance and distribution of post-larval and juvenile carangid fishes in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Fish. Oceanogr. 26(5):526-541. https://doi.org/10.1111/fog.12214
D'Elia, M., Warren, J.D., Rodriguez-Pinto, I., Sutton, T.T., Cook, A.B., & Boswell, K.M. (2016). Diel variation in the vertical distribution of deep-water scattering layers in the Gulf of Mexico. Deep-Sea Res. PT I. 115, 91–102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2016.05.014
Judkins, H., Cook, A.B., Sutton, T.T., & Vecchione, M. (2016). Diversity of midwater cephalopods in the northern Gulf of Mexico: comparison of two collecting methods. Mar. Biodiv. https://doi.org/10-1007/s12526-016-0597-8
Vecchione, M., Falkenhaug, T., Sutton, T.T., Cook, A.B., Gislason, A., Hansen, H.Ø. et al. (2015). The effect of the North Atlantic Subpolar Front as a boundary in pelagic biogeography decreases with increasing depth and organism size. Prog. Oceanogr. 138(A):105-115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2015.08.006
Cook, A.B., Sutton, T.T., Galbraith, J.K., & Vecchione, M. (2013). Deep-pelagic (0–3000 m) fish assemblage structure over the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in the area of the Charlie-Gibbs Fracture Zone. Deep-Sea Res. Pt. II 98:279–291. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2012.09.003
Lab Members
Bianca Ruiz
Position:
Lab Manager/Graduate Assistant II
Major:
M.S Marine Science
Education:
2024 B.S. in Animal Sciences, specialization in Behavior and Welfare, University of Florida
Research Interests:
I am a Marine Science Master's student and Lab Manager of the Oceanic Ecology Lab at Nova Southeastern University. My thesis investigates the existence of an ecotone in the transitional boundary zone between the Gulf of Mexico's continental slope and offshore communities. Specifically, I am interested in how deep-pelagic assemblages change from an "open-ocean" to a "continental slope" state. The overarching goal of my thesis is to inform natural resource management policies for top predators that rely on these deep-pelagic assemblages as a prey source, including tuna and Rice's whale.
Sidney Trimble, M.S.
Position:
Research Technician I
Education:
2024 M.S. in Marine Science at Nova Southeastern University
Research Interests:
My thesis topic was focused on estimating the carbon flux of Argyropelecus aculeatus (hatchetfish) within the Northern Gulf. Hatchetfishes are one of the most abundant fishes in the world and some species (e.g., A. aculeatus) perform diel vertical migration and consume a large amount of prey, leading to them having a role in the export and sequestration of anthropogenic carbon within the deep sea. The main goal of this study was to create individual-based A. aculeatus carbon flux models to estimate the carbon flux of these fishes and determine the extent of their role in the biological carbon pump (BCP) within the Northern Gulf.
WIlliam Mastandrea
Major:
M.S Marine Science
Education:
2016 B.S. Marine Science, minor in Biology and Geology, Florida Gulf Coast University
Research Interests:
My main interest is marine ecology, moreover, ecology that has to do with how structures such as reefs and mangroves interact with the overall ocean ecosystem. The way these structures are still connected to species that live in the pelagic ocean I find fascinating, and I wish to see how pelagic species in return affect coastal systems.
Alyssa Williams
Major:
M.S Marine Science
Education:
2025 B.S. in Marine Biology, Nova Southeastern university
Research Interests:
One of my main research interests is studying oceanic trophic dynamics. I am particularly interested in the role of mesopelagic fishes in marine food webs and how they connect deep-sea and surface water ecosystems.
Paolo Soto
Major:
M.S Marine Science
Education:
2025 B.S. In Biological Oceanography, minor in Sustainability, Florida Institue of Technology
Research Interests:
While I find everything in the deep-sea fascinating, my main interest is how deep-sea communities distribute themselves based on topographical features and physical water parameter. I am currently working on developing a thesis project to narrow down this interest further!
Tate Abbott
Major:
M.S Marine Science
Education:
2024 B.S. In Wildlife Biologu, minor in Art, Lees-McRae College
Research Interests:
I am currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Marine Science at Nova Southeastern University, where I am a member of Dr. Tracey Sutton’s laboratory. My research interests focus on open-ocean pelagic fauna, specifically, hatchetfish. I am excited to be a part of the lab and grateful for the opportunity to work under Dr. Sutton’s guidance. Prior to beginning my graduate studies, I earned a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Biology with a minor in Art from Lees-McRae College. I am passionate about the natural world and dedicated to learning more about its diversity.
