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April Cook (M.S., 2012)
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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.
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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
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Research Assistants and Graduate Students
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This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Major:
M.S Marine Science
Education:
2019 B.S. Biology and Neuroscience, Providence College
Research Interests:
I am interested in the reproductive ecology amongst deep-sea fishes. For my Master’s thesis, I will be focusing on reproduction of a deep-sea genus fish known as Chiasmodon (Scombriformes; Chiasmodontidae). I will be researching aspects of reproduction including separation of sexes (i.e. potential hermaphroditism), size at maturity, spawning frequency/timing, and gonad development. . Throughout the duration of my Master’s, I will be working as the Laboratory Manager and Research Associate under Dr. Tracey Sutton. I attended Providence College where I received my undergraduate degree and studied under Dr. John H. Costello focusing on the biomechanics of various animals. I was able to speak at a conference during my time at Providence in which I presented my research on the bio-fluid interactions of animal propulsors.
Abstract:
Lederer E., Johnson H., & Costello, J.H. (2017). Bio-Fluid Interactions of Flexible Animal Propulsors. 10th Annual Rhode Island Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows Conference, RI SURF, Conference conducted in Rhode Island, July 2017, MES-4 (A), pp. 57.
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Emma Schindler
Major:
M.S Marine Science
Education:
2022 B.A. in Art History, minor in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, University of Florida
Research Interests:
I am interested in biological oceanography at large, including topics like nutrient cycling and food chain dynamics. Currently, I am studying the trophic ecology and functional morphology of Nemichthyidae (snipe eels). My goal is that no matter what I work on, it is always promoting the appreciation and conservation of the ocean.
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Juliet Tretler
Major:
M.S Marine Science
Education:
2022 B.S. in Biological Sciences, minor in Chemistry, Florida State University
Research Interests:
My interests lie in the ecology and distribution of economically and ecologically relevant pelagic fishes. My thesis research focuses on the distribution and abundance of fishes of the suborder Stromateoidei in the Gulf of Mexico, as they pertain to the diets of large mesopelagic fishes and marine mammals.
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Chamberlyn Gravatt
Major:
M.S Marine Science
Education:
2023 B.S. in Biological, Faulkner University
Research Interests:
I am currently pursuing an M.S. in Marine Sciences at Nova Southeastern University under the advisership of Dr. Tracey Sutton. I am currently interested in the diel vertical migrations and ecology in the Gulf of Mexico specifically pertaining to mesopelagic fishes such as the Stenoptychidae.
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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 interested in assessing the human dimensions of coastal and marine environments to understand the impacts of human activity on ecosystem health and species populations. This research aims to inform the development of effective natural resource management plans for protected areas.
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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.
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