The faculty of the Department of Biological Sciences includes a diverse group of estuarine and coastal marine ecologists and biological oceanographers who work in a wide range of research areas, such as biogeochemical cycling; physiological, population, and community ecology; and whole ecosystem modeling, using state-of-the-art approaches. Scientists in the department study benthic, planktonic and nektonic organisms and the temporal and spatial patterns and processes that control their distribution, diversity and ecological functioning in estuarine, coastal and open ocean regimes.

Preparatory Studies

A strong background in modern biology and basic science is required.This should include college math through calculus, chemistry through organic, and physics.  Courses in statistics may be helpful, but are not prerequisites. Students should have strong writing and verbal communication skills. Past research experience and training are highly desirable. Students are strongly encouraged to contact and discuss plans with prospective advisor(s) before applying to the graduate program.

Typical Course of Study

In addition to the core courses required of all SMS graduate students, Biological Sciences students are required to take one advanced course within the department (over the MSCI 550 level with 3 or more credits) to fulfill the advanced principles course requirement unless exemption is granted by instructor and approved by the Associate Dean of Academic Studies. Students are strongly encouraged to take MSCI 501D - Fundamentals of Marine Science, Biological Oceanography  unless they can demonstrate to their advisory committee that they have successfully taken a similar course as part of earlier graduate studies. Students are required to enroll in MSCI 515A - Biological Sciences Seminar  each spring semester. Additionally, appropriate courses related to the student’s area of specialization will be included, in consultation with the student’s advisory committee. These might include Plankton and Microbial Ecology for students specializing in plankton biology and Marine Benthos, Seagrass Ecology, or Secondary Production for those specializing in benthic systems. Theoretical Ecology, Ecological Modeling and computer applications are recommended for students whose research will rely on modeling or theoretical mathematical formulations.

Areas of Research

Marine and Benthic Ecology

Studies focus on the processes governing structure and functioning of communities and ecosystems. Current research includes: experimental and observational studies of recruitment, growth, and production; role of benthic organisms and communities in the fate and transfer of nutrients, organic matter, energy and sediments; effects of natural and anthropogenic disturbances on benthic community structure and functioning; consumer-prey relationships and benthic support of higher trophic levels; systematics and biodiversity of benthic animals and evolutionary ecology. Faculty members employ diverse research approaches including field and mesocosm experimentation, biogeochemical analyses, remote sensing, molecular genetics and a range of modeling techniques. Most research focuses on benthic systems of the land-sea margins, including tidal freshwater, estuarine and coastal regions and coral reefs.

Ecosystem Modeling

The ecosystem modeling program develops and employs numerical simulation models as integrative and synthetic tools for ecosystem analysis to address basic science and applied management questions. Current efforts include modeling studies of coastal and watershed carbon and nutrient cycling, estuarine eutrophication, submerged aquatic vegetation, multispecies trophic interactions, regional ocean ecosystem models and climate-related ecosystem changes. Studies involving optimal methods for combining in situ and satellite-based biological data with numerical models are also ongoing. Working with hydrodynamic, fisheries, and water quality modelers, an over-arching goal of the program is to develop cross-disciplinary models that address both basic and applied ecological research questions.

Macrophyte Ecology

Studies in this program concentrate on submerged and emergent macrophyte species that dominate shallow subtidal and intertidal marine, brackish, and freshwater areas. Current research includes studies on plant distribution and abundance, restoration ecology, plant dispersal mechanisms, plant responses to environmental variability, plant growth and productivity, carbon and nitrogen cycling, plant-herbivore interactions and ecosystem simulation modeling. The program encourages multi-investigator and multi-institutional collaborative efforts.

Marine Physiological Ecology

This area of research focuses on understanding the adjustments organisms make to their physiology in order to survive and reproduce in their constantly changing environment. The emphasis is on physiological, molecular, and ecological responses of marine and estuarine organisms, including plankton, ecologically and economically important benthic invertebrates (e.g. oysters), and foundation species (e.g. intertidal mussels and tropical reef corals). Mechanisms of acclimatization and adaptation to local environmental conditions are explored. This work spans local to global scales and multiple levels of biological organization. Current research employs communities and ecosystems that are exposed to natural and anthropogenic stressors, examining the current and future impacts of climate or other environmental change. Work in this interdisciplinary field includes manipulative laboratory experiments, field observations, and oceanographic sensor technology.

Microbial Ecology and Nutrient Cycling

Studies focus on the role of microbes and microbially-mediated biogeochemical processes in estuarine, coastal and marine environments, the fate of nutrients in benthic and pelagic ecosystems, and the roles microbes and nutrients play in regulating aquatic food webs and primary and secondary production. Microbial ecology and microbially-mediated biogeochemistry are studied in habitats ranging from intertidal marshes and mudflats to shallow subtidal, littoral zone systems, coastal embayments, riverine systems, large estuaries such as Chesapeake Bay, and the coastal ocean including areas adjacent to Antarctica.

Biological Oceanography/Plankton Processes

Research is focused on biological populations and processes as integral components of the dynamic, interconnected marine biosphere that provides half the food and absorbs half the anthropogenic carbon dioxide on the planet. The emphasis is on lower trophic levels in estuarine, coastal and oceanic food webs, including bacteria, phytoplankton, micro-, meso- and gelatinous zooplankton, harmful algal blooms and marine snow. Processes studied in all ecological provinces of the global ocean include fluxes of carbon and nitrogen between the various organic and inorganic pools, nutrient limitation, organic matter (dissolved and particulate) cycling, and biogenic trace gas production and consumption. The biotic processes regulating these transformations, the physical mixing and circulation mechanisms affecting their transport and redistribution, and the linkages and feed backs between the water column and all its boundaries (benthos, atmosphere, land margins) are emphasized. Collaborative research aimed at understanding the links between plankton dynamics and recruitment of economically important fisheries populations is also pursued.

Antarctic Oceanography

The Antarctic continent and the Southern Ocean together regulate the Earth’s weather, and the Southern Ocean, a major component of the planetary carbon cycle, is a key engine of global climate change, a source of rich fisheries, and haven for marine birds and mammals. VIMS programs provide an opportunity for graduate and undergraduate students to live and work in the Antarctic and on icebreakers; and to carry out research on production, nutrient cycling, organic matter diagenesis and ecosystem change. VIMS researchers work primarily in the Ross Sea (McMurdo Station) and the West Antarctic Peninsula (Palmer, Antarctica Long Term Ecological Research site). These programs also emphasize public education and outreach as important components of our work.

Metagenomics

Studies focus on the genes and genomes of uncultured microbiomes in various ecosystems including sediment, soil, water and host organisms. Metagenomics transforms our views in microbial diversity and promotes to discover novel metabolisms. Next generation sequencing technologies facilitate direct sequencing of microbial DNA. New bioinformatic methods are developed and used to analyze massive numbers of sequences and to determine metabolic potentials of microbial communities. Current research focuses on the microbiomes in sediments, soils, groundwater and oyster.