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Andy Chang |
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Biological invasions are fascinating, if often accidental, ecological experiments. While interesting from a purely scientific viewpoint, invasions also have very real consequences for the world around us. We are altering the oceans at an unprecedented scale and rate, yet we know amazingly little about the effects of our activities. My goal is to understand the historical, human, environmental, biological, and ecological issues at stake in invasions. I like to use a combination of natural history, historical research, and ecological experimentation to get at what sorts of factors drive successful invasions, what might prevent future invasions, and how we can deal with invasions the pose problems for human society. I currently focus on the effects of functional diversity and salinity stress in shaping community assembly, stability, and resistance to invasions in subtidal fouling communities. This project involves a combination of field surveys and manipulative lab and field experiments in several northern Californian estuaries, focusing on San Francisco and Tomales Bays. In addition, I do some small-scale eradication work on the Atlantic periwinkle Littorina littorea, which has recently appeared in significant numbers (but confined to relatively small areas) in both San Francisco and Anaheim Bays in California. Previously, I worked for the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center's Marine Invasions Lab and was based in San Francisco Bay. |  | ||
Research Interests
At the most basic level, I am interested in the processes shaping community assembly and stability and the factors influencing diversity (genetic, species, functional, etc) in estuarine and marine systems. How do these processes and influences change along the strong environmental gradients in estuaries? How does the introduction of non-native species affect the workings of a community? How do species and functional group roles vary depending on environmental settings?
Oral presentations
Chang AL and GM Ruiz (2007) Ecological consequences of historical and modern freshwater disturbance events in an estuarine ecosystem. Ecological Society of America meeting, San Jose, CA.
Chang AL and GM Ruiz (2007) A rapid response framework for eradicating marine invaders. Marine BioInvasions Conference, Boston, MA.
Chang AL and GM Ruiz (2007) Ecological consequences of historical and modern freshwater disturbance events in an estuarine ecosystem. Benthic Ecology Meeting, Atlanta, GA.
Chang AL and DL Kimbro (2007) Estuarine community diversity in a low-inflow estuary: a case study of Tomales Bay. California Estuarine Research Society meeting, Bodega Bay, CA.
Chang AL (2006) Salinity variation as a determinant of patterns of estuarine community diversity. Western Society of Naturalists Meeting, Redmond, WA.
Chang AL (2005) Functional group and species diversity in an estuarine fouling community. Western Society of Naturalists Meeting, Seaside, CA.
Chang AL (2005) Relationships between functional group diversity and species diversity in marine fouling communities. Benthic Ecology Meeting, Williamsburg, VA.
Chang AL, Crooks JA, and GM Ruiz (2003) Differing responses of native and exotic species to increasing pollution stress in an estuarine fouling community. Marine BioInvasions Conference, La Jolla, CA.
Publications
Blum JC, Chang AL, Liljesthrom M, Schenk ME, Steinberg MK, and GM Ruiz (2007) Does the non-native ascidian Ciona intestinalis depress species richness? Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 342: 5-14.
Burt JW, Muir AA, Piovia-Scott J, Veblen KE, Chang AL, Grossman JD, and HW Weiskel (2007) Preventing horticultural introductions of invasive plants: potential efficacy of voluntary initiatives. Biological Invasions 9: 909-923.
Miller AW, Chang AL, Cosentino-Manning N, and GM Ruiz (2004) A new record and eradication of the northern Atlantic alga Ascophyllum nodosum (Phaeophyceae) from San Francisco Bay, California, USA. Journal of Phycology 40: 1028-1031.
in prep / in review
Chang AL, Grossman JD, Sabol Spezio T, Weiskel HW, Blum JC, Burt JW, Muir AA, Piovia-Scott J, Veblen KE, and ED Grosholz (in review) Tackling aquatic invasions: risks and opportunities for the aquarium industry. Biological Invasions.
Crooks JA, Chang AL, and GM Ruiz (in review) Differing responses of native and exotic species to increasing pollution in an estuarine fouling community.
Crooks JA, Chang AL, and GM Ruiz (in prep.) The influence of structural complexity on habitat choice.
Chang AL, Miller AW, and GM Ruiz (in prep.) New records and eradications of the northern Atlantic periwinkle Littorina littorea from California, USA.