My research at the Hawaiian Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) is broadly focused on biodiversity monitoring with an emphasis on coral reef biodiversity. We are currently building a Hybrid Reef in collaboration with several other labs at HIMB and School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) and elsewhere to aid in coastal defense for Hawaiian shorelines. I am leading the project component to study the eDNA biodiversity of the coral reef ecosystems, and am presently evaluating dozens of metabarcoding regions to test accuracy and specificity when working in Hawaiian systems.

New methods in eDNA allow us to understand not only the diversity and distribution of organisms from filtered sea water, but also shed light on population sizes, population structure, and genetic diversity. We are broadly investigating elasmobranch (shark and ray) distribution patterns and community diversity in Hawaii, along with population sizes and genetic structure around and between islands using eDNA.

In collaboration with the National Park Service in Kalaupapa National Historic Park in Moloka‘i, we are carrying out comprehensive biodiversity surveys using eDNA in both terrestrial and aquatic environments across different seasons. We have identified nearly 6,000 taxa using this approach, which we are comparing to traditional monitoring species lists. This work is currently in preparation for publication in a special issue. Explore a preview of these results here.

In collaboration with the National Park Service in Point Reyes National Seashore, we have undertaken a project to use eDNA metabarcoding in combination with a new method for qPCR eDNA primer development to survey for the endangered tidewater goby (Eucyclogobius newberryi). Using this method to survey 40 sites, we were successfully able to identify sites where tidewater gobies are present, after not being found for more than 10 years. This project demonstrates the power of eDNA to find rare endangered species.

We have developed a new and efficient eDNA workflow to sequence and assemble complete mitochondrial genomes for aquatic invasive species and subsequent detection using a small environmental sample. This is method is sensitive enough to detect species with as little as a single DNA copy, and we are currently applying it to priority AIS species in the National Parks.

Invasive algae can negatively impact ecosystems in several ways. We have developed a novel eDNA assay to detect the presence of harmful algal species for early prevention and mitigation in both ocean and freshwater systems. We are pairing this work with time-series monitoring using eDNA metabarcoding, so we can not only see where the invasive algae is, but also monitor exactly how it is affecting the local biodiversity within the ecosystem.